Opponent attacks with creature.
I play Seal Away.
As soon as Seal Away hits the battlefield, he casts Naturalize on it.
What happens?
Well, nothing to the attacking creature.
610.3. Some one-shot effects cause an object to change zones “until” a specified event occurs. A second
one-shot effect is created immediately after the specified event. This second one-shot effect returns
the object to its previous zone.
610.3a If the specified event has already occurred when the initial one-shot effect would cause the
object to change zones, the object doesn’t move.
Detailed sequence:
Opponent's combat phase begins. Beginning of combat step begins.
Opponent gets priority and passes.
You get priority and pass.
Beginning of combat step ends.
Declare attackers step begins. Opponent declares a creature as an attacker and taps it.
Opponent gets priority and passes.
You get priority and cast Seal Away. You pay the cost of 1W using mana obtained in an unspecified way.
You get priority and pass.
Opponent gets priority and passes.
The top object on the stack (the spell cast in step 7) resolves. You put Seal Away onto the battlefield. This triggers its ability.
Opponent would get priority, but there is a triggered ability to put on the stack. You put "When Seal Away enters the battlefield, exile target tapped creature an opponent controls until Seal Away leaves the battlefield." on the stack, choosing the tapped attacking creature as the target.
Opponent gets priority and casts Naturalize. Opponent chooses Seal Away as the target, and pays the cost using 1G obtained in an unspecified way.
Opponent gets priority and passes.
You get priority and pass.
The top object on the stack (the spell cast in step 12) resolves. Seal Away is destroyed. Naturalize goes to opponent's graveyard.
Opponent gets priority and passes.
You get priority and pass.
The top object on the stack (the ability put there in step 11) resolves. The target doesn't move. [CR610.3a]
To be clear, this is a different rules interaction than if, say, Oblivion Ring had been cast with flash somehow (through Leyline of Anticipation or whatnot). In that case, there are two separate triggers -- one definitely exiling regardless if the Ring is still on the field, the other returning once the Ring dies -- and so your opponent's creature would actually be exiled permanently if played in the way you describe above casting Naturalize in response to the enter-the-battlefield trigger, because the leave-the-battlefield returning trigger would resolve first (having nothing to return) and then the exiling trigger. If played as Ring enters, exiles something, then is destroyed and the creature returns to the battlefield, then the creature in question returns as a new object and thus would no longer be attacking.
All that is because of the old wording for Oblivion Ring type effects -- one trigger to enter, one trigger on return. Modern Ring-style cards use the newer "exiles until" phrasing, which has the above sorts of loopholes closed by defining in the rules the response to these sorts of edge cases -- in this case, if the Ring left the battlefield before the trigger resolves, the rules definitions for 'until' say that nothing happens at all (see the above post for the exact Comprehensive Rules citation).
Private Mod Note
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--Buck v Bell, 1927. This case, regarding the compulsory sterilization of inmates at mental institutions, has -- somehow -- never been overturned. Just a wee PSA for ya.
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Opponent attacks with creature.
I play Seal Away.
As soon as Seal Away hits the battlefield, he casts Naturalize on it.
What happens?
[c]Naturalize[/c] -> Naturalize
Well, nothing to the attacking creature.
Detailed sequence:
All that is because of the old wording for Oblivion Ring type effects -- one trigger to enter, one trigger on return. Modern Ring-style cards use the newer "exiles until" phrasing, which has the above sorts of loopholes closed by defining in the rules the response to these sorts of edge cases -- in this case, if the Ring left the battlefield before the trigger resolves, the rules definitions for 'until' say that nothing happens at all (see the above post for the exact Comprehensive Rules citation).
--Buck v Bell, 1927. This case, regarding the compulsory sterilization of inmates at mental institutions, has -- somehow -- never been overturned. Just a wee PSA for ya.