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Rules Q&A » Post: Archetypes and multiple effects

Archetypes and multiple effects

May 1, 2014 07:12:46 AM

Fry
Judge (Level 3 (Oceanic Judge Association)), Scorekeeper, Tournament Organizer

Australia and New Zealand

Archetypes and multiple effects

The following question was asked in #mtgrules (although I have streamlined it), and I answered it but I'm not 100% sure that the intuitive answer is backed up by the rules.

“I attack with a Legion Loyalist and two other creatures. My opponent controls an Archetype of Courage. After the battalion trigger resolves, do my creatures have trample, and can they be blocked by creature tokens?”

My answer was along the lines of “yes, the Archteype stopped your creature gaining First Strike, but the rest of it resolved”. However, looking at the rules, it seems the one that applies is:

112.11. Effects can stop an object from having a specified ability. These effects say that the object “can’t have” that ability. If the object has that ability, it loses it. It’s also impossible for an effect to add that ability to the object. If a resolving spell or ability tries to create a continuous effect that would add the specified ability to such an object, that continuous effect is not created, although that resolving spell or ability can still create other continuous effects. Continuous effects created by static abilities that would add the specified ability won’t apply to that object.

So really the question is - does this trigger create 3 continuous effects, or is it just one with multiple parts? 613.5 states that effects can have parts which apply in different layers, which indicates to me that they can just as easily have parts which apply in the same layer (or as a rules change).

Cheers!

May 2, 2014 02:29:04 PM

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

USA - Southwest

Archetypes and multiple effects

Yes. While their creatures can't gain first strike due to the opponent's Archetype, that doesn't stop the rest of the effect from happening. So their creatures will still get trample and the effect that says they can't be blocked by token creatures will still happen. The rule is written a little unclear, but in this case, the continuous effect that would give them first strike is not created, but the rest of it is.

Nathan Long
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