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, exile another creature until Fiend Hunter leaves the battlefield." 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 Shock.
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, 113.7) 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.
113.7The source of an ability is the object that generated it. The source of an activated ability on the stack is the object whose ability was activated. The source of a triggered ability (other than a delayed triggered ability) on the stack, or one that has triggered and is waiting to be put on the stack, is the object whose ability triggered. To determine the source of a delayed triggered ability, see rules 603.7d–f.
The trap in fast-forward
Shock 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 Shock: the hunter dies, its linked return ability fires and brings back exactly the exiled card. Rule of thumb: with "exiled until" creatures, sequencing decides between forever and right-back.
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
ETB: exile a creature until it leaves the battlefield
Grizzly Bears
Your Bears — the target
Shock
Your removal for the hunter
Triggered ability: Fiend Hunter
Exile trigger — target: the Bears
The stack is empty.
Battlefield
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