When does Chroma check the number of symbols?
Asked by lemmingllama 9 years ago
If I have an Outrage Shaman enter the battlefield and put its ability on the stack, is the number of mana symbols counted when the ability is put on the stack, or upon resolution?
The specific scenario is if I had both a Worldgorger Dragon and a Outrage Shaman brought back at the same time after a Rise of the Dark Realms activation. Could the triggers be stacked so that everything would be exiled, then the Chroma trigger of Outrage Shaman kill the Worldgorger Dragon and bring everything back. For this, we can assume that the number of red mana symbols on the battlefield prior to Worldgorger Dragon exiling everything would be at least 7.
As a side note, "chroma" is an ability word with no game meaning. Take the rules text of the ability to determine how it functions. Different cards with chroma abilities use it differently; although Outrage Shaman checks the value as its ability resolves, Umbra Stalker, for example, is continuously checking.
January 8, 2015 11:08 p.m.
lemmingllama says... #3
Ok, I assumed as much. I was just making sure that it worked as such. Thank you for the swift answers.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #1
Whenever a spell or activated/triggered ability requires information about the game, it checks that information when it resolves.
In your scenario, the answer is no. If Worldgorger Dragon's ability resolves first, your red chroma count will be three (from Worldgorger Dragon itself), and you won't be able to destroy Worldgorger Dragon to get your stuff back.
It's also a bad idea to kill Worldgorger Dragon in response to its ETB ability, since that will result in the indefinite exile of all your permanents.
January 8, 2015 10:52 p.m.