No. Cabal Therapist has a triggered ability that goes off once, when the precombat main phase begins. It allows you to sacrifice one (1) creature. To sacrifice another creature, you need another trigger, and for that you either have to have another precombat main phase (so have to wait for your next turn), or have to have it trigger multiple times, or copy the trigger, or have another Cabal Therapist also trigger. But each trigger only gives you the opportunity for one sacrifice when it resolves.
You might be confusing Cabal Therapist's ability, which is a TRIGGERED ability, with ACTIVATED abilities, such as Vampire Aristocrat's, which DOES allow multiple sacrifices for multiple effects.
I dont see where it states that it says an ability is triggered every time conditions are met
603.2. Whenever a game event or game state matches a triggered ability’s trigger event, that ability automatically triggers. The ability doesn’t do anything at this point.
But it says it may trigger multiple times but why doesn't it trigger again if I'm still in precombat phase its says along as it is legal it would triger again it doesnt syar that the ability is only triggered once per phase
But it says it may trigger multiple times but why doesn't it trigger again if I'm still in precombat phase its says along as it is legal it would triger again it doesnt syar that the ability is only triggered once per phase
Cabal Therapist's triggered ability will trigger only at the beginning of "your precombat main phase" and only if "you control" Cabal Therapist at that time (C.R. 603.2; see also C.R. 113.6; for that ability, the relevant "trigger event" for purposes of C.R. 603.2 is "At the beginning of your precombat main phase"). It won't trigger during such a main phase, even if Cabal Therapist entered the battlefield under "your control" during that phase.
The beginning of a step or phase (such as "your precombat main phase" or "your upkeep") is a single moment in time, at the point that that step or phase begins. That's when an ability that triggers "at the beginning of" that step or phase can trigger (C.R. 603.2b). This happens even before players get priority to cast spells, even before triggered abilities go on the stack, and even before those abilities resolve (C.R. 117.5, 117.4; for upkeep, see C.R. 503.1). See also this thread, this thread, and this thread.
However:
If "you control" multiple Cabal Therapists as "your precombat main phase" begins, the triggered ability of each will trigger separately (C.R. 113.2c).
If Cabal Therapist's triggered ability is somehow copied (such as by Strionic Resonator's ability), a creature can be sacrificed separately for the copy and for the original (review C.R. 707.10).
it doesnt say that the ability is only triggered once per phase
Correct.
There is an infinity of things the rulebook doesn't say.
Rules don't talk about things that don't happen.**
Rules tell us what does happen.
For example, no rule says "Players are not allowed to draw cards at will."
Still, we know they can't.
How do we know?
Because no rule says they can.
The unwritten rule of all (but one) games is "You can't do things which are not specifically allowed by the rules."
603.2b When a phase or step begins, all abilities that trigger “at the beginning of” that phase or step trigger.
This rule tells us when Cabal Therapist triggers.
Admittedly, it doesn't say "oh, by the way, it triggers only once".
**some rules will tell us about things that don't happen. There are two reasons for this;
1) it often makes the rulebook shorter to say "can't" than to say "can, but only under the following conditions...". (example: rule 302.6)
2) to avoid common false extrapolations made by many new players. (example: rule 115.10a)
The argument of it doesnt say you cant is not a good argument especially where there are cards that do say that you can't like heir of falkenrath where it says you can't but if there are triggered abilities that can go off multiple time on some scards and this one doesn't state it can or can't im going to assume it is that it can the same way that I assume I can trigger other abilities multiple times
Now I understand that you cant sac and name then sac and name but you should be able to sac more then 1 creature with this
What are you saying would trigger it an additional time? The rules say it only triggers at the beginning of the precombat main phase, but where are you getting another idea from?
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It triggers at the beginning of your precombat main phase. That only happens once each turn. A triggered ability will trigger each time the trigger condition becomes true. Your precombat main phase only happens once each turn, so the ability will only trigger once. It doesn't keep triggering because you want it to trigger multiple times
603.2b When a phase or step begins, all abilities that trigger “at the beginning of” that phase or step trigger.
The Heir is completely different. It has an activated ability, and normally, you can activate an ability as many times as you want to as long as you can pay the cost. But the Heir has a restriction on its use (to restrict how many times you can use it to free discard), so you can only activate it once (and then it transforms). But that is not how triggered abilities work. They only trigger when their condition becomes true.
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Scientists have calculated that the chance of anything so patently absurd actually existing are millions to one. But magicians have calculated that million-to-one chances crop up nine times out of ten.
The trigger condition "At the beginning of your precombat main phase" can happen at most once during your turn. However, an ability with that trigger condition will trigger once each time a precombat main phase "of yours" begins (C.R. 603.2c). Thus, Cabal Therapist's triggered ability can trigger "multiple times" insofar as its trigger condition, "the beginning of your precombat main phase", can be met multiple times — though at separate moments, more specifically, during separate turns — while Cabal Therapist is present on the battlefield.
Also, as far as the game is concerned, "[o]nly the first main phase of the turn is a precombat main phase" (C.R. 505.1a). No other main phase of that turn is a precombat main phase, even if the combat phase is skipped and even if, somehow, a second main phase happens before a combat phase of the same turn (C.R. 505.1a). In other words, read "your precombat main phase" as "your first main phase of the turn".
Ok i understand it will only trigger at the beginning of the pre combat main phase but it can trigger multiple times meaning I can sac multiple creatures and when the time comes it should trigger for each sacrificed creature
Ok i understand it will only trigger at the beginning of the pre combat main phase but it can trigger multiple times
No.
603.2c An ability triggers only once each time its trigger event occurs. However, it can trigger repeatedly if one event contains multiple occurrences.
Example: A permanent has an ability whose trigger condition reads, “Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, . . . .” If someone casts a spell that destroys all lands, the ability will trigger once for each land put into the graveyard during the spell’s resolution.
If you want "At the beginning of your precombat main phase" to trigger a second time, you need to wait until you begin another precombat main phase, i.e., your next turn.
meaning I can sac multiple creatures and when the time comes it should trigger for each sacrificed creature
What should trigger for each sacrificed creature? I see no reference to anything triggering off sacrificed creatures. Edit: I overlooked the reflexive triggered ability, but you still can't sacrifice multiple creatures from the "sacrifice a creature" instruction.
Im going based on this rule here that ot would trigger multiple time and i can trigger it multiple time
603.2c An ability triggers only once each time its trigger event occurs. However, it can trigger repeatedly if one event contains multiple occurrences.
Example: A permanent has an ability whose trigger condition reads, “Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, . . . .” If someone casts a spell that destroys all lands, the ability will trigger once for each land put into the graveyard during the spell’s resolution.
You must have misunderstood C.R. 603.2c. The sentence "However, [an ability] can trigger repeatedly if one event contains multiple occurrences" refers to the situation when a single event can contain multiple occurrences of a trigger event. This is not the case with an ability of the form "At the beginning of your precombat main phase, ..." (examples include Cabal Therapist's triggered ability and Black Market); the "beginning of your precombat main phase" doesn't contain multiple occurrences of the "beginning of your precombat main phase". (Compare this with Blinkmoth Urn's "At the beginning of each player's precombat main phase, ...", which, for example, can trigger more than once in Two-Headed Giant if it's two players' precombat main phase.)
You can sacrifice only one creature each time Cabal Therapist's triggered ability resolves (see also C.R. 608.2c-d). You can't sacrifice more than one creature this way even if you control more than one creature. As a result, the "When you do, ..." will generally trigger at most once this way, since the relevant trigger event, "When you [sacrifice a creature this way]", can happen at most once this way (C.R. 603.12, 603.2, 603.2c). (Note that Cabal Therapist's triggered ability includes "When you do, ...", which expresses a reflexive triggered ability, which will trigger if you sacrifice a creature this way [C.R. 603.12].)
Did you actually mean to say I CAN trigger it multiple times?
That's impossible: players DO NOT trigger anything. Period.
Allow me to throw in some friendly advice:
Six of the most knowledgeable Magic rules afficionados are telling you this is not the way it works, including Natedogg, who is an official Magic representative and has been with this game for many, many years.
At some point, you'll have to trust us.
Instead of clinging to your mistaken interpretation, try and understand WHY and WHERE you are wrong.
Perhaps you were incorrectly taught the game. Find a Magic store: people there will be more than happy to teach you how this game is actually played.
For instance, I sacrifice one creature, name a nonland card, target opponent reveals his/her hand. Now I know what cards he/she has.
Can I then sacrifice another creature to Cabal Therapist to do this again on the same turn (precombat).
Thanks in advance!
Former Rules Advisor
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Take a look at rules 602 & 603 for details:
https://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/rules
RULES OF MAGIC :
http://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/rules
The beginning of a step or phase (such as "your precombat main phase" or "your upkeep") is a single moment in time, at the point that that step or phase begins. That's when an ability that triggers "at the beginning of" that step or phase can trigger (C.R. 603.2b). This happens even before players get priority to cast spells, even before triggered abilities go on the stack, and even before those abilities resolve (C.R. 117.5, 117.4; for upkeep, see C.R. 503.1). See also this thread, this thread, and this thread.
However:
EDIT (May 22, 2022): Edit rule citations.
There is an infinity of things the rulebook doesn't say.
Rules don't talk about things that don't happen.**
Rules tell us what does happen.
For example, no rule says "Players are not allowed to draw cards at will."
Still, we know they can't.
How do we know?
Because no rule says they can.
The unwritten rule of all (but one) games is "You can't do things which are not specifically allowed by the rules."
This rule tells us when Cabal Therapist triggers.
Admittedly, it doesn't say "oh, by the way, it triggers only once".
**some rules will tell us about things that don't happen. There are two reasons for this;
1) it often makes the rulebook shorter to say "can't" than to say "can, but only under the following conditions...". (example: rule 302.6)
2) to avoid common false extrapolations made by many new players. (example: rule 115.10a)
RULES OF MAGIC :
http://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/rules
Now I understand that you cant sac and name then sac and name but you should be able to sac more then 1 creature with this
Awesome avatar provided by Krashbot @ [Epic Graphics].
The Heir is completely different. It has an activated ability, and normally, you can activate an ability as many times as you want to as long as you can pay the cost. But the Heir has a restriction on its use (to restrict how many times you can use it to free discard), so you can only activate it once (and then it transforms). But that is not how triggered abilities work. They only trigger when their condition becomes true.
Scientists have calculated that the chance of anything so patently absurd actually existing are millions to one. But magicians have calculated that million-to-one chances crop up nine times out of ten.
Also, as far as the game is concerned, "[o]nly the first main phase of the turn is a precombat main phase" (C.R. 505.1a). No other main phase of that turn is a precombat main phase, even if the combat phase is skipped and even if, somehow, a second main phase happens before a combat phase of the same turn (C.R. 505.1a). In other words, read "your precombat main phase" as "your first main phase of the turn".
No.
If you want "At the beginning of your precombat main phase" to trigger a second time, you need to wait until you begin another precombat main phase, i.e., your next turn.
What should trigger for each sacrificed creature?
I see no reference to anything triggering off sacrificed creatures.Edit: I overlooked the reflexive triggered ability, but you still can't sacrifice multiple creatures from the "sacrifice a creature" instruction.603.2c An ability triggers only once each time its trigger event occurs. However, it can trigger repeatedly if one event contains multiple occurrences.
Example: A permanent has an ability whose trigger condition reads, “Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, . . . .” If someone casts a spell that destroys all lands, the ability will trigger once for each land put into the graveyard during the spell’s resolution.
You can sacrifice only one creature each time Cabal Therapist's triggered ability resolves (see also C.R. 608.2c-d). You can't sacrifice more than one creature this way even if you control more than one creature. As a result, the "When you do, ..." will generally trigger at most once this way, since the relevant trigger event, "When you [sacrifice a creature this way]", can happen at most once this way (C.R. 603.12, 603.2, 603.2c). (Note that Cabal Therapist's triggered ability includes "When you do, ...", which expresses a reflexive triggered ability, which will trigger if you sacrifice a creature this way [C.R. 603.12].)
That's impossible: players DO NOT trigger anything. Period.
Allow me to throw in some friendly advice:
Six of the most knowledgeable Magic rules afficionados are telling you this is not the way it works, including Natedogg, who is an official Magic representative and has been with this game for many, many years.
At some point, you'll have to trust us.
Instead of clinging to your mistaken interpretation, try and understand WHY and WHERE you are wrong.
Perhaps you were incorrectly taught the game. Find a Magic store: people there will be more than happy to teach you how this game is actually played.
RULES OF MAGIC :
http://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/rules