MTG Salvation

I'm sure this question has been asked a million times, but I couldn't find it after extensive searching.

If you attack with your General and your opponent activates the ability on Mystifying Maze, does your general return at the end of your turn or does it go back in the command zone?

The fact that my search for "mystifying maze edh" returned hundreds of decklists playing the card, I'm assuming it's the latter.

Whether your general goes to the command zone or is exiled (and subsequently returned) is entirely up to you.

903.12. If a commander would be put into the exile zone from anywhere, its owner may put it into the command zone instead.

So in other words, I can choose to have it return to the command zone (like an idiot), or let it be exiled and returned to the battlefield at eot. That's what I thought, but I was just making sure. Thanks!

Quote from MarkBGH

So in other words, I can choose to have it return to the command zone (like an idiot), or let it be exiled and returned to the battlefield at eot. That's what I thought, but I was just making sure. Thanks!

Actually, no. Whether or not you choose to move your commander to the exile zone or to the command zone, Mystifying Maze will return it to the battlefield at the beginning of the end step.

603.6. Trigger events that involve objects changing zones are called “zone-change triggers.” Many abilities with zone-change triggers attempt to do something to that object after it changes zones. During resolution, these abilities look for the object in the zone that it moved to. If the object is unable to be found in the zone it went to, the part of the ability attempting to do something to the object will fail to do anything. The ability could be unable to find the object because the object never entered the specified zone, because it left the zone before the ability resolved, or because it is in a zone that is hidden from a player, such as a library or an opponent’s hand. (This rule applies even if the object leaves the zone and returns again before the ability resolves.) The most common zone-change triggers are enters-the-battlefield triggers and leaves-the-battlefield triggers

In either case, there is only one zone change (either from the battlefield to exile or from the battlefield to the command zone). Maze's ability can track the card through a single zone change, so it can return the card even if it goes to the command zone.

That makes more sense now. Thanks!

Along a similar vein, what happens if I Spelljack someone's general? If they choose to move it to the command zone, I can't then cast it, can I?

Quote from Zaphrasz

Along a similar vein, what happens if I Spelljack someone's general? If they choose to move it to the command zone, I can't then cast it, can I?

That is correct. On the other hand, if you have Guile out and counter a general, you still get to cast it despite the move. It's all in the wording.

Quote from paperwarrior

Actually, no. Whether or not you choose to move your commander to the exile zone or to the command zone, Mystifying Maze will return it to the battlefield at the beginning of the end step.

603.6. Trigger events that involve objects changing zones are called “zone-change triggers.” Many abilities with zone-change triggers attempt to do something to that object after it changes zones. During resolution, these abilities look for the object in the zone that it moved to. If the object is unable to be found in the zone it went to, the part of the ability attempting to do something to the object will fail to do anything. The ability could be unable to find the object because the object never entered the specified zone, because it left the zone before the ability resolved, or because it is in a zone that is hidden from a player, such as a library or an opponent’s hand. (This rule applies even if the object leaves the zone and returns again before the ability resolves.) The most common zone-change triggers are enters-the-battlefield triggers and leaves-the-battlefield triggers

In either case, there is only one zone change (either from the battlefield to exile or from the battlefield to the command zone). Maze's ability can track the card through a single zone change, so it can return the card even if it goes to the command zone.

I'm not sure that your rules reference supports your conclusion. "If the object is unable to be found in the zone it went to, the part of the ability attempting to do something to the object will fail to do anything. The ability could be unable to find the object because the object never entered the specified zone..." would indicate that the card could not be returned from the command zone, because the ability that attempted to exile it is going to look for it in the exile zone, which it never entered due to the application of the replacement effect. The comp rules may not be 100% clear on this, since EDH/Commander has a replacement effect that does not occur anywhere else in the game... so exile vs. command zone may not have been considered when writing the rules on zone-change triggers.

Quote from bimmerbot

I'm not sure that your rules reference supports your conclusion. "If the object is unable to be found in the zone it went to, the part of the ability attempting to do something to the object will fail to do anything. The ability could be unable to find the object because the object never entered the specified zone..." would indicate that the card could not be returned from the command zone, because the ability that attempted to exile it is going to look for it in the exile zone

No, it will not. The key words are "found in the zone it went to". The zone it went to is not Exile; thus, the ability will never look for it in Exile, it will look for it in the Command zone. It will only explicitly check the Exile zone if it says "the exiled card" or some variant thereof.

Ok, so "the specified zone" is only relevant when the ability references a zone to return from (e.g., Journey to Nowhere)? If it doesn't specify "exiled" then it doesn't care where it went, as long as it can be tracked (didn't change zones from the one it went to during the resolution of the ability/spell; e.g., Mistmeadow Witch)?

Is this relevant in any situation other than EDH? I'm trying to think of any situation where a card can be tracked to a different zone than exile where it could still return... All I can think of are effects that exile instead of going to graveyard/hand, or that go to hand instead of graveyard, or library instead of graveyard.

Quote from bimmerbot

Is this relevant in any situation other than EDH? I'm trying to think of any situation where a card can be tracked to a different zone than exile where it could still return... All I can think of are effects that exile instead of going to graveyard/hand, or that go to hand instead of graveyard, or library instead of graveyard.

If I have a Leyline of the Void on the battlefield and I attack you with It That Betrays, I get the permanents you sacrificed even though they went to the exile zone instead of the graveyard.