Just an example but a few months ago I was theory crafting a deck and honestly cannot remember what it was about but one issue came up stating that if my commander is exiled (Via card like Oblivion ring and i return my commander to the command zone) if O.ring is destroyed my Commander would return Even though he is in the command zone. I am curios to know if this works, and if not, is there a similar situation that does? (I believe it does but now I am questioning it
(It actually matters to me because I played a game last night and if it does return my general, I would have won)
Oblivion Ring contains a pair of linked abilities (C.R. 607.1): one of them exiles a nonland permanent, and the other refers to "the exiled card", which, however, only refers to the card if it's in the exile zone (C.R. 607.2a), so Oblivion Ring's last ability won't work if your commander (not: general) is not in exile, but in the command zone (see also C.R. 903.9).
Compare this with Essence Flux or Astral Slide's ability, which exile a permanent and later get to return that card to the battlefield without caring which zone the permanent was placed in when it was exiled, as long as the permanent was moved to a public zone, such as exile (C.R. 400.7h, 400.2), and that card didn't leave that zone (C.R. 400.7). However, if a commander was exiled this way and its owner then moves that commander to the command zone, the commander won't return to the battlefield this way, since it has left exile (C.R. 903.9a, 400.7h).
EDIT (Jun. 14, Oct. 30): Correctness edit.
EDIT (Feb. 23, 2018): Added rule citation.
EDIT (Jul. 19, 2018): Correctness edit.
EDIT (Jul. 2, 2020): Edited to conform to rule update with Core Set 2021.
I will not work with Oblivion Ring, which second ability can only look in the exile zone, but it will work with its "updated version", Banishing Light. It will track the card in the first zone it goes to even if that isn't exile (the command zone rule is currently the only way this can happen, as nothing else replaces going to exile), and it will be able to return it.
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Oblivion Ring contains a pair of linked abilities (C.R. 607.1): one of them exiles a card, and the other refers to "the exiled card", which, however, only refers to the card if it's still in the exile zone (C.R. 607.2a), so Oblivion Ring's last ability won't work if your commander (not: general) is exiled to the command zone.
Compare this to Essence Flux or Astral Slide, which exile a permanent, then return it to the battlefield without caring which zone the permanent was placed in when it was exiled, as long as the permanent was moved to a public zone, such as the command zone (C.R. 400.7h, 400.2), and that card doesn't leave that zone (C.R. 400.7).
Okay so long as it does not say "Return the exiled card" and instead just says "return the card" it would come back?
Okay so long as it does not say "Return the exiled card" it would come back?
If an effect exiles a permanent, it can track where that card is if the permanent was exiled to a public zone and the rest of the effect, a related one-shot effect, or a delayed triggered ability created by the effect, could move that card back to the previous zone or move it to a third zone (C.R. 400.7, 610.3, 400.7h). However, if a commander was exiled this way and its owner then moves that commander to the command zone (as a state-based action), the commander won't move to the previous zone or third zone, as the case may be, since the commander has left exile (C.R. 903.9a, 400.7).
On the other hand, Oblivion Ring uses linked abilities and the second ability refers to "the exiled card", which means only the card still in exile (C.R. 607.2a). Notably, if Oblivion Ring exiles a commander this way and its owner then moves that commander to the command zone, Oblivion Ring won't return that commander to the battlefield, since the commander has left exile (C.R. 903.9a, 400.7).
EDIT: Edited after comment 6 was posted, and again to make a clarification.
EDIT (Dec. 13): Make another clarification.
EDIT (Oct. 28, 2017; Feb. 1, 2018): Correctness edit.
EDIT (May 26, 2018): Minor edit.
EDIT (Dec. 18, 2018; Jan. 13, 2019): Correctness edit.
EDIT (Jun. 8, 2019): Edited.
EDIT (Jul. 19, 2019): Add rule citation.
EDIT (Jul. 2, 2020): Edited to conform to rule update with Core Set 2021.
EDIT (Jul. 5, 2020; Jul. 7, 2020): Further edited.
Okay so long as it does not say "Return the exiled card" it would come back?
If an effect exiles a permanent, it can track where that card is (even if it isn't the exile zone) only if the permanent moved to a public zone and the rest of the effect moves it to yet another zone (such as back to the battlefield) (C.R. 400.7). This isn't the case with Oblivion Ring, since the card is exiled by one effect, and returned to the battlefield by another.
Thank you very much that explains it quite clearly. So as long as it moves to a public zone and all a single effect that both removes and returns it, it will come back. Good to know.
Oblivion Ring contains a pair of linked abilities (C.R. 607.1): one of them exiles a card, and the other refers to "the exiled card", which, however, only refers to the card if it's still in the exile zone (C.R. 607.2a), so Oblivion Ring's last ability won't work if your commander (not: general) is exiled to the command zone.
Compare this to Essence Flux or Astral Slide, which exile a permanent, then return it to the battlefield without caring which zone the permanent was placed in when it was exiled, as long as the permanent was moved to a public zone, such as the command zone (C.R. 400.7h, 400.2), and that card doesn't leave that zone (C.R. 400.7).
Okay so long as it does not say "Return the exiled card" it would come back?
Yes, that will work as a guideline, but it's actually more about the fact that for Slide and Flux, the card is referred to within the same ability, the same paragraph. You won't find a card similar to Astral Slide that would use "the exiled card" instead still within a single ability. That cards like Oblivion Ring use the wording they do is really tied to the fact that they have two separate linked abilities: rule 607.2a mentioned by peteroupc above is specifically about that.
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.
EDIT : I'm slow this morning, hope this still helps.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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.
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(It actually matters to me because I played a game last night and if it does return my general, I would have won)
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
Compare this with Essence Flux or Astral Slide's ability, which exile a permanent and later get to return that card to the battlefield
without caring which zone the permanent was placed in when it was exiled,as long as the permanent was moved to a public zone, such as exile (C.R. 400.7h, 400.2), and that card didn't leave that zone (C.R. 400.7). However, if a commander was exiled this way and its owner then moves that commander to the command zone, the commander won't return to the battlefield this way, since it has left exile (C.R. 903.9a, 400.7h).EDIT (Jun. 14, Oct. 30): Correctness edit.
EDIT (Feb. 23, 2018): Added rule citation.
EDIT (Jul. 19, 2018): Correctness edit.
EDIT (Jul. 2, 2020): Edited to conform to rule update with Core Set 2021.
Okay so long as it does not say "Return the exiled card" and instead just says "return the card" it would come back?
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
If an effect exiles a permanent, it can track where that card is if the permanent was exiled to a public zone and the rest of the effect, a related one-shot effect, or a delayed triggered ability created by the effect, could move that card back to the previous zone or move it to a third zone (C.R. 400.7, 610.3, 400.7h). However, if a commander was exiled this way and its owner then moves that commander to the command zone (as a state-based action), the commander won't move to the previous zone or third zone, as the case may be, since the commander has left exile (C.R. 903.9a, 400.7).
On the other hand, Oblivion Ring uses linked abilities and the second ability refers to "the exiled card", which means only the card still in exile (C.R. 607.2a). Notably, if Oblivion Ring exiles a commander this way and its owner then moves that commander to the command zone, Oblivion Ring won't return that commander to the battlefield, since the commander has left exile (C.R. 903.9a, 400.7).
EDIT: Edited after comment 6 was posted, and again to make a clarification.
EDIT (Dec. 13): Make another clarification.
EDIT (Oct. 28, 2017; Feb. 1, 2018): Correctness edit.
EDIT (May 26, 2018): Minor edit.
EDIT (Dec. 18, 2018; Jan. 13, 2019): Correctness edit.
EDIT (Jun. 8, 2019): Edited.
EDIT (Jul. 19, 2019): Add rule citation.
EDIT (Jul. 2, 2020): Edited to conform to rule update with Core Set 2021.
EDIT (Jul. 5, 2020; Jul. 7, 2020): Further edited.
Thank you very much that explains it quite clearly. So as long as it moves to a public zone and all a single effect that both removes and returns it, it will come back. Good to know.
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
EDIT : I'm slow this morning, hope this still helps.