Decimator Beetle’s second ability can target any creature you control, not just one with a -1/-1 counter on it. It’ll put a -1/-1 counter on the opponent’s creature even if there isn’t one to remove from your creature.
If one target of Decimator Beetle’s second ability becomes illegal, the other will still be affected.
I don't get why you can target an opponent's creature even if you don't have a -1 -1 counter on any of your creatures. Can you explain me why?
Also, why can I use half of the second ability even if one target becomes illegal?
All I can say is "because that's the way it's worded": Removing the -1/-1 counter from your creature is part of the effect, not a cost. It targets a "creature you control", not a "creature you control with one or more -1/-1 counters on it."
When the triggered ability goes onto the stack, first you have a choice of the number of targets for the second part of it. You can choose to target up to one creature the defending player controls (in other words, you choose whether there will be zero targets or one target for that part.)
Next, you choose targets. The first part requires you to target a creature you control. Note that as void_nothing indicated, the only targeting requirement here is "target creature you control", not "target creature you control with a -1/-1 counter on it." So you can target any creature you control.
If you chose for there to be a target for the "up to one target" part, you then choose that target. The targeting restriction there is "target creature defending player controls." If you chose for there not to be a target for this part, just skip this part.
If there is somehow no way to legally declare targets, the ability is removed from the stack. In this case this will only happen if you are unable to choose a target for the first part (perhaps because all of your creatures including Decimator Beetle itself have shroud, or protection from green, or something like that). You can still have the ability happen without being able to target an opponent's creature because choosing zero targets is legal for this part.
When the ability resolves, you follow the instructions in order, skipping any instructions that are impossible to perform.
- If the creature of yours that you targeted has one or more -1/-1 counters on it, you remove one.
- If it doesn't, you can't remove one, so just skip this part. Keep going.
- If there was a target for the second part of the ability, put a -1/-1 counter on it (unless you can't for some reason, e.g. the targeted creature is Tatterkite. In this case ignore this action too.) Note that this is a separate action from the first part and doesn't depend on the first action actually happening. You would see a phrase like "If you do" if the second action were dependent on the first action happening.
The part about one illegal target is because of the rules for how targeted spells and abilities resolve.
- If at least one target is still legal when the spell/ability tries to resolve, it resolves. Any instruction that would take an action on an illegal target is ignored, but the rest of the spell/ability still happens as best it can. Note again that if your creature is the illegal target, the second part will still happen because of the lack of an "if you do" clause.
- If all targets are illegal (and there was at least one target) then the spell/ability is countered on resolution.
The official rulings for this card read:
Decimator Beetle’s second ability can target any creature you control, not just one with a -1/-1 counter on it. It’ll put a -1/-1 counter on the opponent’s creature even if there isn’t one to remove from your creature.
If one target of Decimator Beetle’s second ability becomes illegal, the other will still be affected.
I don't get why you can target an opponent's creature even if you don't have a -1 -1 counter on any of your creatures. Can you explain me why?
Also, why can I use half of the second ability even if one target becomes illegal?
Thanks in advance
3BB
Sorcery
You lose the game.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
When the triggered ability goes onto the stack, first you have a choice of the number of targets for the second part of it. You can choose to target up to one creature the defending player controls (in other words, you choose whether there will be zero targets or one target for that part.)
Next, you choose targets. The first part requires you to target a creature you control. Note that as void_nothing indicated, the only targeting requirement here is "target creature you control", not "target creature you control with a -1/-1 counter on it." So you can target any creature you control.
If you chose for there to be a target for the "up to one target" part, you then choose that target. The targeting restriction there is "target creature defending player controls." If you chose for there not to be a target for this part, just skip this part.
If there is somehow no way to legally declare targets, the ability is removed from the stack. In this case this will only happen if you are unable to choose a target for the first part (perhaps because all of your creatures including Decimator Beetle itself have shroud, or protection from green, or something like that). You can still have the ability happen without being able to target an opponent's creature because choosing zero targets is legal for this part.
When the ability resolves, you follow the instructions in order, skipping any instructions that are impossible to perform.
- If the creature of yours that you targeted has one or more -1/-1 counters on it, you remove one.
- If it doesn't, you can't remove one, so just skip this part. Keep going.
- If there was a target for the second part of the ability, put a -1/-1 counter on it (unless you can't for some reason, e.g. the targeted creature is Tatterkite. In this case ignore this action too.) Note that this is a separate action from the first part and doesn't depend on the first action actually happening. You would see a phrase like "If you do" if the second action were dependent on the first action happening.
The part about one illegal target is because of the rules for how targeted spells and abilities resolve.
- If at least one target is still legal when the spell/ability tries to resolve, it resolves. Any instruction that would take an action on an illegal target is ignored, but the rest of the spell/ability still happens as best it can. Note again that if your creature is the illegal target, the second part will still happen because of the lack of an "if you do" clause.
- If all targets are illegal (and there was at least one target) then the spell/ability is countered on resolution.
Wow, what a great answer. Thanks my friend, you are very, very kind. I like this card in limited, is pretty powerful.
Thanks again Artscrafter.
3BB
Sorcery
You lose the game.