If Mairsil, the Pretender is in my graveyard and I have caged a creature with a "graveyard" activated ability (such as Fatestitcher or Metalwork Colossus), can I activate that ability, thus returning Mairsil to the battlefield or to my hand? Or does Mairsil have to be on the battlefield to activate abilities? I'm assuming the latter is correct, but I just wanted to double check.
No. The Mairsil in the graveyard is a different object then the one that caged the exiled cards. It has no connection to them. Only that specific Mairsil on the battlefield that exiled the cards can use the caged cards' abilities. But because ablities that move cards out of a zone other than the battlefield only work while the card with the ability is in that zone, you cannot activate unearth and other "from the graveard" abilities that the Mairsil permanent might have.
edit: Right answer, wrong reason, see below. Apparently I failed to RTFC.
No. The Mairsil in the graveyard is a different object then the one that caged the exiled cards. It has no connection to them. Only that specific Mairsil on the battlefield that exiled the cards can use the caged cards' abilities. But because ablities that move cards out of a zone other than the battlefield only work while the card with the ability is in that zone, you cannot activate unearth and other "from the graveard" abilities that the Mairsil permanent might have.
This isn't right. Any caged cards will work with any Mairsil's you control. However the ability that gives Mairsil abilities doesn't function in the graveyard, so it still won't work.
Nowhere does it say that Mairsil's abilities can only be activated on the battlefield.
The second ability simply states "Mairsil, the Pretender has all activated abilities of all cards you own in exile with cage counters on them".
Does that not stand to reason that if you have a graveyard ability cage countered then when he is in the graveyard he has that ability?
The ability itself determines from where it can be activated. All activated abilities work only on the battlefield unless the ability states a different zone or doesn't make sense from anywhere else.
112.6. Abilities of an instant or sorcery spell usually function only while that object is on the stack. Abilities of all other objects usually function only while that object is on the battlefield. The exceptions are as follows:
112.6b. An ability that states which zones it functions in functions only from those zones.
So the ability of the caged creature cannot be activated on the battlefield, then when Mairsil gains that ability, he is limited in the same way. And, when Mairsil goes to the graveyard, his ability allowing him to gain all abilities no longer applies since he is no longer on the battlefield. There is nothing on Mairsil that allows for the rules above to be ignored.
Nowhere does it say that Mairsil's abilities can only be activated on the battlefield.
The second ability simply states "Mairsil, the Pretender has all activated abilities of all cards you own in exile with cage counters on them".
Does that not stand to reason that if you have a graveyard ability cage countered then when he is in the graveyard he has that ability?
Mairsil's second ability works only on the battlefield, since that ability can work there and doesn't mention another zone where it works (C.R. 112.6). The same applies, for example, to Dark Impostor's last ability and Myr Welder's last ability (see also the rulings for Dark Impostor). The fact that Mairsil's second ability refers to "... all cards you own in exile with cage counters on them" rather than, say, "... all cards you own exiled with Mairsil" is irrelevant.
I just figure seeing as no matter where Mairsil is, the exiled cards will have cage counters on them, which means Mairsil will have their activated abilities and C.R 112.3d and 112.6b would apply.
Basically what we are disagreeing on is wether or not Mairsil, the Pretender has his second ability at all times or only on the battlefield.
I just figure seeing as no matter where Mairsil is, the exiled cards will have cage counters on them, which means Mairsil will have their activated abilities and C.R 112.3d and 112.6b would apply.
Basically what we are disagreeing on is wether or not Mairsil, the Pretender has his second ability at all times or only on the battlefield.
It is true that the cage counters will remain on the exiled cards even if Mairsil leaves the battlefield (nothing on Mairsil directly allows those counters to be removed from them), but that doesn't mean that Mairsil will gain any activated abilities from certain cards in exile while it's in the graveyard or anywhere else but on the battlefield (see my comment 7).
Is it not similar to Serra avatar’s power and toughness ability.
No, Serra Avatar has a characteristic-defining ability. These work in all zones and even outside the game (for wish type effects) and before the game begins (for deck building purposes).
See 113.6a, 208.2a, and 604.3
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No. The Mairsil in the graveyard is a different object then the one that caged the exiled cards. It has no connection to them. Only that specific Mairsil on the battlefield that exiled the cards can use the caged cards' abilities. But because ablities that move cards out of a zone other than the battlefield only work while the card with the ability is in that zone, you cannot activate unearth and other "from the graveard" abilities that the Mairsil permanent might have.edit: Right answer, wrong reason, see below. Apparently I failed to RTFC.
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This isn't right. Any caged cards will work with any Mairsil's you control. However the ability that gives Mairsil abilities doesn't function in the graveyard, so it still won't work.
The second ability simply states "Mairsil, the Pretender has all activated abilities of all cards you own in exile with cage counters on them".
Does that not stand to reason that if you have a graveyard ability cage countered then when he is in the graveyard he has that ability?
112.6b. An ability that states which zones it functions in functions only from those zones.
So the ability of the caged creature cannot be activated on the battlefield, then when Mairsil gains that ability, he is limited in the same way. And, when Mairsil goes to the graveyard, his ability allowing him to gain all abilities no longer applies since he is no longer on the battlefield. There is nothing on Mairsil that allows for the rules above to be ignored.
Basically what we are disagreeing on is wether or not Mairsil, the Pretender has his second ability at all times or only on the battlefield.
No, Serra Avatar has a characteristic-defining ability. These work in all zones and even outside the game (for wish type effects) and before the game begins (for deck building purposes).
See 113.6a, 208.2a, and 604.3