Wanderwine Combo

Asked by DarkMagician 6 years ago

So I run Wanderwine Prophets in my Inalla, Archmage Ritualist deck for the one card combo potential (after all, who doesn't?) At my LGS though we've ran into a snag, I know the combo works but I can't quite explain how and it's causing a lot of confusion with some people arguing that it doesn't work without another Merfolk in play. The confusion is centered around when the first Champion trigger resolves, basically it breaks down like this:

• Cast Wanderwine Prophets putting its Champion trigger on the stack

• Inalla, Archmage Ritualists trigger is placed on the stack

• Inallas trigger resolves creating a token copy of Wanderwine Prophets, the tokens Champion trigger goes on the stack

• The tokens ability resolves exiling the original Prophets

Now the trouble occurs when the initial Champion trigger resolves, with no other target would it not require you to exile the token copy of Wanderwine Prophets? The only thing I could think of was that Championing a creature is optional but I couldn't find the rule that states that it is. Can anybody help?

Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #1

Exiling a creature for a Champion ability is optional. It's covered by the following rule:

117.12a Some spells, activated abilities, and triggered abilities read, "[Do something] unless [a player does something else]." This means the same thing as "[A player may do something else]. If [that player doesn't], [do something]."

To be more specific, it means we understand the rules text of Champion a Merfolk to say: "When [this] enters the battlefield, you may exile another Merfolk you control. If you don't, sacrifice [this]."

October 30, 2017 9:35 a.m.

DarkMagician says... #2

Thank you Rhadamanthus

October 30, 2017 9:45 a.m.