Kodama of the East Tree + Scute Swarm + Simic Growth Chamber
Overview
When you put Simic Growth Chamber onto the battlefield while you control Kodama of the East Tree and Scute Swarm, three triggered abilities trigger simultaneously: Scute Swarm’s landfall, Simic Growth Chamber’s ETB return-a-land ability, and Kodama’s “put a permanent with equal or lesser mana value from your hand onto the battlefield” trigger. Landfall triggers whenever a land you control enters for any reason [Ruling 2024-11-08], and you (the controller of those triggered abilities) choose the order they go on the stack. Kodama’s ability can put a card with mana value equal to or less than the entering permanent’s mana value onto the battlefield — since Simic Growth Chamber has no mana cost, that means only mana-value 0 permanents (typically lands) from your hand can be put onto the battlefield by Kodama. If you use Kodama to put a land onto the battlefield, that new land will itself cause Scute to trigger and will cause Kodama to trigger again, but that Kodama trigger will not allow you to put another permanent onto the battlefield if the permanent that caused that trigger was put onto the battlefield by Kodama’s ability (Kodama’s text prevents recursion). If Simic’s ETB returns the only other land you control (or forces itself back if it’s the only land), follow the Simic ruling about returning itself to hand [Ruling 2013-04-15]. If Scute leaves before its landfall trigger resolves, the token created will still be a copy if the copy condition was met using Scute’s last-known information [Ruling 2020-09-25] and copying rules .
Step 1
You put Simic Growth Chamber onto the battlefield (it enters tapped and is a land entering the battlefield).
Step 2
Three triggered abilities trigger simultaneously: Scute Swarm’s landfall trigger (because a land you control entered) [Ruling 2024-11-08], Simic Growth Chamber’s ETB ability to return a land to its owner's hand, and Kodama of the East Tree’s trigger that lets you put a permanent card with equal or lesser mana value from your hand onto the battlefield.
Step 3
You, as the controller of all three triggered abilities, choose the order those triggers go on the stack (APNAP ordering for your own triggers).
Step 4
When Kodama’s triggered ability resolves (wherever it is on the stack), it checks the mana value of the permanent that entered (Simic Growth Chamber). Simic Growth Chamber has no mana cost, so its mana value is 0; Kodama can therefore put a hand card with mana value 0 (typically a land) onto the battlefield.
Step 5
If you choose to have Kodama put a land from your hand onto the battlefield, that new land’s entry causes Scute Swarm to trigger again (landfall) and causes Kodama to trigger again, but the Kodama trigger caused by the Kodama-put permanent will not let you put another permanent onto the battlefield because that entering permanent was put onto the battlefield by Kodama’s ability (Kodama’s ability condition prevents recursion).
Step 6
Separately, when Simic Growth Chamber’s own ETB trigger resolves it will return a land you control to its owner’s hand; depending on the order you stacked triggers this may return one of your lands (including potentially the one Kodama just put onto battlefield) or Simic itself if it’s the only land [Ruling 2013-04-15].
Step 7
Scute’s triggered ability resolves to create a token. Whether it creates a 1/1 Insect or a token that’s a copy of Scute depends on whether you control six or more lands at the time that Scute’s triggered ability resolves; if Scute leaves before resolution, the token still enters as a copy using Scute’s last-known copiable values [Ruling 2020-09-25] and copying rules .
Resolution
When Simic Growth Chamber enters, Scute Swarm’s landfall, Simic Growth Chamber’s ETB (return a land), and Kodama’s trigger all trigger simultaneously; you order them on the stack. Kodama’s trigger can put a permanent card from your hand whose mana value is equal to or less than Simic Growth Chamber’s mana value (0) onto the battlefield, so in practice Kodama can put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield. If Kodama puts a land onto the battlefield, that arrival will cause Scute’s landfall to trigger again and will cause Kodama to trigger again, but the Kodama trigger caused by a permanent that was put onto the battlefield by Kodama’s ability won’t let you put another permanent onto the battlefield (it’s prevented by the ability’s own condition). If Simic’s ETB returns itself because you controlled no other lands, it still entered earlier (so Scute and Kodama triggers exist) and you resolve those triggers normally; if Scute leaves before its triggered ability resolves, the token will still enter as a copy using Scute’s last-known values [Ruling 2020-09-25] and copying rules .
