On my opponent's turn, he casted Marath. With priority he activated Marath to do 1 damage to Merieke, and I tap Merieke in response, he then do another damage in response. Judging by the stack, Merieke would die first, but her ability still fired, which gains control of Marath, though she'd no longer be in play.
Will Marath be destroyed, or will Marath be in my control indefinitely due to Merieke already left the field when the control takes place.
On my opponent's turn, he casted Marath. With priority he activated Marath to do 1 damage to Merieke, and I tap Merieke in response, he then do another damage in response. Judging by the stack, Merieke would die first, but her ability still fired, which gains control of Marath, though she'd no longer be in play.
Here is the full sequence of what would happen:
Opponent's main phase begins.
Opponent gets priority and casts Marath, Will of the Wild. Opponent pays the cost of RGW using mana obtained in an unspecified way.
Opponent gets priority and passes.
You get priority and pass.
The top object on the stack (the spell cast in step 2) resolves. Opponent puts Marath on the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters.
Opponent gets priority and activates the ability of Marath. Opponent chooses X=1, the second mode, and target your Merieke. Opponent pays the cost by spending 1 obtained in an unspecified way and removing one +1/+1 counter from Marath.
Opponent gets priority and passes.
You get priority and activate the ability of Merieke Ri Berit. You target opponent's Marath. You pay the cost by tapping Merieke.
You get priority and pass.
Opponent gets priority and activates the ability of Marath. Opponent chooses X=1, the second mode, and target your Merieke. Opponent pays the cost by spending 1 obtained in an unspecified way and removing one +1/+1 counter from Marath.
Opponent gets priority and passes.
You get priority and pass.
The top object on the stack (the ability activated in step 10) resolves. Marath deals 1 damage to Merieke.
Opponent would get priority, but there is a state-based action to process. Merieke has lethal damage and is destroyed.
Opponent gets priority and passes.
You get priority and pass.
The top object on the stack (the ability activated in step 8) resolves. The duration of the gain control effect has already ended, so it does nothing. The delayed triggered ability gets created, but it will never trigger.
611.2b Some continuous effects generated by the resolution of a spell or ability have durations worded “for as long as . . . .” If the “for as long as” duration never starts, or it ends before the moment the effect would first be applied, the effect does nothing. It doesn’t start and immediately stop again, and it doesn’t last forever.
Example: Master Thief has the ability “When Master Thief enters the battlefield, gain control of target artifact for as long as you control Master Thief.” If you lose control of Master Thief before the ability resolves, it does nothing, because its duration—as long as you control Master Thief—was over before the effect began.
603.7a Delayed triggered abilities are created during the resolution of spells or abilities, as the result of a replacement effect being applied, or as a result of a static ability that allows a player to take an action. A delayed triggered ability won’t trigger until it has actually been created, even if its trigger event occurred just beforehand. Other events that happen earlier may make the trigger event impossible.
Example: Part of an effect reads “When this creature leaves the battlefield,” but the creature in question leaves the battlefield before the spell or ability creating the effect resolves. In this case, the delayed ability never triggers.
Example: If an effect reads “When this creature becomes untapped” and the named creature becomes untapped before the effect resolves, the ability waits for the next time that creature untaps.
Opponent gets priority and passes.
You get priority and pass.
The top object on the stack (the ability activated in step 6) resolves. Well, actually it's countered, because its only target does not exist.
No, it will not. The effect that sets up the trigger to destroy the stolen creature only happens when the activated ability resolves. Since it has not resolved yet, Marath will not be destroyed. However, the creature also will not be stolen since the duration of the effect ("for as long as you control Merieke") is already over. Marath will not be destroyed and will also not be stolen.
Thanks for the answers. Would the result be different IF Merieke's ability/effect are "separated"? i.e., her ability to take control being separated from the "destroy if not controlling Merieke".
Rough errata:
Tap: Gain control of target creature for as long as you control Merieke Ri Berit.
When Merieke Ri Berit leaves the battlefield or becomes untapped, destroy all creatures controlled by Merieke's ability. They can't be regenerated.
That wording is effectively the same as the current wording. There are no creatures controlled yet since the ability has not resolved so even though the trigger does go off in your hypothetical wording, nothing is affected.
Marath, Will of the Wild
On my opponent's turn, he casted Marath. With priority he activated Marath to do 1 damage to Merieke, and I tap Merieke in response, he then do another damage in response. Judging by the stack, Merieke would die first, but her ability still fired, which gains control of Marath, though she'd no longer be in play.
Will Marath be destroyed, or will Marath be in my control indefinitely due to Merieke already left the field when the control takes place.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
Here is the full sequence of what would happen:
Neither. [CR 603.7a, 611.2b]
Rough errata:
Tap: Gain control of target creature for as long as you control Merieke Ri Berit.
When Merieke Ri Berit leaves the battlefield or becomes untapped, destroy all creatures controlled by Merieke's ability. They can't be regenerated.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs