The Battlefield

Carrion Feeder

$3.03

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

$21.86

AI DraftFeb 26, 2026

Carrion Feeder + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

Overview

With Mikaeus, the Unhallowed on the battlefield, Carrion Feeder (a non-Human) gets +1/+1 and undying from Mikaeus. Undying’s return condition checks for +1/+1 counters, not continuous effects, so if Carrion Feeder dies without any +1/+1 counters it will return with a +1/+1 counter . The activated ability on Carrion Feeder that sacrifices a creature can be used to sacrifice either another creature (which lets Carrion Feeder get a +1/+1 counter) or sacrifice Carrion Feeder itself as the cost; if you sacrifice Carrion Feeder itself, it dies without gaining the counter from its own ability and undying will return it with a +1/+1 counter while the original activated ability (which was put on the stack before the sacrifice) does nothing when it resolves because the object it referred to is no longer the same object .

Step 1

Mikaeus’s static ability makes Carrion Feeder an affected creature, giving it undying and a continuous +1/+1 bonus while Mikaeus remains on the battlefield; undying is defined in .

Step 2

You announce activation of Carrion Feeder’s activated ability (“Sacrifice a creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature”) and begin paying its costs; sacrificing a creature is part of paying the cost.

Step 3

If you sacrifice a different creature as that cost, that sacrificed creature is put into the graveyard and, after costs are paid, the ability resolves and puts a +1/+1 counter on Carrion Feeder (a counter, distinct from Mikaeus’s continuous +1/+1 effect).

Step 4

If instead you sacrifice Carrion Feeder itself as the cost, Carrion Feeder is put into the graveyard as part of paying the cost before the ability resolves; because it did not receive a +1/+1 counter from that activation while on the battlefield, undying (granted by Mikaeus) triggers when it is put into the graveyard and will return it to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter when that triggered ability resolves .

Step 5

When the originally activated ability resolves it attempts to put a +1/+1 counter on the object that was Carrion Feeder when the ability was activated. That object is no longer on the battlefield (it’s a different object after undying returns a creature), so the activated ability does nothing with respect to the returned creature .

Resolution

If Mikaeus is controlling Carrion Feeder, Carrion Feeder is a non-Human creature that has undying and receives a continuous +1/+1 bonus. Activating Carrion Feeder’s “Sacrifice a creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature” ability and sacrificing a different creature as the cost will cause Carrion Feeder to receive a +1/+1 counter when the ability resolves. If you instead sacrifice Carrion Feeder itself as the cost, it is put into the graveyard without having received a +1/+1 counter from that activation, so undying (granted by Mikaeus) will trigger and return it with a +1/+1 counter; the original activation’s effect will not put a counter on the returned creature because the returned creature is a new object (the original object is no longer on the battlefield) . See Ruling [2018-12-07] for the related timing note about undying triggering when Mikaeus and the creature die simultaneously.

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