Golgari Champion and */* Creatures?

Asked by twiggles 12 years ago

How would Varolz, the Scar-Striped, who gives all creatures in your graveyard scavenge for it's cmc, interact with cards such as Boneyard Wurm , Splinterfright , or even Consuming Aberration ? Basically, is the power of Boneyard Wurm equal to the number of creature cards in my graveyard even when it itself is in the graveyard?

aavb132 says... Accepted answer #1

The ruling on boneyard wurm:

  • 9/22/2011 The ability that defines Boneyard Wurm's power and toughness works in all zones, not just the battlefield. If Boneyard Wurm is in your graveyard, it will count itself.

So I imagine it's the same thing with splinterfright and the consuming aberration. And Varolz would essentially give them "Scavenge [INSERT MANA COST] ([INSERT MANA COST], Exile this card from your graveyard: Put a number of +1/+1 counters equal to to the number of * cards in * graveyard -1. on target creature. Scavenge only as a sorcery.)

April 11, 2013 6:12 p.m.

MagnorCriol says... #2

Characteristic-defining abilities, such as creatures with [star]/[star] for their P/T, work in all zones. So (as aavb132 said), a Boneyard Wurm 's P/T is equal to the number of creature cards whether it's on the battlefield, in your graveyard, or even in your library. Its scavenge result will be based on that.

April 11, 2013 7:31 p.m.

Rhadamanthus says... #3

One note on aavb132's answer: For the case of Boneyard Wurm it wouldn't be * -1 counters, it would be * counters. The object the Scavenge ability is referring to for information is the card as it last existed in the graveyard, so it will use the last known information about what the card looked liked while it was still in the graveyard.

April 11, 2013 8:55 p.m.

aavb132 says... #4

@Rhadamanthus

It's not that; I just forgot to account for something.

  • 9/22/2011 The ability that defines Boneyard Wurm's power and toughness works in all zones, not just the battlefield. If Boneyard Wurm is in your graveyard, it will count itself.

I'm highly inattentive and forgetful.

April 11, 2013 10:59 p.m.

Draugo says... #5

@Rhadamanthus According to what Joe Bono told in Limited Resources once scavenge would not count Boneyard Wurm to its p/t since CDA:s work in all zones including exile. Last known information for Boneyard Wurm 's p/t comes from exiled zone and then it's not in graveyard anymore and won't count itself.

April 12, 2013 6:45 a.m.

Rhadamanthus says... #6

I was basing my interpretation on the explanation of Scavenge given in the reminder text of Varolz, which refers to "that card". However, when I go back and read the full rules text of Scavenge it says "the exiled card". That means you're right and the number is actually *-1.

April 12, 2013 10:49 a.m.

This discussion has been closed