Hello Judges.

Rescue from the underworld reads:
As an additional cost to cast Rescue from the Underworld, sacrifice a creature.
Choose target creature card in your graveyard. Return that card and the sacrificed card to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of your next upkeep. Exile Rescue from the Underworld.

Does the cards still return to the battlefield even if they were exiled or no longer in the graveyard?

Example A) Underworld Cerberus is on the battlefield. You cast Rescue from the Underworld and sacrifice Underworld Cerberus targeting another creature in your graveyard. When you sacrificed Cerberus it becomes exiled. Does it return to the battlefield during your next upkeep?

Example B) Lets say an Kozilek, Butcher of Truth is in your graveyard (even if its temporary). With the shuffle trigger on the stack you can cast Rescue from the Underworld sacrificing X and targeting Kozilek in the graveyard. The shuffle trigger resolves and you shuffle your graveyard into your library. During your next upkeep can you look through your library to find creature X and Kozilek?

Just asking because example A came up in a friendly game.

thank you

Ken

In both cases, it will not return. This is covered by rule 603.7c:

603.7c A delayed triggered ability that refers to a particular object still affects it even if the object changes characteristics. However, if that object is no longer in the zone it's expected to be in at the time the delayed triggered ability resolves, the ability won't affect it. (Note that if that object left that zone and then returned, it's a new object and thus won't be affected. See rule 400.7.)
Example: An ability that reads “Exile this creature at the beginning of the next end step” will exile the permanent even if it's no longer a creature during the next end step. However, it won't do anything if the permanent left the battlefield before then.

The Underworld will be able to track it to the first zone it goes to when it leaves the battlefield (most of the time, this will be the graveyard). However, if it leaves that zone before the delayed trigger resolves, it will not not be able to track it to the new zone. In the case of the Cerberus (or Academy Rector, since the Cerberus will prevent the Underworld from being cast) since it's in the exile zone, not the graveyard, it will not be returned. And in the case of Kozilek, since Kozilek and the sacrificed creature are in the library, not the graveyard, they will also not return.

EDIT: It's been point out that the Ceberus prevents the Return from being cast, which is true. But the main point of the question still stands (can the creature be returned if it's changed zones in the meantime). Change the Cerberus with something like Academy Rector and the answer still stands (the Rector will not be returned by the Underworld, since it's no longer in the graveyard).

Nathan Long
Wizard.Com Board NetRep

Edited Nathan Long (Oct. 13, 2013 12:43:14 PM)