Instill Energy and changing zones to refresh
Asked by UniqueUserID 8 years ago
Both Instill Energy and Nature's Chosen both say they can only be used once per turn.
1 ) Am I right in thinking as long as you change the zone the card is in you can cast and use the card again? eg - Bouncing card to hand
2) Does using Flickerwisp or Flicker to flicker it momentarily work? Do I choose a new target for the aura?
3) Will moving the aura with cards such as Crown of the Ages will NOT allow you to use it again, since the zone has not changed?
4) Open Question - Am I missing another obvious way to refresh the use of these cards?
Thanks for reading
UniqueUserID says... #2
Whoa! Incredible! Many thanks Red Mage.
The info about Nature's Chosen being swapped back to the original can be considered a "new" ability is pretty mind blowing to me! Do abilities follow the zone rule or something?
June 22, 2015 7:30 p.m.
TheRedMage says... #3
I am not sure if they follow the "zone rule", it's more like, if a permanent loses an ability, and then gains an identical ability later on, it's considered a new ability. Objects don't retain memory of their abilities after they lose them (in most cases, at least).
TheRedMage says... Accepted answer #1
1) Yes. Every time an object changes zone it becomes a new object with no memory of its past (barring a few exceptions described in rules 400.7a through 400.7g). If you bounce your aura and replay it enchanting the same permanent, you will be able to activate the ability again.
2) If you Flicker or Flickerwisp the aura, it will once again become a new object with no memory of its past. Therefore you will be able to activate the aura's ability again, as, like before, it will have no memory of its past activations.
When the aura comes back, you will choose a new creature to attach it to. You will have to choose a creature that the aura can legally enchant (i.e. you can't attach Instill Energy to a Mirran Crusader because it has protection from green, and as such cennot be enchanted by it). The interesting fact is that this process does NOT target, so targeting restrictions (like shroud) do not apply.
3) The answer to this question is actually not the same for Instill Energy and Nature's Chosen.
Instill Energy has itself an ability that can only be activated once. If you move the aura, it won't change zones and will still be the same object. As such, it will "remember" its past activations, and you won't be able to activate this ability again.
Nature's Chosen, on the other hand, grants enchanted creature an ability that can only be used once a turn. If you have a Fugitive Wizard enchanted by Nature's Chosen, untap it with the ability, and then move Nature's Chosen to your Eager Cadet, your Eager Cadet will now have gained two abilities it did not have before. Even if your Fugitive wizards has activated the ability granted by the aura already, Eager Cadet just knows that he himself has an ability that can only be activated once per turn. Since he has not activated the ability, he is free to do so.
Interestingly enough, this means that if I have two Crown of the Ages and an Eager Cadet enchanted by Nature's Chosen, I can activate the ability, move the aura to Fugitive Wizard, then move it back to the original Eager Cadet and activate it again! Even though it's the same Nature's Chosen, the ability will be by all intents and purposes a "new" ability and Eager Cadet will think it has never activated it this turn.
4) Nothing ovious comes to mind, but I will let you know.
June 22, 2015 6:48 p.m.