enchant controlled creatures and marchesa
Asked by Pfinferno 10 years ago
I have marchesa as my commander, as well as mikaeus. Say used an enchantment to control an opponent's creature. If that creature was killed, would it come back under my control because of marchesa or mikaeus? What if I used a sacrifice creature card, and sacrificed the controlled creature, would it come back under my control permanently?
Thanks for the response! So, the ability that resolves first was the last one on the stack right (aka the top?) or is it the other way around?
November 6, 2014 2:04 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #3
Marchesa, the Black Rose's triggered ability creates a delayed trigger to return the creature at EOT. Undying will return the creature immediately.
Not that it matters since Marchesa only triggers on creatures with +1/+1 counters and undying only triggers on creatures without +1/+1 counters.
November 6, 2014 2:31 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #4
Gidgetimer is correct.
Only one of the abilities can trigger because there's no situation in which both abilities' trigger conditions can be met.
If the creature has a +1/+1 counter on it, then only Marchesa, the Black Rose's ability can trigger, and the creature card will be returned to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of the next end step.
If the creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, then its undying ability (granted by Mikaeus, the Unhallowed) will trigger, and the creature card will be returned to the battlefield under its owner's control when the ability resolves.
@billpasdmf: Note that neither of these abilities can fizzle. To fizzle is to be countered by game rules for having zero remaining legal targets. Only a spell or ability that had legal targets when put onto the stack but has no remaining legal targets on resolution can fizzle.
November 6, 2014 2:48 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #5
"Fizzle" hasn't been an official game term in a long time, so I don't know if trying to enforce a definition on it is worth the trouble.
November 6, 2014 4:38 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #6
I think it is. If you indicate that something's fizzling, you're typically still implying that it's countered somehow. Spells and abilities without targets will still resolve and do as much as they can. It's most relevant when there are other effects that still happen regardless of what actions can't be performed.
November 6, 2014 5:08 p.m.
So, just to clarify. If I use an enchantment to control an enemy's creature, and I sacrifice it, it will only come back under my control if it has +1/+1 counters on it because of marchesa, and if it doesn't have +1/+1 counters and I have mikaeus out, that creature will just go to the opponent's graveyard?
November 6, 2014 5:45 p.m.
It will go to their battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it, not their graveyard.
When it died, you controlled it and it had undying, so that will trigger and they will get it back since they are the owner of the card.
November 6, 2014 8:35 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #9
@Devonin: That's somewhat misleading.
Whenever a creature dies, it goes to its owner's graveyard. Undying triggers when a creature dies, and the creature will be returned to the battlefield under its owner's control when the ability resolves.
November 6, 2014 8:59 p.m.
Ah okay got it now guys, thank you. So basically, I don't want to take control of an opponent's creature (generally) that only lasts for one turn and then sacrifices the creature or whatever, unless I can get a +1/+1 counter on it and have marchesa out.
November 6, 2014 10:55 p.m.
billpasdmf says... #11
@Epochalyptik Ah, an oversight, on my part. Thanks for the correction.
billpasdmf says... #1
Always link the cards in your question, so people don't have to look them up.
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
Marchesa specifically states that the creature come back to the battlefield under your control.
Mikaeus, of course, puts it back to it's owner's control.
They're both triggered abilities that you control, so you decide the order that they go on the stack. The one you put on the stack last will resolve first, leaving the other to fizzle. Just make sure you set it up so Marchesa's ability resolves first, and you'll be fine.
November 6, 2014 2:01 p.m.