Spells with Multiple Targets

[Tog]

I've always been confused about spells which target multiple permanents and since the scenario never comes up too often, I've never actually bothered to find the answer.

Sample scenario:
I cast a Violent Ultimatum targeting three different permanents, one of which can sacrifice itself. My question: If one of the three targeted permanents sacrifices itself, does the Violent Ultimatum get countered upon resolution? Do the other two remaining permanent survive or are they destroyed? Similar situations have also arisen when I've attempted to split damage from the Fire side of Fire/Ice between a Goblin and a Fanatic.

Thanks in advance,
~Tog

[Nihil Credo]

All targets need to be illegal for a spell to be countered upon resolution.

[cdr]

Easy to find in the rules if you search for "legal target":


413. Resolving Spells and Abilities

413.2. Resolution of a spell or ability may involve several steps. These steps are followed in the order listed below.

413.2a. If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. A target that's moved out of the zone it was in when it was targeted is illegal. Other changes to the game state may cause a target to no longer be legal; for example, its characteristics may have changed or an effect may have changed the text of the spell. If the source of an ability has left the zone it was in, its last known information is used during this process. The spell or ability is countered if all its targets, for every instance of the word "target," are now illegal. If the spell or ability is not countered, it will resolve normally, affecting only the targets that are still legal. If a target is illegal, the spell or ability can't perform any actions on it or make the target perform any actions.

Example: Aura Blast is a white instant that reads, "Destroy target enchantment. Draw a card." If the enchantment isn't a legal target during Aura Blast's resolution (say, if it has gained protection from white or left play), then Aura Blast is countered. Its controller doesn't draw a card.

Example: Plague Spores reads, "Destroy target nonblack creature and target land. They can't be regenerated." Suppose the same animated land is chosen both as the nonblack creature and as the land, and the color of the creature land is changed to black before Plague Spores resolves. Plagues Spores isn't countered because the black creature land is still a legal target for the "target land" part of the spell.

[Peter_Rotten]

Not to confuse the masses, but was there a point in time (like pre-6th) when this rule was different? In other words, was there a time when a split Fire/Ice targetting Fanatic and the opponent would be countered by saccing the Fanatic?

[cdr]

I can't find my rulebooks (I have a collection going back to Alpha), but I don't think so.

Fifth Edition rules are the oldest available on the web as far as I can find, and targeting worked the same then as now - even if spells did "fizzle" instead of being "countered".

Edit:
Here's the ruling for Ashes To Ashes, released with The Dark:


If one target is removed or becomes invalid after declaration, the other target is still affected. [bethmo 09/15/94] You take the damage if at least one target is removed from the game. [D'Angelo 05/17/95]

Fireball and Pyrotechnics were released earlier, but don't have explicit rulings for this situation.

Before 5th edition, the more complex rules situations like this were handled by rulings printed in The Duelist and elsewhere since there wasn't a comprehensive rulebook.

[B.C.]

Not to confuse the masses, but was there a point in time (like pre-6th) when this rule was different? In other words, was there a time when a split Fire/Ice targetting Fanatic and the opponent would be countered by saccing the Fanatic?

When I was learning to play Vintage, this really confused me because of Goblin Welder. The oracle text on Goblin Welder says that both targets (artifact in play, artifact card in graveyard) must both be legal when the ability resolves, otherwise it is countered. But when something like Rack and Ruin or Violent Ultimatum has one target become illegal, they resolve as much as possible. Very confusing for the uninitiated.