killing a hangarback walker you stole with a betray effect

Asked by veritas723 8 years ago

opponent has a Hangarback Walker

my turn, i cast an Act of Treason or some other such betrayal effect. it resolves with the target being the walker.

so I gain control of it. Swing... whatever. but on 2nd main I destroy it somehow. ...i dunno, Shrapnel Blast sac it to their face.

the trigger ability of Hangarback Walker should fire? do I get the thopters --as the current controller? or does the owner? or does no one???

Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #1

The controller of an ability is the player who controlled the source at the time it triggered (if the source has no controller, then the owner is the controller of the ability).

Because you controlled Hangarback Walker when it died, you control the ability.

August 19, 2015 7:31 p.m.

nobu_the_bard says... #2

A card's text box speaks to its controller. If you control Hangarback Walker when it dies, the description of the trigger is speaking to you, so you put the Thopters into play. A card will specifically read otherwise when this isn't true; the default assumption is directions are for its current controller.

If a card's directions speak about its owner, however, take note - it means the player for whom the card began in their deck. You'll see cards like Oblivion Ring differently when you notice this detail.

August 19, 2015 7:32 p.m.

koylucumert says... #3

but wait. the ability triggers in the graveyard of its owner so its owner becomes the controller. so shouldnt the ability work for its owner?

August 20, 2015 2:15 a.m.

Boza says... #4

The uses last known information in such cases to detrmine who is the controller. When HW enters the graveyard, the game ask "who was the person that controlled that permanent before it was put in the graveyard?". The answer is you, so you are now the controller of the ability.

August 20, 2015 2:58 a.m.

Please select an answer to remove it from the active queue (so people like me don't come to a question to answer it only to find out that four other people answered it before me).

August 20, 2015 12:38 p.m.

Epochalyptik says... #6

On-death abilities trigger based on the object as it existed on the battlefield, so the object's controller will control the ability.

603.6d Normally, objects that exist immediately after an event are checked to see if the event matched any trigger conditions. Continuous effects that exist at that time are used to determine what the trigger conditions are and what the objects involved in the event look like. However, some triggered abilities must be treated specially. Leaves-the-battlefield abilities, abilities that trigger when a permanent phases out, abilities that trigger when an object that all players can see is put into a hand or library, abilities that trigger specifically when an object becomes unattached, abilities that trigger when a player loses control of an object, and abilities that trigger when a player planeswalks away from a plane will trigger based on their existence, and the appearance of objects, prior to the event rather than afterward. The game has to "look back in time" to determine if these abilities trigger.

The ability triggers based on Hangarback Walker's status on the battlefield just before it died. And you controlled it at that time, so you control the ability.

August 20, 2015 12:47 p.m.

veritas723 says... #7

sorry... didn't know needed to select a response. thanks all for the info

August 20, 2015 5:03 p.m.

This discussion has been closed