If for some reason Watcher doesn't have any abilities, such as losing them all due to being Imprisoned, when it leaves the battlefield its owner won't get the exiled card. This is because the ability to return the card is its own separate ability that needs to exist when its trigger condition is met to have an effect. As opposed to the ending of a duration effect that doesn't care if the original ability exists still when its duration ends, such as Banishing Light.
If Watcher loses and regains its abilities it will function as normal, such as being imprisoned and then freed. As long as the ability exists at the time its trigger condition is met it will return the exiled card. Losing and regaining its own abilities doesn't reset them.
If Watcher loses and regains its abilities it will function as normal, such as being imprisoned and then freed.
I'm convinced this answer is correct. I cannot, however, find any rule to back it up.
Any help, anyone?
As is often the case, this isn't something that will be neatly stated in a given rule; you have to infer it, and be satisfied that this is the only inference that makes sense and that there are no rules that contradict that inference.
I'd say this mainly stems from the rules about linked abilities (section 607):
607. Linked Abilities
607.1. An object may have two abilities printed on it such that one of them causes actions to be taken or objects or players to be affected and the other one directly refers to those actions, objects, or players. If so, these two abilities are linked: the second refers only to actions that were taken or objects or players that were affected by the first, and not by any other ability.
[...]
607.2. There are different kinds of linked abilities.
607.2a. If an object has an activated or triggered ability printed on it that instructs a player to exile one or more cards and an ability printed on it that refers either to "the exiled cards" or to cards "exiled with [this object]," these abilities are linked. The second ability refers only to cards in the exile zone that were put there as a result of an instruction to exile them in the first ability.
The Hideaway ability and the leave-the-battlefield ability are linked. There is nothing in the rules that says that losing the second ability for a time "breaks" that link in any way. I think of it this way : effects that make objects lose abilities don't really remove the abilities per se; rather, a bit like Phasing does, it makes it so they are considered not to exist for the duration of the effect. When the effect making the Watcher losing the ability ends, the Watcher doesn't gain a new ability, it stops not having access to it. It is the same object and it is the same printed ability, which still can track the card exiled by the ability that it is linked to.
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I'm a former judge (lapsed), who keeps up to date on rules and policy. Keep in mind that judges' answers aren't necessarily more valid than those of people who aren't judges; what matters is we can quote the rules to back up our answers. When in doubt, ask for such quotes.
See also this thread. Notably, if an effect makes an object lose its abilities for a time (an example is Sudden Spoiling), it merely hides them for that time. Because the layer concept suggests that effects that remove abilities are layered on top of "the actual object" (C.R. 613.1, 613.1f), you can generally think of those abilities as being "buried" and not brought to the surface by those effects.
If Watcher leaves play, does Player A get the exiled card? What if Imprisoned in the Moon is destroyed first, and then the Watcher leaves play?
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If Watcher loses and regains its abilities it will function as normal, such as being imprisoned and then freed. As long as the ability exists at the time its trigger condition is met it will return the exiled card. Losing and regaining its own abilities doesn't reset them.
Any help, anyone?
RULES OF MAGIC :
http://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/rules
I'd say this mainly stems from the rules about linked abilities (section 607): The Hideaway ability and the leave-the-battlefield ability are linked. There is nothing in the rules that says that losing the second ability for a time "breaks" that link in any way. I think of it this way : effects that make objects lose abilities don't really remove the abilities per se; rather, a bit like Phasing does, it makes it so they are considered not to exist for the duration of the effect. When the effect making the Watcher losing the ability ends, the Watcher doesn't gain a new ability, it stops not having access to it. It is the same object and it is the same printed ability, which still can track the card exiled by the ability that it is linked to.
RULES OF MAGIC :
http://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/rules