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Rules Q&A » Post: Tandem Lookout & Mortarpod

Tandem Lookout & Mortarpod

July 3, 2013 12:26:20 PM

Don Diaz
Judge (Uncertified)

USA - Pacific Northwest

Tandem Lookout & Mortarpod

So there is question on another forum involving a Germ Token equipped with Mortarpod and paired with Tandem Lookout. The discussion is whether sacrificing the token to ping with the Mortarpod will cause you to draw a card or not. Some are saying yes because of LKI, some are saying no because the token loses the ability when it becomes unpaired with the Lookout.

Also, on a related note; is the answer to the above question the same if instead of Tandem Lookout, the token was enchanted with Curiosity? Why or why not?

July 4, 2013 01:33:45 PM

Nathan Long
Forum Moderator
Judge (Level 2 (Judge Foundry))

USA - Southwest

Tandem Lookout & Mortarpod

You will not draw a card.

In order for the ability granted by the Lookout to trigger, the creature must have that ability when the damage is dealt. In this situation, the Germ token was sacrificed when you activated the ability, and because it doesn't have the “draw a card” ability when the “deal 1 damage to target creature or player” ability resolves, the ability will not trigger. Curiosity does not change the answer, since Curiosity needs to be attached to the creature when the creature deals damage in order for it to trigger. If you sacrifice it to the ability granted by Mortarpod, Curiosity has long since gone to the graveyard by the time the ability resolves, so it will not trigger either.

You might be confused by one of the rulings for Mortapod in Gatherer, which says you look at the creature as it last existed on the battlefield. That ruling applies to things like lifelink and deathtouch. You'll still get the bonus from lifelink or deathtouch, as long as the sacrificed creature had that ability when it was last on the battlefield. It does not apply here, to a triggered ability it may have had when it was last on the battlefield.