Cactus Game Design Message Boards

My understanding is that "if" is a dynamic condition requiring the card with dynamic condition to find that condition while still in play to activate. Another example: Golden Cherubim. If it leaves play it no longer activates even in the same phase if an opponent uses a draw ability..

Same with throne/poz/tc characters/placed enh/etc. So in this case I see Silly Women discarding Angels Sword at which point "if" is no longer a dynamic option to check upon Silly Women's ability completing and therefore yielding no play as Angel's Sword is no longer in play to activate that very ability

I agree as well.

In this specific example, Angel's Sword would not trigger until Silly Women's ability has completed, at which point it is no longer in play to trigger.

*Inserts obligatory "Ongoing mandatory triggers persist when the card leaves play, ongoing optional triggers do not" quote*

Angel's Sword happens to meet the "ongoing optional trigger" definition because of the word "may".  If it was mandatory, it would still work.

Quote from: jmhartz on April 04, 2017, 06:33:15 PM

Angel's Sword happens to meet the "ongoing optional trigger" definition because of the word "may".  If it was mandatory, it would still work.

Oh.
That's frustratingly confusing.
My bad.

I get that, but it still strikes me that the card entered battle, so the special ability activated. Even if it leaves play, the special ability was never negated, so it should still activate, as it would were the ability not optional.
I understand this is the official ruling, but I'm not a fan, which finally isn't what's important.

Think of it this way, the trigger totally activated but you can't use cards in the discard pile. If an automatic trigger is set, you use the card right then, but if it has an optional ability it has to be in a valid location to use the card when you want to do so.