When the text on two cards instruct you (or seem to instruct you) to do something contradictory, which of the two take place? For example, take Weatherseed Treefolk and Lifeline. When Weatherseed Treefolk is put into a graveyard, assuming their is another creature in play, is it returned to your hand or put back in play?
When Weatherseed Treefolk's triggered ability resolves, Weatherseed Treefolk is returned to its owner's hand right then and there.
On the other hand, when Lifeline's ability resolves, it merely creates a so-called delayed triggered ability to return the card it refers to to the battlefield at a later time (C.R. 603.7). And if that card has left the graveyard in the meantime — even if it then returns to the graveyard in the meantime — nothing happens (C.R. 400.7).
Compare the situation of Weatherseed Treefolk and Lifeline with that of Weatherseed Treefolk and Abduction.
Assuming you control Weatherseed Treefolk and Abduction is attached to it, both Abduction's last ability and Weatherseed Treefolk's triggered abilities will trigger when Weatherseed Treefolk dies, so both abilities will go on the stack at the same time (C.R. 603.3b). Since you controlled Weatherseed Treefolk, you choose the order in which those abilities will go on the stack (C.R. 603.3, 113.8), and whichever ability you put on top of the stack this way will get to resolve before the other (C.R. 117.4).
EDIT (Aug. 26): Edited, including because some rules were renumbered with Core Set 2020.
For someone like my who doesn't understand the nitty gritty as well as yourself, it seems that the moment Weatherseed Treefolk dies, both the creature's ability and Lifeline would trigger at that exact moment. Of course I know you're right, but what's the rule of thumb then for telling which actions happen immediately at trigger and which are delayed?
For someone like my who doesn't understand the nitty gritty as well as yourself, it seems that the moment Weatherseed Treefolk dies, both the creature's ability and Lifeline would trigger at that exact moment. Of course I know you're right, but what's the rule of thumb then for telling which actions happen immediately at trigger and which are delayed?
In general, a delayed triggered ability contains a "when", "whenever", or "at" not found at the beginning of its text, unlike other triggered abilities (C.R. 603.7; compare with C.R. 603.1). For example—
"return the first card to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step", as found in Lifeline (C.R. 108.1), expresses a delayed triggered ability because it contains an "at" that doesn't begin the text, and
"[r]eturn Tatsumasa to the battlefield under its owner's control when that token dies" likewise expresses a delayed triggered ability, but this time found on an activated ability, here in Tatsumasa, the Dragon's Fang (C.R. 602.1, 108.1).
When the text on two cards instruct you (or seem to instruct you) to do something contradictory, which of the two take place?
As can be seen, the effects of cards often are sequential, so there is no doubt as to which one you'll obey: the first one to resolve. Yet, it is possible that you get contradictory and simultaneous instructions; rules 101.2 & 616.1 will resolve most of these conundrums:
101.2. When a rule or effect allows or directs something to happen, and another effect states that it can’t happen, the “can’t” effect takes precedence.
616.1. If two or more replacement and/or prevention effects are attempting to modify the way an event affects an object or player, [...] the affected player chooses one to apply [...]
Thank you. What about something like Lifeline + Aether Flash? At the end of the turn, assuming there is still a creature in play, a 1/1 creature is returned from the graveyard to play, only to get zapped by Aether Flash. When the 1/1 creature hits the graveyard a second time, it would not get returned to play by Lifeline, correct?
Another ceature is only required to trigger the Lifeline and create the delayed trigger to return the dead one. It's not required to have another creature on the battlefield at the time the delayed trigger returns the creature.
If there is a another creature on the battlefield when Aether Flash's trigger fries the newly retunred creature and state based actions destroy it afterwards, then Lifeline triggers again and upon its resolution another delayed trigger is created. But since the beginning of the end step of the curreent turn is already way past, that trigger goes off in the next turn's end step (or rather the next end step to actually occur).
Very interesting, so Lifeline would keep bringing the 1/1 creature(s) back at the beginning of each end step and Aether Flash would keep frying it/them each time and this would continue so long as there was a creature in play each time Lifeline triggered (and nothing else changed obviously).
Where would Weatherseed Treefolk end up if it was brought into play via Sneak Attack and Lifeline was in play (assuming it was not killed before the end step)? At the beginning of the end step, the creature goes to the graveyard (because it was brought in via Sneak Attack) but does Weatherseed Treefolk's ability (i.e. return to hand if sent to graveyard) trigger before Lifeline causing it to go to your hand instead of being returned to the battlefield or do both happen at the same time allowing me to choose the order and returning Weatherseed Treefolk to the battlefield instead?
Where would Weatherseed Treefolk end up if it was brought into play via Sneak Attack and Lifeline was in play (assuming it was not killed before the end step)? At the beginning of the end step, the creature goes to the graveyard (because it was brought in via Sneak Attack) but does Weatherseed Treefolk's ability (i.e. return to hand if sent to graveyard) trigger before Lifeline causing it to go to your hand instead of being returned to the battlefield or do both happen at the same time allowing me to choose the order and returning Weatherseed Treefolk to the battlefield instead?
If Weatherseed Treefolk dies during an end step while you control another creature, both Lifeline's and Weatherseed Treefolk's triggered abilities will trigger at the same time (C.R. 603.2, 603.4). Although you can choose the order they go on the stack this way (C.R. 603.3, 603.3b, 113.8), it won't matter since Lifeline's ability won't do anything but create a delayed triggered ability when it resolves (C.R. 603.7), and Weatherseed Treefolk will return from the graveyard to its owner's hand due to its triggered ability. When the Lifeline ability resolves, that delayed triggered ability will still trigger (at the beginning of the next end step after this one, whenever that is [C.R. 513.2, 108.1; see also this thread]) and get to resolve, but won't do anything since Weatherseed Treefolk has already left the graveyard — this is the case even if Weatherseed Treefolk returns to the graveyard after having left it (C.R. 400.7).
Note that with delayed triggered abilities of the form "[do something] at the beginning of the next end step", as in Sneak Attack and Lifeline (C.R. 108.1), the ability in question only triggers at the beginning of the end step in question (C.R. 603.2); the "[do something]" can happen only when that ability resolves, which will be during that end step, after all players pass while that ability is on top of the stack (C.R. 608.1, 608.2c; see also C.R. 513.2).
EDIT (Jan. 7): One rule was renumbered with Core Set 2020. Added rule citations.
EDIT (Jan. 8): Edited.
I wonder why they changed the text/timing from "at end of turn" to "beginning of the next end step" on Lifeline? To provide a more specific point of time in the game? Was "at end of turn" reworded to "beginning of the next end step" on all cards? When a creature dies at the beginning of the end step, the new wording for Lifeline seems it might lead to some strange behavior, no?
Short answer: "...end of turn" now specifies only a duration. It was always used this way from Giant Growth onwards so temporary duration effects like this have the same wording as always.
"At end of turn", confusingly enough, referred to abilities that triggered in the first step of the ending phase, and so that step was specifically called out with a simple rewording to "At the beginning of [the appropriate] end step..." to bring it in line with other effects that trigger simply by reaching certain steps.
I wonder why they changed the text/timing from "at end of turn" to "beginning of the next end step" on Lifeline? To provide a more specific point of time in the game? Was "at end of turn" reworded to "beginning of the next end step" on all cards? When a creature dies at the beginning of the end step, the new wording for Lifeline seems it might lead to some strange behavior, no?
With the release of Magic 2010, all cards that used to say "at end of turn" were changed to say either "at the beginning of the end step" or "at the beginning of the next end step" (C.R. 513.1a); this change generally didn't change the functionality of any cards (before Magic 2010, "at end of turn" meant the beginning of the relevant "end of turn step", now called end step [C.R. 513.1a].) In general, "at the beginning of the end step" appears in some ordinary triggered abilities (e.g., Ball Lightning), while "at the beginning of the next end step" appears in some delayed triggered abilities (as in Sneak Attack and Lifeline) (C.R. 603.7, 108.1).
On the other hand, when Lifeline's ability resolves, it merely creates a so-called delayed triggered ability to return the card it refers to to the battlefield at a later time (C.R. 603.7). And if that card has left the graveyard in the meantime — even if it then returns to the graveyard in the meantime — nothing happens (C.R. 400.7).
Compare the situation of Weatherseed Treefolk and Lifeline with that of Weatherseed Treefolk and Abduction.
Assuming you control Weatherseed Treefolk and Abduction is attached to it, both Abduction's last ability and Weatherseed Treefolk's triggered abilities will trigger when Weatherseed Treefolk dies, so both abilities will go on the stack at the same time (C.R. 603.3b). Since you controlled Weatherseed Treefolk, you choose the order in which those abilities will go on the stack (C.R. 603.3, 113.8), and whichever ability you put on top of the stack this way will get to resolve before the other (C.R. 117.4).
EDIT (Aug. 26): Edited, including because some rules were renumbered with Core Set 2020.
616.1. If two or more replacement and/or prevention effects are attempting to modify the way an event affects an object or player, [...] the affected player chooses one to apply [...]
RULES OF MAGIC :
http://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/rules
If there is a another creature on the battlefield when Aether Flash's trigger fries the newly retunred creature and state based actions destroy it afterwards, then Lifeline triggers again and upon its resolution another delayed trigger is created. But since the beginning of the end step of the curreent turn is already way past, that trigger goes off in the next turn's end step (or rather the next end step to actually occur).
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Note that with delayed triggered abilities of the form "[do something] at the beginning of the next end step", as in Sneak Attack and Lifeline (C.R. 108.1), the ability in question only triggers at the beginning of the end step in question (C.R. 603.2); the "[do something]" can happen only when that ability resolves, which will be during that end step, after all players pass while that ability is on top of the stack (C.R. 608.1, 608.2c; see also C.R. 513.2).
EDIT (Jan. 7): One rule was renumbered with Core Set 2020. Added rule citations.
EDIT (Jan. 8): Edited.
"At end of turn", confusingly enough, referred to abilities that triggered in the first step of the ending phase, and so that step was specifically called out with a simple rewording to "At the beginning of [the appropriate] end step..." to bring it in line with other effects that trigger simply by reaching certain steps.
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