Tezzeret, Inkmoth and Timestamps
Asked by Noa 9 years ago
This is a bit of a complicated one, but I'd appreciate the clarification.
I read this article.
It explains that Inkmoth Nexus can be a legal target for Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas's second ability once animated and becomes a 5/5 flying artifact creature with infect that is still a land (referring to a time stamp for it's power and toughness). Once the turn ends it then becomes a 5/5 artifact creature land with the ability to turn into a 1/1 flying artifact infect creature. If you are to activate it's ability again, it'll then become a 1/1 flyer, overriding the 5/5 base toughness due to time stamping. What the article doesn't explain is what happens with the turn ends without activating Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas' ability again. I assume it becomes a 1/1 artifact creature land with the ability to turn into a 1/1 flying artifact infect creature, as it hasn't lost the "become an artifact creature" part of Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas' origingal ability. Is this true or will it become a 5/5 again, or even a 0/0 and die? Or is there something obscure I'm not seeing that'll make it no longer a creature?
Scenario:
Active Inkmoth Nexus (1/1 Flying, Infect). You -1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas. It becomes a 5/5 Flying Infect (Tezz's ability doesn't remove any of the abilities the artifact he is animating has).
This is true until EoT, when it loses the Flying, Infect it gained from its own ability. It is still a 5/5 though, due to Tezz.
Upon activating Inkmoth Nexus again, you are correct that it would override Tezz and become a 1/1 again, but gain Flying and Infect. When that turns ends though, it will revert back to a 5/5, due to Tezz. If you don't activate Tezz again, targeting your Nexux, it will remain a 5/5 artifact creature land, with all the same abilities, until someone does anything else to it.
November 17, 2014 6:25 p.m.
Many thanks. I wasn't sure if it would "forget" being a 5/5 when it became a 1/1.
November 17, 2014 7:02 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
Nope. The effect is there, and it isn't eliminated. The newer-timestamp effect takes precedence, but it doesn't erase the other effects.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #1
You can answer this question by applying the principles discussed in the article (look for principles, which can be applied broadly to future scenarios, rather than the specific answers to specific questions).
If you activate Inkmoth Nexus's ability again, Inkmoth Nexus will become a 1/1 "Artifact Land Creature -- Blinkmoth" with flying an infect until the end of the turn. This ability only applies until the end of turn, after which point it wears off.
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas's second ability has no duration. It will always apply.
So here, we have Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas's second ability's effects being applied, then Inkmoth Nexus's second ability's effects being applied. Inkmoth Nexus's own effect is applied last because it was created most recently and therefore has the newest timestamp. When Inkmoth Nexus's ability wears off, Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas's ability will still be there, so Inkmoth Nexus will revert to 5/5 and it will lose flying, infect, and the Blinkmoth creature type.
November 17, 2014 6:23 p.m.