Passive ability stacking

Asked by Not_Sure 10 years ago

How does Pulmonic Sliver react with Rest in Peace on the battlefield? If a Sliver was coaxed into the graveyard, does it immediately trigger R.I.P. or can I choose to have the sliver go to the top of the library?

TheRedMage says... Accepted answer #1

TLDR: you get to pick.

Nothing is actually triggering in this scenario.

Triggered abilities create objects on the stack when they trigger. They always use one of the words "When", "Whenever" or "at".

What both Rest in Peace and Pulmonic Sliver have is a static ability that creates a replacement effect. As such, nothing will go on the stack. Rather, one event (in this case, a sliver going to the graveyard) will be replaced with another (being exiled or going on top of your library, depending on the card). The word "If" often signals the presence of a replacement effect, but not always.

When one or more replacement effects are trying to apply at the same time, the player to which they are trying to apply, or the controller of the objects to which they are trying to apply, decides which to apply first. Then, they decide which to apply next, if any of them are still relevant after the first one was applied, and so on.

In this case, let's say you control Pulmonic Sliver and Metallic Sliver, and your opponent, who controls Rest in Piece, has just pointed a Lightning Bolt to the Metallic Sliver, slaying it.

As Metallic Sliver tries to go to the graveyard, two replacement effects intercept him. Because of Pulmonic Sliver, Metallic Sliver has an ability that allows it to go to the top of the library. At the same time, Rest in Piece wants to send the sliver to exile. As these two replacement effects are trying to replace the same event (Metallic Sliver going to the graveyard), you pick one and apply it. There are three possible outcomes:

• You decide to apply the Rest in Peace replacement effect first. Metallic Sliver stops being a card that is going to the graveyard, and is now a card that is going to exile. As such, the Pulmonic Sliver ability it had doesn't apply anymore, and Metallic Sliver goes to exile.
• You decide to apply the Pulmonic Sliver replacement effect first. The ability is optional (is says "you may"), and you choose to use it. Metallic Sliver stops being a card that is going to the graveyard, and starts being a card that is going to the top of its owner's library. As such, Rest in Peace doesn't apply anymore, and the sliver goes to the top of the library.
• You decide to apply the Pulmonic Sliver replacement effect first. The ability is optional (is says "you may"), and you choose not to use it, so Metallic Sliver is still going to the graveyard. At this point, you check if any other replacement effect is still trying to apply, and you find Rest in Peace. You apply that replacement effect, and Metallic Sliver goes to exile.

December 15, 2015 3:42 a.m. Edited.

PartyJ says... #2

From the Comprehensive rules:

616.1e Once the chosen effect has been applied, this process is repeated (taking into account only replacement or prevention effects that would now be applicable) until there are no more left to apply.

Example: Two permanents are on the battlefield. One is an enchantment that reads "If a card would be put into a graveyard from anywhere, instead exile it," and the other is a creature that reads "If [this creature] would be put into a graveyard from the battlefield, instead shuffle it into its owner's library." If the creature is destroyed, its controller decides which replacement to apply first; the other does nothing.

December 15, 2015 3:48 a.m.