Bug - Serendib Djinn + Jon Irenicus, Shattered One

[Damage175]

Jon Irenicus, Shattered One is a legendary card that, at the end of your turn, gives control of up to one of your creatures to a target opponent, taps it, adds two +1/+1 counters to it, goads it for the rest of the game, and it cannot be sacrificed.

Serendib Djinn is a creature that, at the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifices a land. If the land is an island, it deals 3 damage to you. When you control no lands, it sacrifices itself.

The strange interaction happens when you donate Serendib Djinn to an opponent using Jon Irenicus, Shattered One's ability. Once the opponent controls no lands (usually by them being sacrificed or phased out due to something like a donated Taniwha), the Djinn will attempt to sacrifice itself. But, it can't due to the effect from Jon Irenicus.

This loops forever, permanently, and can never be stopped in Forge. The game is permanently locked and cannot continue, as the ability immediately adds itself to the stack over and over.

[Marek14]

Jon Irenicus, Shattered One is a legendary card that, at the end of your turn, gives control of up to one of your creatures to a target opponent, taps it, adds two +1/+1 counters to it, goads it for the rest of the game, and it cannot be sacrificed.

Serendib Djinn is a creature that, at the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifices a land. If the land is an island, it deals 3 damage to you. When you control no lands, it sacrifices itself.

The strange interaction happens when you donate Serendib Djinn to an opponent using Jon Irenicus, Shattered One's ability. Once the opponent controls no lands (usually by them being sacrificed or phased out due to something like a donated Taniwha), the Djinn will attempt to sacrifice itself. But, it can't due to the effect from Jon Irenicus.

This loops forever, permanently, and can never be stopped in Forge. The game is permanently locked and cannot continue, as the ability immediately adds itself to the stack over and over.

The thing is that this is not actually a bug. If this happens in paper game, the result will be the same -- infinite loop. If nobody can interrupt this loop, the game ends in a draw.

[elsegroggy]

The rationale behind sacrifice triggers in the game needs some tweaking, in my opinion. A sacrifice trigger will become ineffective and not work again if the target creature is unable to sacrifice itself.

[jenniferlopez1868]

The first ability is an end-step trigger. A target opponent gains control of up to one creature, we put two +1/+1 counters on it, and tap it.

[elsegroggy]

Jon Irenicus, Shattered One is a legendary card that, at the end of your turn, gives control of up to one of your creatures to a target opponent, taps it, adds two +1/+1 counters to it, goads it for the rest of the game, and it cannot be sacrificed.

Serendib Djinn is a creature that, at the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifices a land. If the land is an island, it deals 3 damage to you. When you control no lands, it sacrifices itself.

The strange interaction happens when you donate Serendib Djinn to an opponent using Jon Irenicus, Shattered One's ability. Once the opponent controls no lands (usually by them beingcoreball sacrificed or phased out due to something like a donated Taniwha), the Djinn will attempt to sacrifice itself. But, it can't due to the effect from Jon Irenicus.

This loops forever, permanently, and can never be stopped in Forge. The game is permanently locked and cannot continue, as the ability immediately adds itself to the stack over and over.

If the target creature is unable to sacrifice itself, the sacrifice trigger will no longer be effective. It would have the same effect—an endless loop—if it occurred in a paper game.