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Judge School MTG
Linked abilities

Linked abilities Russian

Last Modified 17.04.2021

Today we shall talk about linked abilities. What they are and how they work.

607.1. An object may have two abilities printed on it such that one of them causes actions to be taken or objects or players to be affected and the other one directly refers to those actions, objects, or players. If so, these two abilities are linked: the second refers only to actions that were taken or objects or players that were affected by the first, and not by any other ability.

607.1a. An ability printed on an object within another ability that grants that ability to that object is still considered to be “printed on” that object for these purposes.

607.1b. An ability printed on an object that fulfills both criteria described in rule 607.1 is linked to itself.

Pithing Needle

Pithing Needle

607.2. There are different kinds of linked abilities.

607.2a. If an object has an activated or triggered ability printed on it that instructs a player to exile one or more cards and an ability printed on it that refers either to “the exiled cards” or to cards “exiled with [this object],” these abilities are linked. The second ability refers only to cards in the exile zone that were put there as a result of an instruction to exile them in the first ability.

Duplicant, Detention Sphere, Chrome Mox, Jester’s Scepter, Bottled Cloister, Sisters of Stone Death, Bane Alley Broker

607.2b. If an object has an ability printed on it that generates a replacement effect which causes one or more cards to be exiled and an ability printed on it that refers either to “the exiled cards” or to cards “exiled with [this object],” these abilities are linked. The second ability refers only to cards in the exile zone that were put there as a direct result of a replacement event caused by the first ability. See rule 614, “Replacement Effects.

Uba Mask

607.2c. If an object has an activated or triggered ability printed on it that puts one or more objects onto the battlefield and an ability printed on it that refers to objects “put onto the battlefield with [this object],” those abilities are linked. The second can refer only to objects put onto the battlefield as a result of the first.

Tetravus, Dual Nature, Diabolic Servitude

607.2d. If an object has an ability printed on it that causes a player to “choose a [value]” or “name a card” and an ability printed on it that refers to “the chosen [value],” “the last chosen [value],” or “the named card,” those abilities are linked. The second ability refers only to a choice made as a result of the first ability.

Pithing Needle, True-Name Nemesis, Meddling Mage, Coldsteel Heart, Shapeshifter

607.2e. If an object has an ability printed on it that causes a player to choose from between two or more words that otherwise have no rules meaning and an ability printed on it that refers to a choice involving one or more of those words, those abilities are linked. The second can refer only to a choice made as a result of the first ability.

Archangel of Strife

607.2f. If an object has an ability printed on it that causes a player to pay a cost as it enters the battlefield and an ability printed on it that refers to the cost paid “as [this object] entered the battlefield,” these abilities are linked. The second ability refers only to a cost paid as a result of the first ability.

Phyrexian Processor

607.2g. If an object has both a static ability and one or more triggered abilities printed on it in the same paragraph, each of those triggered abilities is linked to the static ability. Each triggered ability refers only to actions taken as a result of the static ability. See rule 603.10.

Primitive Etchings

607.2h. If an object has a kicker ability printed on it and an ability printed on it that refers to whether that object was kicked, those abilities are linked. The second refers only to whether the intent to pay the kicker cost listed in the first was declared as the object was cast as a spell. If a kicker ability lists multiple costs, it will have multiple abilities linked to it. Each of those abilities will specify which kicker cost it refers to. See rule 702.32, “Kicker.”

Gatekeeper of Malakir, Ana Battlemage, Everflowing Chalice

607.2i. If an object has an ability printed on it that causes a player to pay a variable additional cost as it’s cast and an ability printed on it that refers to the cost paid “as [this object] was cast,” these abilities are linked. The second refers only to the value chosen for the cost listed in the first as the object was cast as a spell. See rule 601.2b.

Minion of the Wastes

607.2j. The two abilities represented by the champion keyword are linked abilities. See rule 702.71, “Champion.”

Mistbind Clique

607.2k Abilities preceded by an anchor word are linked to the ability that allows a player to choose that anchor word. See rule 614.12b.

Citadel Siege

607.2m. If an object has a static ability printed on it that allows a player to exile one or more cards “before you shuffle your deck to start the game” and an ability printed on it that refers to cards “exiled with cards named [this object’s name],” the second ability is linked to the first ability of any objects that had the specified name before the game began.

Caller of the Untamed

607.3. If, within a pair of linked abilities, one ability refers to a single object as “the exiled card,” “a card exiled with [this card],” or a similar phrase, and the other ability has exiled multiple cards (usually because it was copied), the ability refers to each of the exiled cards. If that ability asks for any information about the exiled card, such as a characteristic or mana value, it gets multiple answers. If these answers are used to determine the value of a variable, the sum of the answers is used. If that ability performs any actions on the exiled card, it performs that action on each exiled card.

Strionic Resonator

Until Magic 2014 cards with Imprint interacted with Strionic Resonator rather strange, since they exiled more than one card and were completely not adapted to this case. Therefore new rule was invented.

607.4. An ability may be part of more than one pair of linked abilities.

Example: Paradise Plume has the following three abilities: “As Paradise Plume enters the battlefield, choose a color,” “Whenever a player casts a spell of the chosen color, you may gain 1 life,” and “{TAP}: Add one mana of the chosen color to your mana pool.” The first and second abilities are linked. The first and third abilities are linked.

If an object does get both of the linked abilities, they remain linked only to each other:

607.5. If an object acquires a pair of linked abilities as part of the same effect, the abilities will be similarly linked to one another on that object even though they weren’t printed on that object. They can’t be linked to any other ability, regardless of what other abilities the object may currently have or may have had in the past.

Example: Arc-Slogger has the ability “{R}, Exile the top ten cards of your library: Arc-Slogger deals 2 damage to target creature or player.” Sisters of Stone Death has the ability “{B}{G}: Exile target creature blocking or blocked by Sisters of Stone Death” and the ability “{2}{B}: Put a creature card exiled with Sisters of Stone Death onto the battlefield under your control.” Quicksilver Elemental has the ability “{U}: Quicksilver Elemental gains all activated abilities of target creature until end of turn.” If a player has Quicksilver Elemental gain Arc-Slogger’s ability, activates it, then has Quicksilver Elemental gain Sisters of Stone Death’s abilities, activates the exile ability, and then activates the return-to-the-battlefield ability, only the creature card Quicksilver Elemental exiled with Sisters of Stone Death’s ability can be returned to the battlefield. Creature cards Quicksilver Elemental exiled with Arc-Slogger’s ability can’t be returned.

Homework

A player controls two Bears. The cunning opponent exiles one Bear by Path to Exile and another by Angel of Serenity’s trigger. The player casts Doom Blade targeting the Angel. Hoe many Bears will return?

Solution ⇓

Only one, which was exiled by Angel of Serenity’s ability. If linked ability refers to “the exiled cards”, that means only cards exiled by the first linked ability of this permanent not any other with the same name.

Isochron Scepter with Fire // Ice imprinted on it hits the graveyard. It is imprinted in its turn on Myr Welder. The Welder’s controller activates the ability gained from the Scepter. What happens?

Solution ⇓

Undoubtedly, the Myr will get the Scepter’s ability as prescribed by the rules. And obviously, that ability may be activated by paying its cost. But on resolution, the ability will do nothing because that ability is linked and refers to another one that the Myr doesn’t have.

The Elite Arcanist’s trigger is copyed by Strionic Resonator and two instant cards Shock and Impulse are exiled. A player activates the second ability of Arcanist setting X=3. Which spells may be casted?

Solution ⇓

A player may cast no copies, one copy of either card, or both copies in any order. (Ref. rule 607.3).

Translated by Witas Spasovski