See title, for example [[Generous Patron]]. It’s a long running question I had with a friend, and we kind of came to the conclusion that the answer is no because the creature doesn’t yet exist when the ETB resolves.

But I gave it some thought again because it feels so weird that so many cards have this kind of effect and supposedly it doesn’t get triggered. Does anyone have a definitive answer to this? Would be great if you can refer to the official rulings.

  • TehPers@beehaw.orgEnglish
    2·
    8 months ago

    “Whenever a creature enters the battlefield” is just a more general version of “When ~ enters the battlefield”, so yes even in this case it’d trigger its own ETB. This is the relevant rule, which even calls out this case:

    603.6a Enters-the-battlefield abilities trigger when a permanent enters the battlefield. These are written, “When [this object] enters the battlefield, . . . “ or “Whenever a [type] enters the battlefield, . . .” Each time an event puts one or more permanents onto the battlefield, all permanents on the battlefield (including the newcomers) are checked for any enters-the-battlefield triggers that match the event.

    Cards are generally not worded this way to avoid confusion though. Instead you might see “Whenever ~ or another creature enters the battlefield”, for example with [[Thorn Mammoth]].