We ended up deciding that the creature would not be able to attack. Here is the setup
My opponents Drowsing tyrannodon was enchanted with my waterknot. On my opponents turn, they played savage stomp. The only creature they had out at the time was the tyrannkdon. Now, we decided the +1/+1 would go on the tyrannodon, but because waterknot prevents the enchanted tyrannodon from attacking (because it was tapped at the time that savage stomp was played)the other part where it says the creature attacks target creature you don't control does not resolve because the tyrannodon is not a legal creature to attack with. Did we handle this correctly?
Fighting and attacking are not the same thing. Tapped creatures cannot attack (even if they have vigilance) but they can still fight. Similarly, note that if the creature was untapped, fighting does not cause it to tap (unless the fight spell or ability says so).
Thanks for the reply Ashrog.....I just don't like the answer ...in my mind a tapped creature should not be targetable by savage stomp, since in any other scenario it cannot block (which is not attacking as you put it) or attack while tapped. I get what you are saying that "fighting is not the same as attacking" so let me get this straight. My opponent has a big creature, 10/10 let's say,that is used as an attacker during first main phase. The creature survives battle, and is then tapped. they play savage stomp during their second main phase, and choose to have the tapped 10/10 creature fight another one of my creatures. This is legal?
Yes. The rules for "fight" make no reference to the tapped/untapped status of the creatures involved.
701.12. Fight
701.12a A spell or ability may instruct a creature to fight another creature or it may instruct two creatures to fight each other. Each of those creatures deals damage equal to its power to the other creature.
701.12b If one or both creatures instructed to fight are no longer on the battlefield or are no longer creatures, neither of them fights or deals damage. If one or both creatures are illegal targets for a resolving spell or ability that instructs them to fight, neither of them fights or deals damage.
701.12c If a creature fights itself, it deals damage to itself equal to twice its power.
701.12d The damage dealt when a creature fights isn’t combat damage.
In fact, if the ability of Hans Eriksson results in a fight, it will almost always be between two tapped creatures.
Yes, that is legal. Nothing about that scenario is illegal because Stomp doesn't say it has to target an untapped creature and Fighting is not Combat (and thus not Attacking) so being tapped is irrelevant for being able to Fight.
My opponents Drowsing tyrannodon was enchanted with my waterknot. On my opponents turn, they played savage stomp. The only creature they had out at the time was the tyrannkdon. Now, we decided the +1/+1 would go on the tyrannodon, but because waterknot prevents the enchanted tyrannodon from attacking (because it was tapped at the time that savage stomp was played)the other part where it says the creature attacks target creature you don't control does not resolve because the tyrannodon is not a legal creature to attack with. Did we handle this correctly?
In fact, if the ability of Hans Eriksson results in a fight, it will almost always be between two tapped creatures.