How do Qjutai Exemplars, Clever Impersonators copied as Ojutai Exemplars, and board wipes you cast affect each other?
Asked by supergen777 9 years ago
I am working on building an Esper Control deck and before I finalize it I need to know some important details that I know will come up in games.
If you have an Ojutai Exemplars in play and a Clever Impersonator (copied as an Ojutai Exemplars) in play and you play a board wipe card like End Hostilities, Crux of Fate, etc., would Ojutai Exemplars and Clever Impersonator be able to avoid getting destroyed if you choose the third option since board wipes themselves are non-creature spells that could trigger it? Also, if Clever Impersonator got exiled in this way, would you be able to either re-copy it as Ojutai Exemplars if you had one in play, or another non-creature permanent like an enchantment (in the case of my deck specifically a Citadel Siege or Monastery Siege)? If there would be no permanents at all, I would assume that Clever Impersonator would reenter the battlefield as a 0/0 creature and thus would go to the graveyard. Would that assumption be correct? It is REALLY important that I have this clarified before I finalize my deck.
the reason for this, is that it would be returned to play before they wipe effect took place, but you could save the impersonator by making it into a non creature permanent.
April 7, 2015 8:10 p.m.
if the Exlemplars had said return them at the end of turn, then it would of saved him, but as it just says to return them, it does so as the ability resolves which puts it in play before the board wipe.
April 7, 2015 8:11 p.m.
supergen777 says... #5
If they don't save themselves then what does that third ability do really? That would mean if someone targeted my Ojutai Exemplars with a kill spell like Murderous Cut even if I activated the third ability by playing a noncreature spell I still wouldn't be able avoid it. That doesn't seem right to me.
April 7, 2015 8:22 p.m.
supergen777 says... #6
I guess I just figured since the fat pack player's guide says in the description "Narrowly dodge a killing blow with the exile ability..." that it would be able avoid getting taken down if you activated the third option. Is it because of board wipes not having a specific target? Then again third ability doesn't need Ojutai Exemplars to be targeted specifically to be activated either.
April 7, 2015 8:38 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #7
@pskinn01: Please don't fragment an answer over the course of several posts. Take the time to give a complete answer; it's much easier for readers.
@supergen777:
First, Ojutai Exemplars's ability is not an activated ability. It is a single, modal triggered ability with three modes.
Ojutai Exemplars's ability's third mode is a blink effect. It exiles Ojutai Exemplars and immediately returns it to the battlefield. Remember that when an object changes zones, it becomes a new object with no relation to or memory of its previous iterations in any zones. If you resolve Ojutai Exemplars's ability in the third mode, then any spells that were targeting Ojutai Exemplars before would no longer be targeting it now; those spells are targeting the old instance of Ojutai Exemplars, which no longer exists.
The reason this doesn't help you avoid boardwipes is that boardwipes only check what's on the battlefield when they resolve. Because Ojutai Exemplars's ability's third mode immediately returns Ojutai Exemplars to the battlefield, Ojutai Exemplars will still be on the battlefield when the boardwipe begins to resolve. And because no player has priority during the resolution process, and because any ability that triggers during the resolution process is not stacked until after the resolution is complete, you can't interrupt the boardwipe to blink Ojutai Exemplars.
As for the other part of your question, the earlier-quoted Gatherer ruling suffices:
9/20/2014 If Clever Impersonator enters the battlefield at the same time as another permanent, it cant become a copy of that permanent. You may only choose a nonland permanent thats already on the battlefield.
Always check the Gatherer rulings before posting a question. In this case, we see that because Clever Impersonator's copy ability is a replacement effect that modifies how Clever Impersonator enters the battlefield, the object that you want to copy must exist in a copiable state before Clever Impersonator would enter the battlefield.
April 7, 2015 8:53 p.m.
supergen777 says... #8
Okay, I think I get it now. Thanks for clarifying that for me.
April 7, 2015 9:08 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #9
Please remember to select an answer to remove your question from the active queue.
pskinn01 says... #1
Both can be saved this way, yes. But the Impersonator had to copy something that is already in play, so it could not come into play as something that it don't see as it comes into play.
9/20/2014 If Clever Impersonator enters the battlefield at the same time as another permanent, it cant become a copy of that permanent. You may only choose a nonland permanent thats already on the battlefield.
And yes, if no non lands are in play, it would enter as a 0/0, then would be put in the graveyard as a state based effect the next time someone receives priority.
April 7, 2015 8:07 p.m.