Had a minor disagreement in a casual game: I used Lyzolda, the Blood Witch's ability to sacrifice herself. Since she herself is a legal target, will the ability resolve? Or, does she have to be in play for the ability to resolve? (I have a feeling that doesn't apply to activated abilities)
She is a creature, so yes, she can sacrifice herself, and the ability will resolve just fine. Sakura-Tribe Elder and other self-sacrificing creatures would be pretty darn terrible if they had to be in play for their abilities to resolve; Lyzolda's ability resolves just fine for the exact same reason theirs does.
Also, note that you aren't targeting the creature you sacrifice. Targeting has a very specific meaning in Magic, and the cost of Lyzolda's ability isn't it.
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Level 2 Magic Judge
Procrastination is an art form, and I am an artist. Knowledge knows no bounds.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real.
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Yes, you can sacrifice Lyzolda to her own ability. It will resolve just fine and you'll get both effects (since Lyzolda is a black and red creature). Put it this way: if the creature needed to be in play for activated abilities to resolve, how would Mogg Fanatic work?
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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.
Declaring targets happens before paying costs, so you can have Lyzolda target herself. However, her ability will be countered on resolution because all the targets are by then illegal. The targeting requirements for activated abilities are in no way different from those for spells.
Edit: Read the word "target" to assume you're trying to deal damage to Lyzolda for some reason. If you just mean sacrificing herself to feed the ability, that's perfectly legal.
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Thanks in advance...
Also, note that you aren't targeting the creature you sacrifice. Targeting has a very specific meaning in Magic, and the cost of Lyzolda's ability isn't it.
Procrastination is an art form, and I am an artist.
Knowledge knows no bounds.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real.
--Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
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.
So yes, you will get to deal the damage and draw a card.
Sig by Sioux Heroes of the Plane Studios
Edit: Read the word "target" to assume you're trying to deal damage to Lyzolda for some reason. If you just mean sacrificing herself to feed the ability, that's perfectly legal.