Half resolved spells/abilities in multiplayer.
Asked by ItinerantFailure 6 years ago
A player can leave the game at any time which results in a bevy of instantaneous effects. If a player leaves as a spell is resolving the spell ceases to exist. Any triggered abilities that player would generate do not generate.
If a player uses Fork on a Living End and then concedes after the exile action then what happens? What if they concede after the shuffle action on Warp World?
If a player uses Mystifying Maze on an attacking creature and then dies to combat damage or concedes does the creature return?
ItinerantFailure says... #2
I think you may have misunderstood the questions, The player concedes during the resolution of his or her copy of Living End, does it stop resolving when it leaves the game? Are the actions that have already been completed reversed?
Warp World shuffles all cards from the battlefield, not just the cards of it's owner.
Mystifying Maze Creates a delayed triggered ability, I'm just not sure if that delayed trigger belongs to Maze or to the Exiled creature.
January 31, 2018 10:11 a.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #3
For your Living End and Warp World examples: In a strictly technical sense, the spell would stop resolving and any already completed actions would not be reversed. In a practical sense, the remaining players would say "no, that's stupid" and finish resolving the spell before dealing with the results of the player leaving the game (though for Living End they might decide to reverse it instead, depending on the situation). The remaining players likely wouldn't respond positively if the conceding player insisted they play out the technically correct result.
For your Mystifying Maze example: It's exactly the same as the Astral Slide example quoted by Boza, above. Because Maze was controlled by the player who left the game, they also would have controlled the delayed trigger. It doesn't get put onto the stack.
January 31, 2018 10:55 a.m.
ItinerantFailure says... #4
I'm sure it depends on whether one of the remaining players would benefit more from the new legal boardstate ^_^
January 31, 2018 11:21 a.m.
I'm pretty sure once a spell starts resolving, even if it somehow leaves the stack, it will finish resolving, so even if it's controller concedes, the spell has to finish resolving despite not being in the game.
January 31, 2018 2:54 p.m.
ItinerantFailure says... #6
Lots of things can interrupt or significantly alter spell resolution; replacement effect and mana abilities whenever costs can be paid, including During library search. Concession is just the most selective and dramatic of these.
January 31, 2018 3:06 p.m. Edited.
Reference:
608.2j If an instant spell, sorcery spell, or ability that can legally resolve leaves the stack once it starts to resolve, it will continue to resolve fully.
January 31, 2018 3:07 p.m.
ItinerantFailure says... #9
Actually, I suppose it probably would... that's difficult. Is leaving the same as ceasing to exist?
January 31, 2018 3:24 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #10
Sorry, I haven't read the "Resolving Spells and Abilities" section in detail in a while and I forgot about the content quoted by Neotrup. 608.2j is meant to cover this exact situation. The spell continues resolving.
Boza says... #1
While all of those are unusual to say the least, here is my best guess:
800.4i If a player leaves the game during his or her turn, that turn continues to its completion without an active player. If the active player would receive priority, instead the next player in turn order receives priority, or the top object on the stack resolves, or the phase or step ends, whichever is appropriate.
The player can leave the game at any time and the spell or ability will resolve and do as much as it can.
In case 1, Living End will do nothing to creatures owned by that player, as they will be exiled.
In case two, it does not really matter, since all the cards the conceding player owns. Additionally from the rules: "Then, if that player controlled any objects on the stack not represented by cards, those objects cease to exist."
In case three, no it wont return:
"800.4d If an object that would be owned by a player who has left the game would be created in any zone, it isnt created. If a triggered ability that would be controlled by a player who has left the game would be put onto the stack, it isnt put on the stack. #
Example: Astral Slide is an enchantment that reads, Whenever a player cycles a card, you may exile target creature. If you do, return that creature to the battlefield under its owners control at the beginning of the next end step. During Alexs turn, Bianca uses Astral Slides ability to exile Alexs Hypnotic Specter. Before the end of that turn, Bianca leaves the game. At the beginning of the end step, the delayed triggered ability generated by Astral Slide that would return Hypnotic Specter to the battlefield triggers, but it isnt put on the stack. Hypnotic Specter never returns to the battlefield."
January 31, 2018 9:23 a.m.