Evolve Question

[danielhicks]

I do not quit understand how evolve works.
(Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if that creature has greater power or toughness than this creature, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature)

I was wondering if this would work:

I have a Gyre Sage in play and cast an ornithopter. Once ornithopter enters the battlefield, the evolve triggers and goes on the stack. I then cast giant growth on the ornithopter, and let things resolve.

Basically, when does evolve check to see "if that creature has greater power or toughness than this creature". And would that Gyre Sage Evolve.

[danielhicks]

FTW
Yes.

Evolve triggers whenever any creature enters the battlefield under your control, regardless of its power and toughness. The trigger goes on the stack. The power and toughness are only checked upon resolution.

The easiest way to tell is that the "if that creature has greater power or toughness" is a separate clause that comes after the comma after the "when ... " clause. The "when... " clause specifies all conditions required to put the trigger on the stack. Everything else, including intervening "if" clauses, happens at resolution.

That means you can respond to the trigger with things like Giant Growth, make your Ornithopter bigger, and when the trigger resolves it will see a bigger creature and add a +1/+1 counter.

That is what I was thinking too, but if you check rulings on the gatherer on any creature with evolve it states:
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, check its power and toughness against the power and toughness of the creature with evolve. If neither stat of the new creature is greater, evolve won't trigger at all

Is the gatherer wrong on this one?

[cdr]

Normal triggers only check for the event specified (and not on resolution), but a specific type of trigger known as an "intervening if" will check its specified clause both when it would trigger and again on resolution.

http://yawgatog.com/resources/magic-rules/#R6034
603.4. A triggered ability may read "When/Whenever/At [trigger event], if [condition], [effect]." When the trigger event occurs, the ability checks whether the stated condition is true. The ability triggers only if it is; otherwise it does nothing. If the ability triggers, it checks the stated condition again as it resolves. If the condition isn't true at that time, the ability is removed from the stack and does nothing. Note that this mirrors the check for legal targets. This rule is referred to as the "intervening 'if' clause" rule. (The word "if" has only its normal English meaning anywhere else in the text of a card; this rule only applies to an "if" that immediately follows a trigger condition.)

Example: Felidar Sovereign reads, "At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 40 or more life, you win the game." Its controller's life total is checked as that player's upkeep begins. If that player has 39 or less life, the ability doesn't trigger at all. If that player has 40 or more life, the ability triggers and goes on the stack. As the ability resolves, that player's life total is checked again. If that player has 39 or less life at this time, the ability is removed from the stack and has no effect. If that player has 40 or more life at this time, the ability resolves and that player wins the game.

[FTW]

That is what I was thinking too, but if you check rulings on the gatherer on any creature with evolve it states:
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, check its power and toughness against the power and toughness of the creature with evolve. If neither stat of the new creature is greater, evolve won't trigger at all

Is the gatherer wrong on this one?

Oops, my bad. Not enough sleep when I posted that. Intervening ifs check both at triggering and resolution. What cdr said. So no evolve