Do Animate dead and Necromancy have enter the battlefield trigger abilities and if they do how do they exactly work (what is in what zone when enters the battlefield trigger is on the stack and what is where when it resolves)?
The both have ETB abilities and they both go from the stack to the battlefield and trigger there. They never leave the battlefield. Once their ETB trigger resolves the chosen creature in the GY will be returned to the battlefield.
You can see those card's current Oracle text through the links in your own post.
Both have "When {name} enters the battlefield...", a triggered ability that triggers when the enchantment enters the battlefield.
Animate Dead is an Aura with "enchant creature card in a graveyard", so as you cast AD you choose a creature card that is in a graveyard as its target. When AD resolves, it enters the battlefield enchanting the creature card that is still in the grave (yeah, that's weird but allowed). Its ability then goes to the stack.
When the ability resolves, if AD is still on the battlefield, AD's Enchant ability is replaced with "enchant creature put onto the battlefield with AD", then you move the creature card from its graveyard to the battlefield under your control, and AD is now enchanting that creature on the field.
Necromancy is not an Aura originally, so it doesn't target anything when cast. When N resolves enters, its ability triggers and goes to the stack, and now you choose a creature card from any graveyard as its target.
When the ability resolves, N becomes an Aura with an Enchant ability similar to AD's, and like with AD you move the creature card from the graveyard to the battlefield under your control, and N is now enchanting that creature on the field.
Yes, both those cards have ETB triggers. Both say "when [this] enters the battlefield ...", the "when" is one of three words that clearly indicate a triggered ability (the others are "whenever" and "at"), it is followed by the trigger condition "[this] enters the battlefield", so the ability triggers when the card enters the battlefield.
Animate Dead is cast targeting a "creature card in a graveyard", since it is an aura and aura spells target what they are going to enchant as determined by the enchant ability. Or alternatively, if AD enters the battlefield by any other means than being cast, it must be attached to a creature card in a graveyard at that time. Either way, the triggered ability goes off, goes on the stack, and when it eventually resolves, all the stuff the trigger says, happens. First, it loses the "enchant creature card in a graveyard", then it gains "enchant creature put onto the battlefield with AD". No such creature exists at this point, but that doesn't matter, neither does the fact that the aura is currently enchanting something illegal (the enchant restriction doesn't match what it is attached to anymore). That's because state based actions clear such things up, but they are not checked dutring the resolution of a spell or ability, and we are still in the middle of resolving the ETB trigger. Then the creature card is moved from the graveyard to the battlefield and the aura, already on the battlefield, is attached to it. It is now legally attached. Lastly, the trigger sets up a delayed trigger to make you sacrifice the creature should AD leave the battlefield.
Necromancy is not an aura, and so it doesn't require a target when cast, and it's not attached to anything when it enters the battlefield. When its trigger resolves, which only happens if it is still on the battlefield at that time, the enchantment is first made into an Enchantment - Aura and given an enchant ability defining what it can enchant. So it is now an aura on the battlefield that's not attached to anything. But state based actions aren't checked yet, so this is not cleared up. Next, whatever creature card you targeted when you put the ETB trigger on the stack is moved from the graveyard to the battlefield, and Necromancy is attached to it, so now it's legally attached and SBA will find nothing wrong here. Lastly, the a similar delayed trigger to AD is set up.
Yes, because the triggers won't do anything when they try to resolve but rather are removed from the stack, since the intervening-if clause of their trigger condition (the enchantment has to still be on the batlefield) is no longer true.
Tnx, this clears it up for me.
One more question, I didn't notice before Necromancy was not an aura, does this mean it does not target until it is in the battlefield?
Tnx, this clears it up for me.
One more question, I didn't notice before Necromancy was not an aura, does this mean it does not target until it is in the battlefield?
Correct. Until it hits the battlefield it is a normal enchantment with no targets.
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Both have "When {name} enters the battlefield...", a triggered ability that triggers when the enchantment enters the battlefield.
Animate Dead is an Aura with "enchant creature card in a graveyard", so as you cast AD you choose a creature card that is in a graveyard as its target. When AD resolves, it enters the battlefield enchanting the creature card that is still in the grave (yeah, that's weird but allowed). Its ability then goes to the stack.
When the ability resolves, if AD is still on the battlefield, AD's Enchant ability is replaced with "enchant creature put onto the battlefield with AD", then you move the creature card from its graveyard to the battlefield under your control, and AD is now enchanting that creature on the field.
Necromancy is not an Aura originally, so it doesn't target anything when cast. When N resolves enters, its ability triggers and goes to the stack, and now you choose a creature card from any graveyard as its target.
When the ability resolves, N becomes an Aura with an Enchant ability similar to AD's, and like with AD you move the creature card from the graveyard to the battlefield under your control, and N is now enchanting that creature on the field.
Animate Dead is cast targeting a "creature card in a graveyard", since it is an aura and aura spells target what they are going to enchant as determined by the enchant ability. Or alternatively, if AD enters the battlefield by any other means than being cast, it must be attached to a creature card in a graveyard at that time. Either way, the triggered ability goes off, goes on the stack, and when it eventually resolves, all the stuff the trigger says, happens. First, it loses the "enchant creature card in a graveyard", then it gains "enchant creature put onto the battlefield with AD". No such creature exists at this point, but that doesn't matter, neither does the fact that the aura is currently enchanting something illegal (the enchant restriction doesn't match what it is attached to anymore). That's because state based actions clear such things up, but they are not checked dutring the resolution of a spell or ability, and we are still in the middle of resolving the ETB trigger. Then the creature card is moved from the graveyard to the battlefield and the aura, already on the battlefield, is attached to it. It is now legally attached. Lastly, the trigger sets up a delayed trigger to make you sacrifice the creature should AD leave the battlefield.
Necromancy is not an aura, and so it doesn't require a target when cast, and it's not attached to anything when it enters the battlefield. When its trigger resolves, which only happens if it is still on the battlefield at that time, the enchantment is first made into an Enchantment - Aura and given an enchant ability defining what it can enchant. So it is now an aura on the battlefield that's not attached to anything. But state based actions aren't checked yet, so this is not cleared up. Next, whatever creature card you targeted when you put the ETB trigger on the stack is moved from the graveyard to the battlefield, and Necromancy is attached to it, so now it's legally attached and SBA will find nothing wrong here. Lastly, the a similar delayed trigger to AD is set up.
Former Rules Advisor
"Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge
(The Gamers: Dorkness Rising)
"Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."
(Girl Genius - Fairy Tale Theater Break - Cinderella, end of volume 8)
Former Rules Advisor
"Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge
(The Gamers: Dorkness Rising)
"Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."
(Girl Genius - Fairy Tale Theater Break - Cinderella, end of volume 8)
One more question, I didn't notice before Necromancy was not an aura, does this mean it does not target until it is in the battlefield?
Correct. Until it hits the battlefield it is a normal enchantment with no targets.