Who gets control over Treacherous Pit-Dweller enchanted with Unhallowed Pact ?
Asked by DePeluche 12 years ago
If I have a Treacherous Pit-Dweller and its enchanted with Unhallowed Pact
Once it hits the Graveyard, who gains control of it ?
Ruling from Gatherer:
5/1/2012 The card will return to the battlefield under your control only if it's still in the graveyard when Unhallowed Pact's ability resolves. If it's not (perhaps because an ability like undying has already returned it to the battlefield), nothing happens.
So undying triggers first, returning Treacherous Pit-Dweller under your opponent's control, before Unhallowed Pact realizes the target is no longer valid and fizzles.
October 31, 2012 1:31 p.m.
OrgasmAndTea says... #3
When Treacherous Pit-Dweller enters the battlefield from a graveyard, its ability triggers and target opponent will gain control of it, so you'll control it until that trigger resolves.
October 31, 2012 1:34 p.m.
@kfcl
The Gatherer ruling states Unhallowed Pact resolves only if the creature still in the graveyard. That doesn't necessarily mean undying resolves before Unhallowed Pact .
October 31, 2012 1:44 p.m.
It goes to your opponent either way, it's an enters the battlefield from grave effect you choose which one goes off first personally I would pick undying because it would enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter and your opponent wouldn't be able to use it against you again unlike if you choose the enchantment it comes into play with no +1/+1 counters and your opponent can use it against you when it dies next time.
October 31, 2012 3:03 p.m.
it does go to your opponent either way, but if you use the enchantment to send it to your opponent with no +1/+1 counters, you an still get it back again when it dies.
October 31, 2012 3:15 p.m.
@emrakool
Come to think of it, you're right. Rhadamanthus's first answer was correct. What Unhallowed Pact does in this case, assuming you stack it above the dweller's own trigger, is return the creature to your opponent's control without a +1/+1 counter, leaving you with the option to have it back with a +1/+1 counter when it dies the next time (in a 2 player game), as oona_fei and Azreal73 have said.
October 31, 2012 3:31 p.m.
@ Azreal73
That is not accurate.
If you have Treacherous Pit-Dweller come back under your opponents control with no +1/+1 counters, the next time it dies the undying will trigger again. It will return to the battlefield under your control with a +1/+1 counter... but then it's ETBFromGrave will trigger, and it will go back under your opponents control once again.
The best option when Treacherous Pit-Dweller dies while it has Unhallowed Pact on it would be to have it come back with the +1/+1 counter. This way, the opponent will gain control, but when it dies again, it remains dead.
Another Example of this is Grave Betrayal ... if you have this and Treacherous Pit-Dweller in play, once it dies, you opponent will have a creature that keeps coming back under his or her control, with an additional +1/+1.
October 31, 2012 3:41 p.m.
card:Altar's Reap any sac effects are actually ideal, letting you kill off Pit-Dweller again before your opponent gains control of it.
October 31, 2012 5 p.m.
In most cases it really doesn't matter which way you stack those triggers, because your deck has a Treacherous Pit-Dweller in it. Kidding, mostly.
The pit-dweller will still be given to your opponent even if you let the Unhallowed Pact bring it back.
Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #1
It depends on who controls Treacherous Pit-Dweller and Unhallowed Pact . If the same player controls both, then he gets to decide what order to stack the Undying trigger and the Pact trigger. Whichever one ends up on top will resolve first, and then Pit-Dweller's first ability will trigger and ship him off to an opponent. The only difference that comes from how they're stacked is whether or not he comes back with a +1/+1 counter.
If different players control the cards, then it depends on whose turn it is. The active player's trigger will be put onto the stack first, which means the non-active player's trigger will end up on top and will resolve first. If it's the Pit-Dweller's controller's turn, then the Pact controller will get the Dweller, and then have to give him away. If it's the Pact's controller's turn, then the Pit-Dweller's controller will get him with a +1/+1 counter, and then have to give him away.
October 31, 2012 1:30 p.m.