http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=420228

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=407596

So we're discussing this interaction with a couple judges from my area, and it seems like we've found a contradiction.

*Gatherer states the following on Fumigate:

“Creatures destroyed this way count toward the life gained even if they’re put into a zone other than a graveyard.”

*And then, from the MCR:

“701.7. Destroy
701.7a To destroy a permanent, move it from the battlefield to its owner’s graveyard.”

If we stick to the text of the MCR, due to the presence of Kalitas' replacement effect, those creatures will have never been destroyed, because instead of going to the graveyard, they are going directly to exile. In other words, the literal definition of “Destroy” does not apply, because creatures are never touching the graveyard. They just go into exile instead.

So if player A casts Fumigate and it resolves while he controls 2 creatures and player B controls Kalithas and 2 Zombie Tokens, what exactly happens?

Will player A gain life or not?

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If he doesn't gain life, can someone provide an example regarding the Oracle text?

Edited Alex Fariña Reisenegger (April 8, 2017 06:45:10 PM)

Hi,

Thanks for your question. Yes, they will gain life. 701.7a is describing what normally happens when a permanent is destroyed. Replacement effects (like Kalitas or Rest in Peace) can change where the card ends up, but making the card go to exile instead of the graveyard doesn't mean the card wasn't destroyed. Even if some other replacement effect makes the destroyed creature go somewhere besides the graveyard, that doesn't change the fact that it was destroyed, and Fumigate will count it to determine how much life was gained. If Fumigate required the creature to go to the graveyard to count it, it would be worded something like “For each creature put into the graveyard this way, you gain 1 life”.

Nathan Long
Magic Rules NetRep