Grip of the Roil and Hexproof
Asked by 802Shadow 7 years ago
In response to my playing Grip of the Roil and targeting a creature, my opponent makes that creature Hexproof. I understand that the target is no longer legal upon resolution of Grip of the Roil but do I still get the draw effect from it?
darkmatter32x says... Accepted answer #2
608.2b If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. A target thats no longer in the zone it was in when it was targeted is illegal. Other changes to the game state may cause a target to no longer be legal; for example, its characteristics may have changed or an effect may have changed the text of the spell. If the source of an ability has left the zone it was in, its last known information is used during this process. The spell or ability is countered if all its targets, for every instance of the word target, are now illegal. If the spell or ability is not countered, it will resolve normally. Illegal targets, if any, wont be affected by parts of a resolving spells effect for which theyre illegal. Other parts of the effect for which those targets are not illegal may still affect them. If the spell or ability creates any continuous effects that affect game rules (see rule 613.10), those effects dont apply to illegal targets. If part of the effect requires information about an illegal target, it fails to determine any such information. Any part of the effect that requires that information wont happen.
Example: Sorins Thirst is a black instant that reads, Sorins Thirst deals 2 damage to target creature and you gain 2 life. If the creature isnt a legal target during the resolution of Sorins Thirst (say, if the creature has gained protection from black or left the battlefield), then Sorins Thirst is countered. Its controller doesnt gain any life.
Example: Plague Spores reads, Destroy target nonblack creature and target land. They cant be regenerated. Suppose the same animated land is chosen both as the nonblack creature and as the land, and the color of the creature land is changed to black before Plague Spores resolves. Plagues Spores isnt countered because the black creature land is still a legal target for the target land part of the spell. The destroy target nonblack creature part of the spell wont affect that permanent, but the destroy target land part of the spell will still destroy it. It cant be regenerated.
November 15, 2016 7:53 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #3
Note that if the spell has two or more targets (see Repel the Darkness), and only one target becomes illegal, the spell will still resolve and you will draw a card.
This is not to be confused with the rule that says when spells/abilities resolve, they do as much as they can. Example: Omen Machine is in play and someone resolves Brainstorm. The spell does as much as it can. Since the player can't draw cards, they simply put 2 cards in their hand on top of their library.
If all targets for your spell become illegal targets, the spell will fizzle and be removed from the stack.
Lame_Duck says... #1
No. If all targets of a spell or ability are illegal by the time it resolves it's countered by the game's rules in it's entirety and none of its effects occur. You won't get to draw.
November 15, 2016 7:34 p.m.