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Rules Q&A » Post: "Change the target" to multiple different targets

"Change the target" to multiple different targets

Oct. 2, 2014 10:19:01 AM

Petr Hudeček
Judge (Uncertified)

Europe - Central

"Change the target" to multiple different targets

I control a Silver Wyvern with ({U}: Change the target of target spell or ability that targets only Silver Wyvern. The new target must be a creature.).

My opponent casts a Glacial Ray with another Glacial Ray spliced onto it, and wants to deal 4 damage to the Wyvern.

Based on these rules,
114.8b An object that looks for a “[spell or ability] that targets [something]” checks the current state 
of that spell or ability’s targets. If an object it targets is still in the zone it’s expected to be in or
a player it targets is still in the game, that target’s current information is used, even if it’s not
currently legal for that spell or ability. If an object it targets is no longer in the zone it’s
expected to be in or a player it targets is no longer in the game, that target is ignored; its last
known information is not used.

114.8c An object that looks for a “[spell or ability] that targets only [something]” checks the
number of different objects or players that became the target of that spell or ability when it was
put on the stack (as modified by effects that changed those targets), not the number of those
objects or players that are currently legal targets. If that number is one (even if the spell or
ability targets that object or player multiple times), the current state of that spell or ability’s
target is checked as described in rule 114.8b.

I believe that at this point, the Glacial Ray indeed targets only Silver Wyvern. I activate Wyvern's ability, but I don't want to deal 4 damage to one of my opponent's creatures. Instead, I want to deal 2 damage to one of his creatures and 2 damage to another one.

I believe this might be perhaps possible, because of:

114.6a If an effect allows a player to “change the target(s)” of a spell or ability, each target can be 
changed only to another legal target. If a target can’t be changed to another legal target, the
original target is unchanged, even if the original target is itself illegal by then. If all the targets
aren’t changed to other legal targets, none of them are changed.

On the other hand, the Wyvern's rules text is written as though it expects only one target to be changed so is it actually legal?

Follow-up:
If instead of targetting only Wyvern, my opponent's Glacial Ray targetted two different creatures but I somehow redirected them both to Wyvern, would I still be able to activate Wyvern's activated redirection ability?