Why doesn't wild beastmaster combo with itself for infinite
Asked by Monomanamaniac 6 years ago
So I have 2 Wild Beastmaster on the field and cast Giant Growth on one of them. When they attack, the big one gives the other +4/+4 and the other gives the first +5/+5, and then it stops. What I don't understand is that it's an x effect, so if the first one gets a boost from the second, it should then give it to the second and everyone else, but it doesn't apparently
When the 2 Wild Beastmasters attack, both triggers go on the stack. You get to put them on the stack in either order. If you let the 4/4 Wild Beastmaster resolve first, the other Wild Beastmaster will be a 5/5. When it's ability resolves it will give your creatures +5/+5. The net result will be your other creatures getting +9/+9, one Wild Beastmaster having +8/+8 (being a 9/9), and the other Wild Beastmaster getting +4/+4 (being a 5/5). If you resolve it the other way your creatures will be getting +6/+6 instead.
October 24, 2017 1:03 p.m.
Monomanamaniac says... #3
I get that, but it's an x effect, why doesn't it change as her power goes up?
October 24, 2017 1:16 p.m.
Monomanamaniac says... #4
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October 24, 2017 1:20 p.m.
Monomanamaniac says... #5
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October 24, 2017 1:21 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #6
When a spell or ability needs information about the game state, it determines that information as it resolves. The value of X in +X/+X is determined as the ability resolves, and the buff is then applied.
The ability does not create any ongoing condition that checks changes in P/T and scales accordingly. For that to be true, the ability would have to be a static ability that reads: Other creatures you control get +X/+X, where X is ~s power. But such an ability would likely not be printed because of the edge case where multiple of these abilities create a chain of changing P/Ts.
Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #1
The reason it works the way it does is because Wild Beastmaster's ability is a triggered ability (starts with "when/whenever/at"), and the size of the effect is calculated as the trigger resolves.
In your example both Beastmasters trigger when they attack. The way you describe it, you've put the triggers onto the stack in the order that lets you maximize the effect from both. After the second Beastmaster's trigger resolves, the game doesn't back up to "re-trigger" or otherwise recalculate the effect from the first one. We've already taken care of it.
October 24, 2017 12:51 p.m.