Does Hushbringer Stop Sacrifice Triggers in Magic: The Gathering?
In short, yes, Hushbringer can stop sacrifice triggers, but understanding how and why requires a deeper dive into the mechanics of Magic: The Gathering. Hushbringer specifically shuts down abilities that trigger when a creature enters the battlefield (ETB) or when a creature dies. Since many sacrifice effects rely on death triggers, Hushbringer effectively neutralizes those triggered abilities when you sacrifice your creature. This can be a powerful tool in controlling the board and disrupting your opponent’s strategies. Let’s explore this interaction and other related questions in more detail.
Understanding Hushbringer’s Ability
Hushbringer is a creature with the static ability “Creatures entering the battlefield don’t cause abilities to trigger.” This ability affects all creatures on the battlefield, regardless of who controls them. This means that any triggered ability that begins with the words “when” or “whenever” and is triggered by a creature entering the battlefield will be nullified. More importantly, triggered abilities related to the death of a creature also get nullified.
Sacrifice, on the other hand, is a keyword action. A player sacrifices a permanent as part of the cost or effect of a spell or ability. The act of sacrificing itself doesn’t trigger abilities; it’s the resulting death that does. Therefore, Hushbringer is very effective at nullifying these death triggered abilities.
Scenarios Where Hushbringer Shines
Here are a few common scenarios where Hushbringer can be especially effective:
- Stopping Death Triggers: Many creatures have abilities that trigger when they die, such as drawing a card or creating a token. Hushbringer prevents these triggers from occurring when those creatures are sacrificed.
- Disrupting Sacrifice-Based Strategies: Some decks rely heavily on sacrificing creatures for value. Hushbringer shuts down a significant portion of these strategies.
- Neutralizing ETB Effects: While less related to sacrifice, Hushbringer also stops creatures with powerful ETB effects, further disrupting your opponent.
Important Considerations
It’s crucial to remember that Hushbringer only affects triggered abilities. Activated abilities, which have a cost followed by a colon and an effect, are not affected. Additionally, static abilities, which continuously apply an effect, are also not affected. Understanding these distinctions is essential for using Hushbringer effectively. Now, let’s address some frequently asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does Protection Stop Sacrifice?
No, protection does not stop sacrifice. Protection prevents damage, targeting, being enchanted/equipped, and blocking (DEBT). Sacrifice involves moving a permanent directly to the graveyard, bypassing these protections.
2. If One Player Plays Progenitus and Then a Player Plays All is Dust, Would Progenitus Have to Be Sacrificed?
Yes, Progenitus would have to be sacrificed. All is Dust forces each player to sacrifice all colored permanents they control. Progenitus has protection from everything, but this protection only applies to things that target, damage, enchant/equip or block Progentius. A sacrifice effect is neither one of those.
3. Can You Sacrifice a Creature Before It Is Destroyed?
Yes, you can sacrifice a creature in response to a spell or ability that would destroy it, as long as you have a legal opportunity to activate a sacrifice ability or cast an instant that allows you to do so. This often happens to get value from a creature before it’s destroyed.
4. Is Sacrificing a Triggered Ability?
No, sacrificing is not a triggered ability. Sacrificing is a keyword action. However, the death of a creature that results from being sacrificed can trigger other abilities.
5. Can You Sacrifice an Opponent’s Creature if You Control It?
Yes, you can sacrifice an opponent’s creature if you control it. This is possible if you have a spell or ability that temporarily gains control of their creature, and that spell or ability also lets you sacrifice it.
6. What Happens if You Sacrifice a Creature with a Shield Counter?
Shield counters don’t prevent sacrificing creatures. Shield counters prevent damage and destruction. When a creature with a shield counter would be destroyed, instead the shield counter is removed. Sacrificing a creature bypasses these effects altogether.
7. Can I Sacrifice a Creature Whenever I Want?
No, you cannot sacrifice a creature whenever you want. You need a card or effect that allows or requires you to sacrifice it, such as a spell, activated ability, or triggered ability.
8. Does Sacrificing a Creature Trigger Death Triggers?
Yes, sacrificing a creature triggers death triggers. Sacrifice is the action that leads to the death of a creature. If there are any abilities that trigger when a creature dies, they will trigger when a creature is sacrificed.
9. Does Killing a Creature Stop a Triggered Ability?
No, killing a creature does not stop a triggered ability that has already triggered. Once a triggered ability is on the stack, it exists independently of its source. Destroying the creature won’t remove the ability from the stack.
10. Can You Stack Sacrifice Triggers?
If it’s an activated ability whose cost includes a sacrifice, then no, you cannot stack those sacrifices to pay other costs. Each sacrifice can only pay one cost. However, you can have multiple triggers that happen when a creature is sacrificed, and these can stack on the stack.
11. What Kills Indestructible?
You can remove indestructible creatures from the battlefield by:
- Exiling them
- Reducing their toughness to 0 using -X/-X effects
- Making your opponent sacrifice them
- Countering the creature spell when it’s initially cast
Indestructible only prevents destruction by damage or effects that use the word “destroy”.
12. Does Deathtouch Work on Indestructible?
No, deathtouch does not work on indestructible. Deathtouch causes damage to be “lethal damage”. Indestructible creatures cannot be killed by “lethal damage”.
13. Does Hexproof Stop Deathtouch?
No, hexproof does not stop deathtouch. Hexproof prevents a creature from being the target of spells or abilities your opponent’s control. Deathtouch does not target, so hexproof doesn’t prevent it.
14. Can You Sacrifice an Indestructible Creature?
Yes, you can sacrifice an indestructible creature. Indestructible only prevents destruction, while sacrifice moves the permanent directly to the graveyard.
15. Is Sacrifice Affected by Summoning Sickness?
Yes, sacrifice can be affected by summoning sickness. For example, if you play a creature that has an activated ability with tap in its cost to sacrifice it, summoning sickness would prevent you from using the ability on the first turn it enters the battlefield. If the sacrifice ability doesn’t involve tapping, summoning sickness is irrelevant.
Conclusion
Hushbringer is a valuable tool for disrupting strategies that rely on ETB or death triggers. Understanding the nuances of how it interacts with sacrifice and other game mechanics can significantly improve your gameplay. Remember, Magic: The Gathering is a complex game, and continuous learning is key to success. Consider exploring resources like the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/ to deepen your understanding of game mechanics and strategies. GamesLearningSociety.org is a good place to discover the intersection of game design and educational principles. Always analyze the game state and adapt your strategy accordingly to maximize your chances of victory.