This thread is for discussion of my Hour of Devastation New Set Digest article. The New Set Digest series strives to summarize all the changes you need to know for the new set all in one helpful article. Critiques and suggestions for improvement are welcome!

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/ftw/2017/07/21/hour-of-devastation-new-set-digest/

"Q: Amy plays Threaten on Nicole’s Grizzly Bears. In response, Nicole plays Saving Grace on Grizzly Bears. Amy attacks with Grizzly Bears, and Nicole lets it through. After damage, Amy plays a Lightning Bolt targeting Nicole. What happens?

A: After Threaten resolves, the game will check for state-based actions and see that Saving Grace is attached to a creature that Nicole does not control. Accordingly, it will be put into Nicole’s graveyard. After that, the triggered ability from Saving Grace will be put onto the stack . This ability will set up a prevention effect that will deal all damage Nicole and her permanents will suffer this turn to Grizzly Bears instead. During combat, the damage the Grizzly Bears would deal to Nicole is dealt instead to Grizzly Bears, and it dies. Future damage that would be dealt to Nicole and her permanents can no longer be redirected to Grizzly Bears, since the latter is no longer on the battlefield . Accordingly, Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to Nicole as normal."

It doesn't change the answer, but I'd like to add a slight correction. Saving Grace has an enter the battlefield trigger, so it would trigger and resolve before Threaten does. All that means really is that Saving Grace would still be on the battlefield when the trigger resolves.

Thanks for the correction, Cris. The article has been edited to reflect the correct sequence of events.

Note that in the question referring to bonebreaker giant being blocked by two obelisk spiders one of the obelisk spiders will die before the triggers putting -1/-1 counters on the giant resolve and will therefore not be on the battlefield when the spiders' third abilities trigger.

This is fairly minor, but I believe that the references to CR 614.15b are intended to reference 614.16b “If an event can't happen, a player can't choose to pay a cost that includes that event.” This entry does not apply to tribute as, although it gives a player an option, the effect does not in fact include a cost.

Edited Nataniel Bael (July 22, 2017 11:25:13 AM)

Thank you for your corrections, Nataniel. The article has been updated to incorporate them.