If a creature dying is replaced by a temporary exile, and both die at the same time, what happens?
Asked by Yesterday 1 year ago
I'm not sure that there are real cards that can produce this situation.
A creature called has the text "If another creature would die, instead exile until this creature leaves the battlefield."
Somebody casts Damnation.
Does only the first creature die?
JANKYARD_DOG says... #2
I believe it works like this:
Damnation is cast --> Trigger(s) go on stack for each other creature
If nothing else, triggers then happen ahead of Damnation because the stack resolves backwards. Thus when the creature with the exile ability dies along with everyone elses stuff you get whatever was exiled back. Yes? Yes. Someone confirm? I'm like 96.3% sure.
May 22, 2022 7:49 p.m.
JANKYARD_DOG That was my initial thought as well, but the way Yesterday currently has it worded, it's not a trigger but rather its a replacement effect (like Leyline of the Void), which is where I'm tripping up.
May 22, 2022 8:50 p.m.
Triggered abilities always use when/whenever/at. The hypothetical creature in my question has a replacement effect, like Draugr Necromancer.
As Delphen7 pointed out, if something would be exiled until a second something (like Lumbering Battlement) leaves the battlefield, but the second thing that would do the exiling leaves the battlefield before its trigger resolves, then the first thing doesn't leave the battlefield at all, even for a flicker.
Which is why I would expect that only the hypothetical creature would die, because it would replace the destruction of the other creatures with an "exile until CARDNAME leaves the battlefield" that doesn't work because the hypothetical creature would already be gone?
In regular Magic, I don't know that there's actually any way to actually make the source of the "exile until" leave at the actual same time that it would apply to the thing that it'd exile.
I did a rudimentary search but haven't found anything that uses "exile until" as a replacement effect. It's not impossible that the rules don't properly cover this because it's something that can't currently actually happen.
May 22, 2022 8:54 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... Accepted answer #5
You are creating rules issues by putting a duration on a replacement effect. I'm pretty sure that if they ever print an ability like what you are thinking that they would make it a trigger in order to dodge this.
There is no rule defining what happens here since this can not happen. If pressed for an opinion I would say that since the exile began at the same time that it ended, it never actually happened and all creatures go to the graveyard.
Delphen7 says... #1
I'm just working through this one in my head.
I know that cards like Blood Artist will see other deaths: If Blood Artist and one or more other creatures die at the same time, its ability will trigger for each of those creatures. (2016-06-08)
Lumbering Battlement works similarly to your card, and has the following rule: If Lumbering Battlement leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, you can’t exile any nontoken creatures. (2019-01-25)
So your card will try to exile them, but nothing will actually happen since it's not around anymore.
Not sure how that'll affect death triggers though. I think they'd just die.
Gidgetimer Any thoughts?
May 22, 2022 5 p.m.