Do I have to sacrifice Pyrohemia if the last creature on the battlefield is Ball Lightning?

Asked by Gamer7129 13 years ago

I really have no idea if Ball Lightning would be sacrificed before Pyrohemia checks for creatures on the battlefield.

Asalik says... #1

[Pyrohemia] checks at the end of turn, [Ball Lightning] dies at BEGINNING end step. So the ball would be gone before the pyrohemia checked. So yes, you lose the pyrohemia.

January 23, 2011 12:54 a.m.

kentnova says... Accepted answer #2

The Oracle text on Pyrohemia reads:

"At the beginning of the end step, if no creatures are on the battlefield, sacrifice Pyrohemia."

Because you control both Pyrohemia's and Ball Lightning's triggered abilities, you choose the order in which they are put onto the stack, and therefore resolve. By putting Ball Lightning's ability on the stack first, Pyrohemia's will resolve and see Ball Lightning still there and do nothing. Then you sacrifice Ball Lightning.

So if played right, no, you don't have to sacrifice Pyrohemia.

January 23, 2011 1:08 a.m.

komar says... #3

Actually, the sacrifice ability of pyrohemia doesnt even go onto the stack if you have a creature at all during at the beginnning of the end step.

January 23, 2011 3:38 a.m.

MagnorCriol says... #4

kentnova and komar are correct here. With the updated wordings, both cards' abilities trigger at the beginning of the end step, so you simply order the triggers such that Pyrohemia checks before Ball Lightning goes away.

Asalik, your logic is sound, simply outdated in this case - Pyrohemia was made before the latest Great Rules & Wording Update that happened at M10, where among other things they decided to clean up all the various "end of turn" triggers. Almost all of them have been reworded in Oracle to read "at the beginning of the end step".

January 23, 2011 8:57 a.m.

mafteechr says... #5

Here is the rule:

603.3b If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, each player, in APNAP order, puts triggered abilities he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she chooses.

January 23, 2011 9:19 a.m.

This discussion has been closed