Oloro text template question
Asked by Gruss029 9 years ago
Oloro, Ageless Ascetic's rules text is in three parts. Anyone know why can't it be in two?
Currently:
- At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 2 life.
- Whenever you gain life, you may pay 1. If you do, draw a card and each opponent loses 1 life.
- At the beginning of your upkeep, if Oloro, Ageless Ascetic is in the command zone, you gain 2 life.
It seems to me that it is simpler and easier to understand if the first and third points are combined:
- At the beginning of your upkeep, if Oloro, Ageless Ascetic is on the battlefield or in the command zone, you gain 2 life.
Essentially, why do there need to be extra lines of rules text at opposite ends of the card for the same effect? The only thing I see in the rules is Rule 112.2c. : "An object may have multiple abilities. If the object is represented by a card ... each paragraph break in a card's text marks a separate ability."
Defining "gain 2 life at the beginning of your upkeep" as two separate abilities based on if Oloro is in play or in the command zone seems counterintuitive. If he gained you two while in play but had some other effect while in the command zone, then that would be two separate effects and should be treated as such, but that isn't the case. The effect and timing of his ability doesn't change, so why the need for a separate line?
BboyGeologic says... #2
This isn't really a rules question, but the answer is because they are two different abilities as cited in the rules. You might think they are essentially the same ability because they both give you two life, but the difference is that its two different zones, so its two different trigger conditions which makes the abilities different. It doesn't matter that the effect is the same, what causes the effect is what matters, and those are two different things.
December 12, 2014 2:45 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #3
@BboyGeologic: It wouldn't be unreasonable to combine two zone checks into one ability, provided it doesn't change the functionality. In this case, it would.
Also, this is a rules question insofar as it asks about the templating conventions, but it's a coin toss as to whether this belongs here or in General.
December 12, 2014 2:50 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #5
If the two life-gain triggers were combined into a single ability, it might also cause more confusion over exactly when Oloro will trigger his "Whenever you gain life" ability.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #1
I can think of one good reason: intervening "if" clauses.
You propose:
"At the beginning of your upkeep, if Oloro, Ageless Ascetic is on the battlefield or in the command zone, you gain 2 life."
The problem with this wording is that if Oloro, Ageless Ascetic leaves the battlefield after this ability triggers but before it resolves, the ability does nothing. Intervening "if" clauses mean the game checks the condition both at the time the ability would trigger and at the time the ability would resolve.
The way the ability is actually written means that the lifegain will still happen regardless of whether the ability's source is on the battlefield at the time the ability resolves.
December 12, 2014 2:42 p.m.