Unearth "leave play" Rule
Asked by Minathia 13 years ago
In the description of Unearth, it says:
"Return this card from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery"
My question is: Does return to hand count as leaving play, or is leaving play only considered exile GY?
Unearth Card Example: Kederekt Leviathan
The wording of the official rule should clear it up for you:
702.82a Unearth is an activated ability that functions while the card with unearth is in a graveyard. Unearth [cost] means [Cost]: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step. If it would leave the battlefield, exile it instead of putting it anywhere else. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
November 21, 2011 7:30 p.m.
blackstarquin says... #3
only way to get around the effect of unearth that i know of is phasing through cards such as Teferi's Veil
November 21, 2011 11:05 p.m.
KrazyCaley says... #4
Or, as we were just discussing in another question, you could cast Time Stop or use Sundial of the Infinite with the exile trigger on the stack.
November 21, 2011 11:13 p.m.
Also, if the creature goes on a Journey to Nowhere , because it is put into the exile zone, the replacement effect doesn't apply and it will return to the battlefield if the Journey is removed.
KrazyCaley says... Accepted answer #1
Leaving play is anything that causes it to no longer be a permanent on the battlefield. This would occur if it went to the graveyard, to the exile zone, back to your hand, somewhere back in the library, etc.
November 21, 2011 5:31 p.m.