Abrade + Itzquinth, Firstborn of Gishath + Marauding Raptor

AI draft — not yet human-reviewed. Check citations and flag anything that looks wrong. How pages are reviewed.

Overview

Killing Itzquinth itself won't stop its enter-the-battlefield effect from allowing the controller to pay and create the reflexive damage trigger — see [2023-11-10] and [704.3]. However, if you destroy the Dinosaur that would be the source of that reflexive ability (for example, Marauding Raptor) before the reflexive triggered ability resolves, the reflexive ability cannot make that Dinosaur deal damage, so the damage won't happen. Damage marked on creatures and lethal-damage state-based destruction follow the normal rules [119.3e] and [704.5g].

The StackRules & CitationsDetails & Edge Cases

Step 1

Itzquinth enters the battlefield; its triggered ability "When Itzquinth enters, you may pay ..." triggers and goes on the stack, and simultaneously Marauding Raptor's "Whenever another creature you control enters" trigger also triggers and goes on the stack (triggers that happen at the same time are put on the stack in the order chosen by their controller) [704.3] and [101.4].

Step 2

Before any of those triggered abilities resolve, players get priority and you may cast Abrade as an instant in response to those triggers; Abrade can target either Itzquinth (to deal 3 damage to it) or Marauding Raptor (to deal 3 damage to it) as appropriate [704.3] and [119.3e].

Step 3

If you cast Abrade targeting Itzquinth and it deals lethal damage to Itzquinth, Itzquinth is put into its owner's graveyard by state-based actions when checked; the earlier ETB triggered ability is still on the stack and will resolve even though Itzquinth is no longer on the battlefield [704.5g] and [704.3].

Step 4

When the Itzquinth ETB trigger resolves, its controller may pay ; if they do, a reflexive triggered ability is created and put onto the stack, and that reflexive ability is when targets are chosen for the "target Dinosaur you control deals damage equal to its power to another target creature" instruction [2023-11-10].

Step 5

If the reflexive triggered ability is on the stack and you destroy the Dinosaur that was chosen as the source (for example, Marauding Raptor) with Abrade before the reflexive ability resolves, the reflexive ability will try to have that Dinosaur deal damage but the Dinosaur is no longer on the battlefield and thus cannot be made to deal the damage; no damage will be dealt by that reflexive ability when it resolves [119.3e] and [704.5g].

Step 6

If instead you kill Itzquinth but let the chosen Dinosaur remain, killing Itzquinth does not prevent the reflexive ability from being created or resolving (the controller may still pay and create the reflexive trigger) and the surviving Dinosaur will deal damage as instructed when the reflexive ability resolves [2023-11-10].

Resolution

You cannot "negate" the Itzquinth triggered ability merely by killing Itzquinth: the ETB trigger still resolves and the controller may pay to create the reflexive triggered ability even if Itzquinth is no longer on the battlefield [2023-11-10] and [704.3]. To stop the actual damage that the reflexive ability would cause, you must remove or otherwise make the targeted Dinosaur (the creature that would be instructed to deal damage) no longer a legal object for that reflexive ability before it resolves; if that Dinosaur is gone when the reflexive ability resolves, it cannot deal damage and no damage is dealt [119.3e] and [704.5g].