Cactus Game Design Message Boards

Are artifacts able to be active in set aside?

Maybe this is a weird question.  But I seem to remember a ruling from years back saying that this did not work.  That ruling was in specific referring to artifacts (like priestly breastplate) that were placed on characters in territory, and then later set aside. 

But with the creation of cards like Pitch and Gopher Wood and Ark of Salvation that both seem to strongly suggest that artifacts can be active in set aside, I just wanted to check and see if this has changed and what the requirements were to allow an artifact to be active in set aside, if that is possible.

As long as the art was activated, it can remain active in set aside. For example, if an EC with Magic Charms gets set aside, Charms is still active AFAIK.

If an art is set aside by something like Samaritan Water Jar, it is not active nor can it be activated.

1. Artifacts are played when they are activated, not when they are triggered. If Charms is on a magician in set-aside, it was most likely activated in a previous phase, and "last" doesn't check past the current phase. Negating a neutral/art in set aside would work.

2. Activate an Artifact only targets the Artifact, not any cards the Artifact is activated on. So there shouldn't be anything stopping set-aside targeting.

3. #2 is yes, but there is a clause under targeting that allows cards (Fortresses, primarily) to be targeted in the location specified on the named card.

If an effect targets the card it is on by name or as “this card”, it is referring to only that copy of the card. If an ability or effect targets or checks for another card by name, the named card can be in whatever default location is specified on the named card, unless otherwise specified in the ability or effect.