Zhonya's Hourglass

Zhonya's Hourglass

[NEW TEXT] [Hidden] (Hide now for [A] to react with later for [0].)

If a friendly unit would die, kill this instead. Heal that unit, exhaust it, and recall it. (Send it to base. This isn't a move.)

[OLD TEXT] [Hidden] (Hide now for [A] to react with later for [0].)

The next time a friendly unit would die, kill this instead. Recall that unit exhausted. (Send it to base. This isn't a move.)

Zhonya's Hourglass & Stand United

Q: What about Zhonya's Hourglass and Stand United? When they're played from hidden, are their effects restricted to the battlefield where they were played?

Only effects that choose are restricted. Zhonya's Hourglass saves the next friendly unit that dies anywhere. Stand United can only give a buff to a unit at the battlefield where it was hidden, but its other effect, which causes buffs to grant an additional bonus, applies everywhere. This is a change from previous rulings on these cards, intended to simplify the question of what hidden cards can and can't do.

Zhonya's Hourglass has additional rulings and minor errata related to saving dying units; see below.

Zhonya's Hourglass also has a slightly updated wording making it clearer that its ability applies any time a friendly unit dies, not just on the turn you play it.

Zhonya's Hourglass

[Hidden] (Hide now for [A] to react with later for [0].) If a friendly unit would die, kill this instead. Heal that unit, exhaust it, and recall it. (Send it to base. This isn't a move.)

The Boss was mistakenly worded like a triggered ability. It's receiving updated wording to make it clear that its ability is a replacement effect.

Deathgrip uses a nonstandard wording that we normally avoid, precisely because of these ambiguities. We're issuing errata to bring it more in line with how other cards and abilities work. This errata establishes that 1) the friendly unit is a target, not a cost; 2) it is chosen along with the other friendly unit and killed as the spell resolves; 3) if you don't actually kill it for any reason, either because it's no longer a legal target or because you replaced its death with an effect like Zhonya's Hourglass, you do not give the second friendly unit any Might. (You do still draw 1; we've introduced a paragraph break to make that clear.)

- If a unit at a battlefield says "I can't be killed." and a player plays Hidden Blade choosing that unit, the unit's controller will still draw 2 on resolution of Hidden Blade. (The instruction was negated and not ignored, so the linked instruction will still execute.) - If a unit at a battlefield is chosen by Hidden Blade and in reaction its controller plays Flash moving it to base, that unit's controller will not draw 2 on resolution of Hidden Blade. (The instruction was ignored, so any linked instructions will be ignored.) - If a unit at a battlefield is chosen by Hidden Blade and in reaction its controller plays Zhonya's Hourglass, that unit's controller will draw 2 on resolution of Hidden Blade. (The unit is on the board and can have its information checked, and the instruction was negated and not ignored.) - If a unit at a battlefield has been affected by Smite previously this turn and it is chosen by Hidden Blade, that unit's controller will not draw 2 on resolution of Hidden Blade. (Although the instruction is executed, the unit is not on the board to have its information checked. Additionally, the unit was moved to a non-board zone by an effect other than Hidden Blade and thus no longer has a controller that Hidden Blade can reference.)

357.2.a. Costs that are replaced with other events by replacement effects are still considered paid. Example: A player plays Cruel Patron, which says "As an additional cost to play me, kill a friendly unit." They also control Zhonya's Hourglass, which says "If a friendly unit would die, kill this instead. Heal that unit, exhaust it, and recall it." They choose to kill a friendly unit during step 3, but as they pay the cost in step 4, Zhonya's Hourglass replaces that unit's death. The cost is considered paid, and the player can continue playing Cruel Patron.

369.1. A Replacement Effect can usually be identified by the presence of the terms "as," "would," or "instead." Example: Zhonya's Hourglass reads "The next time a friendly unit would die, kill this instead. Heal that unit, exhaust it, and recall it." This is a replacement effect that alters the execution of any Game Effect that would kill a friendly unit. Example: Undertitan is a unit that reads in part "As I'm revealed from your deck, [Add] [2]." This is a replacement effect that alters the execution of any Game Effect that reveals Undertitan from your deck.

370.1.a.1. Modifying or replacing an event is the same as modifying or replacing that Game Action or change in state that generated that event. Example: Zhonya's Hourglass reads in part "If a friendly unit would die, kill this instead. Heal that unit, exhaust it, and recall it." A unit's death being replaced by Zhonya's Hourglass is the same as the kill action that caused that death not occurring. Example: A card reads in part "The next time an enemy unit would become Mighty this turn, banish it instead. Its controller plays a 3 [M] Mech unit token to its location." A unit becoming Mighty being replaced by this effect means the unit never became Mighty-no effects that trigger on units becoming Mighty will trigger.

370.2. A Replacement Effect can only be applied once to an event, or to any Game Actions or events that replace that event. Example: A player plays a spell that reads "gear you control become 1 [M] gear units this turn." They control two copies of Zhonya's Hourglass when the spell resolves. If one of those copies is killed, both of their Replacement Effects will be applied. Whichever is applied first, that Replacement Effect can't be applied again. When it is applied, it kills its source, which creates an event the other can apply its Replacement Effect to. Once they've both applied their Replacement Effect to the original death event and the event that replaced it, they cannot go any further. At that point, whichever Zhonya's Hourglass applied its Replacement Effect last will die.

373. If more than one event occurs simultaneously that Replacement Effects could apply to, each event is treated separately and individually for the purposes of Replacement Effects, and Replacement Effects with the same controller are applied in the order of their controller's choosing. Example: Two units controlled by the same player die in the same cleanup. That player also controls Zhonya's Hourglass. They must decide which event to apply Zhonya's Hourglass to first.

808.1.d.1. If the Permanent with the effect is not sent to the Trash, for example because its "killed" event was replaced with a recall, the triggered ability will be removed from the chain. Example: Draven, Audacious is killed in combat. Draven reads in part "When I die in combat, choose an opponent. They gain 1 point." Draven's controller has a Zhonya's Hourglass in base. Draven's death is replaced by him being healed, recalled, and exhausted. Draven's triggered ability will be removed from the chain.