Ground Seal, Tombstalker and Nether Spirit

[pandaman]

I'm not great with rules, and I just had an interesting interaction in a game I wanted to clarify.

Opponent has Ground Seal in play, and I cast Tombstalker and go to remove cards from the graveyard using its delve ability. My opponent says that I can't do that because of Ground Seal.

Later in the same game I go to return Nether Spirit from my graveyard to hand in my upkeep because it was the only creature in the graveyard at the time. My opponent says that I can't do that because of Ground Seal.

Can I delve with Ground Seal on the board? Can I return Nether Spirit with Ground Seal on the board? If so, why, and if not, why not?

[DerFern]

Short answers: because none of the things "target" anything...


Opponent has Ground Seal in play, and I cast Tombstalker and go to remove cards from the graveyard using its delve ability. My opponent says that I can't do that because of Ground Seal.
He´s wrong. You can´t target cards in your graveyards because of Ground Seal, but Delve says:


702.63a Delve is a static ability that functions while the spell that has delve is on the stack. “Delve”
means “As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may exile any number of cards from your
graveyard. Each card exiled this way reduces the cost to cast this spell by {1}.” Using the delve
ability follows the rules for paying additional costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2e–g.
There is no target in it, so you can remove any number of cards... no problem

Nether Spirit says:
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Nether Spirit is the only creature card in your graveyard, you may return Nether Spirit to the battlefield.

No instance of the word "target" here, either... look at a card like Reaya Dawnbringer, for example:

Reya Dawnbringer
Legendary Creature - Angel 4/6, 6WWW (9)
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Huge difference. So all of your plays were okay.

[pandaman]

That was my view also, but my opponent disagreed. Thanks for confirming mate.