So there is this card: Ritual of the Returned
This card needs to exile a card from the graveyard.
question is, what happens if it exiles an avatar like: Soulless one or Heedless One from the graveyard? are the avatars power 0/0 when it is in the graveyard or do their ability still stands? it says its power and toughness "are each equal to". it doesn't say that it gets
the power when it enters the battlefield, or it loses it when it leaves the battlefield. This is how i understand it, or am i mistaken?
208.2a The card may have a characteristic-defining ability that sets its power and/or toughness according to some stated condition. (See rule 604.3.) Such an ability is worded "[This creatures] [power or toughness] is equal to . . ." or "[This creatures] power and toughness are each equal to . . ." This ability functions everywhere, even outside the game. If the ability needs to use a number that cant be determined, including inside a calculation, use 0 instead of that number.
Since these are characteristic defining abilities, with no choices that need to be made to determine them, they will function in all zones.
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Whats the big deal about black lotus you ask? Well you see, there is no big deal about it. It IS the big deal.
Nothing extraordinary. The ritual isnt constantly tracking what the p/t of the card is. It takes a snapshot, and sets that to the p/t of the token that gets made. If the card is then pulled from exile, yay for the person who owns the card I guess since they get to use it again
W may only be paid with white mana. U may only be paid with blue mana. B may only be paid with black mana. R may only be paid with red mana. G may only be paid with green mana. C may only be paid with colorless mana. 1 may be paid with white, blue, black, red, green, or clolorless mana.
What happens if the exiled card later moves to another zone?
While the exiled card has a CDA, the token does not. The token's power and toughness are both set to a specific number at the time that the ability resolves, and then you no longer need to refer back to the exiled card (specifically because the cards text does not refer to "the exiled card").
So it would be different if the token had the ability "this creature's power is equal to the exiled card's power (etc...)", which would constantly look at the exiled card?
The wording on Ritual of the Returned is a bit unclear...
Yes. Lets look at Phyrexian Ingester. Any card with the Imprint mechanic needs to refer back to the exiled card for the information that it needs to do its thing. In this case, it does use the words "the exiled creature card", and so it will continue to look for that card in exile. If that exiled card changes zones, Ingester won't get any bonus.
Interestingly enough, because Phyrexian Ingester does constantly look to the exiled card, Creature cards with CDAs will continue to apply and change the Ingester's P/T where they will not in the case of Ritual of the Returned
This card needs to exile a card from the graveyard.
question is, what happens if it exiles an avatar like: Soulless one or Heedless One from the graveyard? are the avatars power 0/0 when it is in the graveyard or do their ability still stands? it says its power and toughness "are each equal to". it doesn't say that it gets
the power when it enters the battlefield, or it loses it when it leaves the battlefield. This is how i understand it, or am i mistaken?
Since these are characteristic defining abilities, with no choices that need to be made to determine them, they will function in all zones.
While the exiled card has a CDA, the token does not. The token's power and toughness are both set to a specific number at the time that the ability resolves, and then you no longer need to refer back to the exiled card (specifically because the cards text does not refer to "the exiled card").
EDIT:
Yes. Lets look at Phyrexian Ingester. Any card with the Imprint mechanic needs to refer back to the exiled card for the information that it needs to do its thing. In this case, it does use the words "the exiled creature card", and so it will continue to look for that card in exile. If that exiled card changes zones, Ingester won't get any bonus.
Interestingly enough, because Phyrexian Ingester does constantly look to the exiled card, Creature cards with CDAs will continue to apply and change the Ingester's P/T where they will not in the case of Ritual of the Returned