if I target something and the target dies ... what happens
Asked by Kornex2000 11 years ago
if, for example, I have Lord of Atlantis on the battle field and I cast a Phantasmal Image to copy my Lord of Atlantis and my lord of atlantis dies before the spell resolve (Abrupt Decay ). Does my Phantasmal Image go directly to the graveyard because it will just be a 0/0 creature? What were to happen if the "original" of my Phantasmal Image dies after Phantasmal Image resolves? would both the "original" and Phantasmal Image go to the graveyard or would my Phantasmal Image still stay on the battlefield even after its "original" dies? Thanks for taking the time to read through my message
Epochalyptik says... #3
The process is different between Phantasmal Image and something like Spitting Image .
With Phantasmal Image , you declare the creature (it is not a target) that you copy as Phantasmal Image enters the battlefield. Therefore, your opponent must respond without knowing what your choice will be. If there are no other creatures on the battlefield when Phantasmal Image resolves, Phantasmal Image must enter in its 0/0 default state. It will die as a state-based action. If Phantasmal Image does enter the battlefield as a copy of something, then it doesn't matter what happens to the original. Phantasmal Image copies the original when Phantasmal Image enters the battlefield, but the original doesn't need to stick around after that as a "reference" of sorts.
With Spitting Image , you declare a target, which means you choose the creature when you cast the spell. Your opponent can respond. If the target becomes illegal, then Spitting Image fizzles (a spell or ability fizzles, or is countered by state-based actions, if it tries to resolve without having any legal targets).
Also, please remember to select an answer, Kornex2000.
erabel says... Accepted answer #1
Phantasmal Image doesn't target.
At any rate, if there are no other creatures on the battlefield, the Phantasmal Image would have no choice but to enter as itself and die immediately as a State-Based Action, because it has 0 toughness. If there are other creatures, though, it can enter as any other creature on the battlefield.
As for the second bit, if you have Lord of Atlantis and a Phantasmal Image copying Lord of Atlantis , they're separate things. Even if one dies, the other doesn't, unless the effect is something that would send both to the graveyard (Wrath of God , Mutilate for 3, and so on).
January 17, 2014 1:21 p.m.