If I have a willbreaker in play and I target an opponents creature with an unsummon or erratic portal or some such the creature I target will just get bounced to the owners hand and will not end up on the battlefield under my control, right?
The spell/effect still resolves - so I target it, gain control of it, and then it gets immediately bounced to it's owners hand - or with erratic portal do I become the creatures controller first and thus can pay the 1 mana to prevent the effect and hold onto the creature with willbreaker
You cast your spell targeting the opponent's creature. This triggers Willbreaker
Willbreakers ability goes on the stack and resolves while the original spell is still on the stack.
You now control the creature but the original spell still needs to resolve and since you used a spell that doesn't specify "Target creature an opponent controls" the creature is still a legal target for the spell, in this case, the creature will be returned to its owner's hand. For the portal specifically as the controller of the creature you choose whether to pay the 1 or not.
"For the erratic portal specifically as the controller of the creature you choose whether to pay the 1 or not."
Which, if I am understanding you correctly, is me. I control the creature because I took it over with willbreaker when I targeted it with the erratic portal.
That's an interesting point about targeting with spells which only target creatures opponent controls. So like, a Harbinger of the tides would target a tapped creature an opponent controls but with willbreaker in play I would gain control of the creature targeted by Harbinger of the tides
"For the erratic portal specifically as the controller of the creature you choose whether to pay the 1 or not."
Which, if I am understanding you correctly, is me. I control the creature because I took it over with willbreaker when I targeted it with the erratic portal.
That's an interesting point about targeting with spells which only target creatures opponent controls. So like, a Harbinger of the tides would target a tapped creature an opponent controls but with willbreaker in play I would gain control of the creature targeted by Harbinger of the tides
Correct. Erratic Portal only cares who is the controller of the creature at the time it resolves so you as the current controller would decide.
Harbinger of the Tides has a 'may' clause in its ability that you decide on resolution so you wouldn't have to return it if you didn't want to, but because it specfies tapped creature an opponent controls if you control the creature or it becomes untapped before the ability resolves it will be countered for lack of a legal target so you don't get the option. Similarly Petty Theft specifies '...an opponent controls' so you would gain control of the creature and then the spell would be countered for lack of a legal target.
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The spell/effect still resolves - so I target it, gain control of it, and then it gets immediately bounced to it's owners hand - or with erratic portal do I become the creatures controller first and thus can pay the 1 mana to prevent the effect and hold onto the creature with willbreaker
You cast your spell targeting the opponent's creature. This triggers Willbreaker
Willbreakers ability goes on the stack and resolves while the original spell is still on the stack.
You now control the creature but the original spell still needs to resolve and since you used a spell that doesn't specify "Target creature an opponent controls" the creature is still a legal target for the spell, in this case, the creature will be returned to its owner's hand. For the portal specifically as the controller of the creature you choose whether to pay the 1 or not.
Which, if I am understanding you correctly, is me. I control the creature because I took it over with willbreaker when I targeted it with the erratic portal.
That's an interesting point about targeting with spells which only target creatures opponent controls. So like, a Harbinger of the tides would target a tapped creature an opponent controls but with willbreaker in play I would gain control of the creature targeted by Harbinger of the tides
Correct. Erratic Portal only cares who is the controller of the creature at the time it resolves so you as the current controller would decide.
Harbinger of the Tides has a 'may' clause in its ability that you decide on resolution so you wouldn't have to return it if you didn't want to, but because it specfies tapped creature an opponent controls if you control the creature or it becomes untapped before the ability resolves it will be countered for lack of a legal target so you don't get the option. Similarly Petty Theft specifies '...an opponent controls' so you would gain control of the creature and then the spell would be countered for lack of a legal target.