The Fiend Hunter Trap
Corner CasesKilling the hunter in response feels right — and exiles your creature forever.
Cards involved
The hunter arrives
Your opponent casts Fiend Hunter: "When it enters, you may exile another creature. When it leaves the battlefield, return the exiled card to the battlefield." Two separate, linked abilities. The trigger targets your Grizzly Bears and sits on the stack.
607.1An 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.
What happens?
You hold Lightning Bolt.
When do you kill the hunter so your Bears end up on the battlefield?
Pick an answer to continue.
Fiend Hunter's two abilities are LINKED (607): the return only knows the card its exile trigger exiled. If the hunter dies in response, its leaves-the-battlefield return triggers first — and finds nothing. Then the exile trigger resolves (it lives on independently of its source, 113.7a) and exiles the Bears permanently.
607.1An 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.
113.7aOnce activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability. Note that some abilities cause a source to do something (for example, “This creature deals 1 damage to any target”) rather than the ability doing anything directly. In these cases, any activated or triggered ability that references information about the source for use while announcing an activated ability or putting a triggered ability on the stack checks that information when the ability is put onto the stack. Otherwise, it will check that information when it resolves. In both instances, if the source is no longer in the zone it’s expected to be in at that time, its last known information is used. The source can still perform the action even though it no longer exists.
The trap in fast-forward
Bolt in response → hunter dies → return trigger resolves: nothing to return → exile trigger resolves: Bears into exile. Nobody ever brings them back — the linked return is spent.
607.1An 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.
Played correctly
LET the trigger resolve (Bears briefly in exile), THEN Bolt: the hunter dies, its linked return ability fires and brings back exactly the exiled card. Rule of thumb: with two-trigger cards like Fiend Hunter or Journey to Nowhere, sequencing decides between forever and right-back. True "until" cards like Banisher Priest work the other way round: if the source dies in response to the trigger, nothing gets exiled at all (610.3).
607.1An 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.
607.2There are different kinds of linked abilities.
Stack
Fiend Hunter
Two linked abilities: enters: exile a creature. Leaves the battlefield: return it
Grizzly Bears
Your Bears — the target
Lightning Bolt
Your removal for the hunter
Triggered ability: Fiend Hunter
Exile trigger — target: the Bears
The stack is empty.
Battlefield
—
In short
When do you have to kill Fiend Hunter to get the exiled creature back?
Show answer Hide answer
Fiend Hunter's two abilities are LINKED (607): the return only knows the card its exile trigger exiled. If the hunter dies in response, its leaves-the-battlefield return triggers first — and finds nothing. Then the exile trigger resolves (it lives on independently of its source, 113.7a) and exiles the Bears permanently.
607.1An 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.
113.7aOnce activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability. Note that some abilities cause a source to do something (for example, “This creature deals 1 damage to any target”) rather than the ability doing anything directly. In these cases, any activated or triggered ability that references information about the source for use while announcing an activated ability or putting a triggered ability on the stack checks that information when the ability is put onto the stack. Otherwise, it will check that information when it resolves. In both instances, if the source is no longer in the zone it’s expected to be in at that time, its last known information is used. The source can still perform the action even though it no longer exists.
607.2There are different kinds of linked abilities.