What is considered "controlling your commander"
Asked by Wolfninja 9 years ago
My opponent has Tyrant's Familiar and his commander out, I play Song of the Dryads on his commander, turning it into a forest. He still has his commander, but it's no longer his commander, it's a forest, will Lieutenant still trigger?
What if I have my commander, Scion of the Ur-Dragon out, and I use his ability to put Tyrant's Familiar into my graveyard, making it a copy of it. I still have my commander, but it's no longer my commander, it's a Tyrant's Familiar, will Lieutenant trigger?
nobu_the_bard says... Accepted answer #2
Lieutenant still works in both of those situations. That the Commander has been changed into something with different attributes doesn't alter the "commander" attribute the card itself possesses. The "commander" status is specific to that particular card and there is nothing that can alter it. To get a player to not control their Commander, you need to get the permanent with the "commander" attribute off the battlefield or under another player's control somehow.
Amusingly Scion of the Ur-Dragon does work like that; he can be a copy of Tyrant's Familiar and have Lieutenant working if he's your commander. He can be his own Lieutenant. This works for other Commanders that can Clone creatures too - Lazav, Dimir Mastermind for example.
Epochalyptik says... #1
"Commanderness" is an unalterable attribute of a card. It can't be removed. It can't be changed. Whichever physical card began the game as your commander will be your commander throughout the game, regardless of whether it loses or gains characteristics.
Also, lieutenant isn't a triggered ability. It's an ability word that defines a set of abilities with similar functionality. In this case, lieutenant identifies a static ability and a triggered ability. If the lieutenant condition is true, then Tyrant's Familiar has those abilities.
March 4, 2015 2:18 a.m.