Emeria Shepherd and its double 'may'
Asked by Named_Tawyny 9 years ago
Hey Folk:
So if a Plains enters the battlefield "...you may have that permanent enter the battlefield instead"
Does the instead there fully replace the regular landfall, or does the may mean that you have either option?
ie: Does it mean 'If a plains enters the battlefield, you may have nonland permanent of your choice go from your graveyard to EITHER your hand or the battlefield", or are you restricted to either putting it on the battlefield or not at all?
It is true that the release options do not give you a clear cut explanation. However, based on similar wordings on other cards, you have two options:
Landfall happens. You may return a non-land permanent card to your hand. Not obliged to in any case, but you have to option to. If the landfall was triggered by a Plains, you have 3 options:
- Choose not to return a non-land permanent card from your graveyard.
- Choose to return one to your hand.
- Choose to return that card to the battlefield. This is the only thing the land being a Plains modifies - it creates a replacement effect.
The easiest way to grok this is to think of the Plains effect as a form of kicker. If the land was a plains, it "kicks" the original effect and you get the bonus option of returning the card to the field.
September 25, 2015 5:47 a.m. Edited.
Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #3
The "If...instead" indicates a replacement effect, which in this case happens to be a self-replacement effect (it replaces some or all of the ability's own effect). The "you may" in each sentence means you choose to either do the action in that sentence or do nothing. The self-replacement effect in Emeria Shepherd's ability will always be applied if the condition is met, so that means if the ability is triggered by a Plains you have the choice between leaving the permanent in your graveyard or returning it to the battlefield. You don't have the option of returning it to your hand.
September 25, 2015 9:47 a.m.
Named_Tawyny says... #4
So, after talking with an L2 colleague of mine, it appears that the Plains landfall ability does indeed replace the non-plains landfall ability. =)
September 26, 2015 8:08 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #5
A rules Q&A thread on this topic in an official Judge Program forum recently got an "O"fficial response supporting Boza's answer to this question. I'm still having a hard time understanding why it would work that way.
September 30, 2015 3:02 p.m.
Named_Tawyny says... #6
Yeah, I saw that yesterday.
At this point, I think Tabak is going to have to add a ruling to gatherer soon.
BlueScope says... #1
Landfall is never replaced, nor could it be. It's only a hint on the triggered ability on the card.
That being said, it's indeed interpretable, I would say. The Release Notes don't give an answer, and during the absence of a Gatherer ruling, we're left with a good guess (so take the following with a grain of salt).
From the sound of it, I'd say it lets you return the card to the battlefield if Landfall was triggered by a Plains, and to your hand if anything but a Plains triggered it. In neither case, you are forced to do it, but you don't get both options at any point.
September 25, 2015 5:38 a.m.