The scenario:

Ashaya activates Lazav, the Multifarious's ability, targeting the Lazav, Dimir Mastermind in their graveyard. They then discard a Grizzly Bears and choose to have their Lazav, the Multifarious become a copy of Grizzly Bears thanks to the ability granted to it when it became a modified copy of Lazav, Dimir Mastermind. What is the name of Lazav now?


There have been two perspectives:


1. Lazav, Dimir Mastermind's ability is self-referential and when it says “except its name is Lazav, Dimir Mastermind”, it is effectively saying “except its name doesn't change”; ergo, we control a permanent named Lazav, the Multifarious. Rule 201.4b has been cited supporting this argument.

2. Lazav, Dimir Mastermind's ability is not self-referential since the removal of “since” in the oracle text (in the Core 19 Oracle changes), and as such the ability is defining the new name to be “Lazav, Dimir Mastermind” as part of the modified copy ability; therefore we control a permanent named Lazav, Dimir Mastermind. Rule 706.9b, and the fact the word “still” is no longer present has been cited supporting this argument along with 706.9c.


Obviously there is some disagreement over the outcome, and we were hoping for some guidance from an fficial source.

Edited Winter (Sept. 27, 2018 10:14:12 AM)

Perspective 2 is the correct one–the permanent will be named “Lazav, Dimir Mastermind”. (Though to nitpick a minor point the word “still” was the one removed–“since” has never appeared on Lazav, Dimir Mastermind.)

Rule 201.4b does not apply here, because the text on Lazav, Dimir Mastermind (and Lazav, the Multifarious, for that matter) is not referencing the object it's on by name. Rather, it is defining the name that will be given to the object when the ability is applied. It doesn't matter what the object's name was before that point.

This kind of edge case is the functional change alluded to in the Core Set 2019 Oracle Changes article you mentioned.