A player in the Master’s event (1 of each master’s set) called for a judge to ask a card interaction question and I took the call. I’m still not happy with my resolution which I at the time consulted another judge about. If anyone could provide insight, I’m more than happy to hear it. Epochrasite is in play under the NAP control, AP is the owner. If it dies while under NAP’s control, which player can cast it from exile. (The relevant triggered ability: When Epochrasite dies, exile it with three time counters on it and it gains suspend.) I initially ruled it would belong to AP. My logic, when it dies, it must go to its owner’s graveyard and is then exiled. So, it would be under their control when it is exiled and is thus theirs to suspend. Another judge reminded me that the triggered ability would be controlled by NAP so it would be their ability to suspending it. That swung me back to the side of the controller, not the owner. Final ruling, NAP can cast it.

Someone send me a random forum link where a player claimed an answer has been given to this. It isn't listed in the gatherer rulings and I've seen sections of the Comp Rules that keep making me chance my opinion. If someone has a definitive answer and can explain which parts of the Comp Rules effect this situation, please clarify. Thanks.

Hi,

Thanks for your question. If a card isn't on the stack or on the battlefield, it only has an owner, it can't be controlled by another player. Even if Epochrasite is controlled by the opponent when it dies, once it's in exile and suspended, it only has an owner, and that would be AP. The triggered ability that triggers when Epochrasite died is controlled by the NAP (since NAP controlled it when it died), but it's under AP's ownership when it's in exile and suspended.

At the beginning of AP's upkeep, they'll remove a time counter, and when the last time counter is removed, AP casts the spell and it enters under AP's control. Other than exiling it from AP's graveyard when the dies trigger resolves, NAP won't have anything to do with Epochrasite after it dies, because they're not the owner of the card.

Thanks,
Nathan Long
Magic Rules NetRep