Handling Triggered Abilities
This page is current as of Comprehensive Rules October 2010. Please direct your feedback to: The Staff
Contents |
How may I recognize them?
A triggered ability begins with the word "when", "whenever" or "at". [CR 603.1] Triggered abilities aren't played by any one. Instead, a triggered ability automatically "triggers" each time its trigger event occurs. [CR 603.2] Once an ability has triggered, it goes on the stack the next time a player would receive priority, and it will be impossible, even for the controller, to stop this. Thus it is possible for triggered abilities to trigger even when it isn't legal to cast spells and activate abilities. Even effects that prevent abilities from being activated don't affect them. [CR 603.2a]
Triggered abilities can be divided into a trigger condition and an effect. Differently from activated abilities, the two parts are not clearly divided by something. Usually the word "when", "whenever" or "at" are at the beginning of a phrase, followed by the trigger condition, a comma and the effect. Sometimes (especially the word "at") can be near the end. No matter where the word is, all abilities that contain one of these 3 words are always triggered abilities, while if none of these words is present the ability is never triggered.
| Example. Putrefax has a triggered ability that starts with the word "at". "At the beginning of the end step" is the trigger condition and "sacrifice Putrefax"" is the effect. | Putrefax |
| Example. Blistergrub has a triggered ability that starts with the word "when". "When Blistergrub is put into a graveyard from the battlefield" is the trigger condition and "each opponent loses 2 life" is the effect. | Blistergrub |
| Example. Wurm's Tooth has a triggered ability that starts with the word "whenever". "Whenever a player casts a green spell" is the trigger condition and "you may gain 1 life" is the effect. | Wurm's Tooth |
| Example. Giantbaiting has a triggered ability even if it does not start with "when", "whenever" or "at". "Exile it at the beginning of the next end step" is a triggered ability because it contains the word "at". "at the beginning of the next end step" is the trigger condition and "Exile it" is the effect. | Giantbaiting |
How do they work?
A triggered ability checks the game everytime, even during the resolution of a spell or ability. If the event that it searches for happens (the trigger condition we saw before) even for a short time, the ability will trigger and go on the stack as soon as a player would receive priority. When a phase or step begins, all abilities that trigger "at the beginning of" that phase or step trigger [CR 603.2b]. If a triggered ability's trigger condition is met, but the object with that triggered ability is at no time visible to all players, the ability does not trigger [CR 603.2e]. An ability triggers only if its trigger event actually occurs. An event that's prevented or replaced won't trigger anything [CR 603.2f].
| Example. Scroll Thief has a triggered ability that triggers whenever it deals combat damage to a player. If the damage is prevented, the ability will not trigger. | Scroll Thief |
An ability triggers only once each time its trigger event occurs. However, it can trigger repeatedly if one event contains multiple occurrences [CR 603.2c].
| Example. Jace's Erasure has a triggered ability that triggers whenever you draw a card. If you cast Jace's Ingenuity the ability will trigger three times. |
Jace's Ingenuity
|
Some trigger events use the word "becomes" (for example, "becomes tapped" or "becomes blocked"). These trigger only at the time the named event happens -- they don't trigger if that state already exists or retrigger if it persists. Similarly, they don't trigger if an object enters a zone in that state [CR 603.2d].
| Example. Relic Putrescence has a triggered ability that triggers whenever the enchanted artifact becomes tapped. If you cast it on a tapped artifact it will not trigger: it will trigger only when the enchanted artifact's status changes from untapped to tapped. | Relic Putrescence |
Once an ability has been triggered, it is put on the stack as soon as the active player would get priority. It is controlled by the player who controlled the source the trigger originated from at the time of the trigger. [CR 603.3] If multiple abilities trigger at the same time, each player can order his or her own set of trigger in any order and the triggers are then put on the stack in APNAP order. [CR 603.3b]
Intervening 'if' clause
A special type of triggered ability are the intervening if clause triggers. If a triggered ability reads "When/Whenever/At [event], if [condition], [effect]" it will only trigger if the condition is true. if the condition is false, the ability will not trigger at all. Contrary to a "plain" triggered ability, a intervening if clause trigger will also check on resolution if the condition is still true. If the condition isn't true at resolution, the ability will do nothing. [CR 603.4]
| Example. Barren Glory has a triggered ability that triggers only if the conditions are true at the time it would trigger. If its controller control a creature or has cards in hand, it will not trigger at all. If after the trigger has been put on the stack, its controller gains a creature or has to draw a card and the ability resolve, the ability will do nothing. | Barren Glory |
Zone changing triggers
Some abilities try to do something to an object after it changes zones or trigger on an object changing zones. During resolution, these abilities look for the object in the zone they moved to. If the object is not there anymore or was moved to a hidden zone, the part of the ability trying to do something to the object will fail to do so. The most used zone changing triggers are "Enter the battlefield" and "leave the battlefield" triggers. [CR 603.6]
A "leave the battlefield" ability will most likely be in the form "When [this object] leaves the battlefield..." or "whenever [object] is put into a grave from the battlefield..". An object that attemps to do something to the card that left the battlefield checks for it only in the first zone it went to. [CR 603.6c]
| Example. Auramancer has a triggered ability that triggers when it enters the battlefield. Each time a permanent enters the battlefield, it is checked for any enter-the-battlefield triggers. | Auramancer |
| Example. if Sigil Captain is on the battlefield and Abuna Acolyte enters the battlefield, Sigil Captain ability will trigger and Abuna Acolyte will get 2 +1/+1 counters.
If Honor of the Pure is also on the battlefield, it creates a continuous effect that modifies the characteristics of white creature permanents. Sigil Captain ability will not trigger as Abuna Acolyte never enters the battlefield as a 1/1. |
Abuna Acolyte
|
| Example. Ashen-Skin Zubera has a triggered ability that triggers when it leaves the battlefield. If two Ashen-Skin Zubera leaves the battlefield at the same time and are put in a graveyard, both will trigger and see two copies. The opponent will have to discard two cards twice. | Ashen-Skin Zubera |
| Example. False Demise has a triggered ability that triggers when the permanent it enchanted leaves the battlefield. It will be able to find the permanent card in the graveyard when the ability resolves. | False Demise |
| Example. Sacrificing Mogg Fanatic to hit a creature will result in the creature getting 1 deathtouch/lifelink damage. The game "looks back in time" to determine the nature of the damage. |
Basilisk Collar
|
Delayed triggers
Delayed triggered abilities are triggered abilities that are not written on any permanent on the battlefield, but that have been created and are waiting to trigger and will have effect as soon as the triggered condition will be met. A delayed triggered ability will contain "when", "whenever", or "at" although that word won't usually begin the ability. Unless written differently, the delayed triggered abilities will trigger only once and then "disappear". [CR 603.7]
| Example. Barreling Attack creates upon resolution a delayed-triggered ability that will give the creature +1/+1 for each creature blocking it when it resolve. If Barreling Attack was cast after the blocker declaration, the targeted creature will not get the bonus as it's too late for the ability to trigger.a | Barreling Attack |
Delayed abilities will only trigger once: The next time it's trigger event occurs. [CR 603.7b] A delayed ability will still affect the object it references even if the object's characteristics have changed. A delayed triggered ability can't trigger before being created. If the spell or ability that creates it will resolve after the triggered condition already happened, the delayed triggered ability will wait for the condition to be met again before triggering. If that condition will never be met again, the ability will never trigger. [CR 603.7c]
| Example. If Dominating Licid, is attacking and is the target of a Fatal Frenzy, it will have to be sacrificed at the beginning of the next end step even if it becomes an Aura enchantment after the attack. |
Dominating Licid
|
State triggers are Abilities that will trigger when the game has reached a certain state. These abilities trigger as soon as the game state match the condition and will go on the stack at the next available opportunity. It will not trigger again until it has resolved, has been countered or left the stack, the object is still in the same zone and the condition is still true. [CR 603.8]
| Example. Dark Depths has a state trigger that triggers when all counters have been removed from the permanent. If the trigger is countered (through the use of Stifle), it will just trigger again. | Dark Depths |
Prev | On the Stack | Next
