Tokens of Parallel Lives

Asked by hiddengibbons 2 years ago

A friend of mine and I were discussing what happens when you turn Parallel Lives into a creature through Opalescence or some other means and then make a token copy of it with Cackling Counterpart. I thought that you would just get 2 parallel lives creature tokens. He thought that the tokens entering the battlefield would trigger on themselves to make infinite tokens. Who is correct?

Neotrup says... Accepted answer #1

You'd get two token Parallel Lives. Parallel Lives ability is a replacement effect, not a triggered ability, so it never triggers. Replacement effects on permanents entering the battlefield only apply if they only effect that permanent (such as Snowfield Sinkhole entering tapped or Kalonian Hydra entering with counters). Replacement effects that apply to a general subset of permanents that include the one it's printed on don't apply to itself entering (Orb of Dreams enters untapped). The token Parallel Lives will attempt to enter, see the original, and two will be created instead. They're created simultaneously, so neither are around to effect the other, nor can they effect themselves.

October 13, 2021 11:24 a.m.

Gidgetimer says... #2

You would make two tokens. Replacement effects (like on Parallel Lives) must exist when the event they are replacing happens. The tokens are not yet on the board when the event creating them happens, so they can not replace it.

If you again make a token with the three Parallel Lives out, you will create 8 times as many tokens as the effect makes. Each replacement effect can only replace the same event once.

October 13, 2021 11:25 a.m.

hiddengibbons says... #3

That’s what I thought. Though I was kind of hoping he was right

October 13, 2021 12:28 p.m.

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