Exile & activated abilities

by **maklakara** » 29 May 2014, 02:35

Hello there,

So, recently I created a deck which, among others, contains Skirsdag High Priest and a bunch of red exile cards like Disintegrate and Magma Spray. Unfortunately, after playing the game, I've seen that sending a creature to exile does not activate the priest's ability.

Even though I know nothing of DotP script, I've checked the priest's XML, and I've seen the reference to ZONE_GRAVEYARD. I've checked other cards which contain the text "whenever a creature dies" and in their scripts there were references to ZONE_GRAVEYARD as well. Changing ZONE_GRAVEYARD to ZONE_EXILE makes the ability activate whenever a creature is sent from battlefield to exile, but not from battlefield to the graveyard. But I don't know of a way of making the ability activate with both.

So I ask, is that even possible?

By the way, the card was coded by BloodReyvyn, there would be any problem if I uploaded the XML?

Thank you!

by **RiiakShiNal** » 29 May 2014, 03:12

That is how things are supposed to work. Exiling a creature does not cause the creature to "die". Dying in Magic is defined as entering the Graveyard from the Battlefield. If an object is sent to the Exile zone then it did not go to the graveyard and thus did not "die".

If you read the rules text for Disintegrate and Magma Spray they both say "If the /that creature would die this turn, exile it instead." The usage of "Instead" here signifies that exiling the creature happens instead of the creature dying thus Skirsdag High Priest should not be able to be activated. Maybe you should use Banefire and Shock instead.

by **maklakara** » 29 May 2014, 11:46

That's a... different interpretation, I suppose. I almost feel like changing the official rules just for fun... I don't know.

Anyway, it was kind of you to help me, thank you! :-)

by **RiiakShiNal** » 29 May 2014, 12:20

There has been a lot of back and forth over the wording "dies" as in the case of Disintegrate the argument could be made that the creature "died" because it received lethal damage and then went to Exile. However, the same argument can't be made for something like Oblivion Ring or Flicker which also moves a creature (or other non-land permanent) from the battlefield to exile. It doesn't change the fact that the official word on dies is that it goes to the graveyard from battlefield and as such cards like Disintegrate do not "kill" creatures they "exile" them.