Animate Dead + things that stop being creatures on the battlefield

[TsumiBand]

Animate Dead

Heliod, God of the Sun

a) I target Heliod with Animate Dead while it's in the graveyard (which I *believe* I'm able to do regardless of my devotion). As it enters the battlefield, my devotion to White shows that Heliod cannot be a creature. I realize that something like White Knight cannot legally have a Black Aura attached, so Animate Dead goes to the graveyard as a state-based effect and the White Knight would be sacrificed - but in the case of a God enchantment creature, it entered the battlefield as a non-creature permanent. Would it still be sacrificed, even though it is not a creature and Animate Dead says "that creature's controller sacrifices it"?

b) Let's assume instead that Heliod comes into play as a creature, but at some point down the road my devotion to White drops below five. Does Animate Dead detach?

[Tammit67]

Aura spells continually check to make sure they are enchanting a proper target:

303.4c If an Aura is enchanting an illegal object or player, the object it was attached to no longer exists, or the player it was attached to has left the game, the Aura is put into its owner's graveyard. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)

At that point animate dead's trigger will be put on the stack and you will sacrifice the aforementioned creature (although it is not a creature at this point). A devotionless God is still treated as the same object.

Similarly, if you disfigure/shock one of these gods during devotion, then the god loses devotion and regains it in the same turn, it still gets -2/-2 or a creature with 2 damage marked on it respectively.

[SpeedOfDark]

this is not 100% related, but it is still an animate dead + theros mechanic question:

1. I have a creature with heroic in the graveyard.
2. I cast animate dead on this creature.

Does heroic trigger?

[Koby]

this is not 100% related, but it is still an animate dead + theros mechanic question:

1. I have a creature with heroic in the graveyard.
2. I cast animate dead on this creature.

Does heroic trigger?

No, the trigger can only be created if the creature is targeted on the battlefield. Reanimation effects target the creature card and outside the battlefield. The aura will attach as opposed to target once the creature card enters the battlefield.

[TsumiBand]

Aura spells continually check to make sure they are enchanting a proper target:


At that point animate dead's trigger will be put on the stack and you will sacrifice the aforementioned creature (although it is not a creature at this point). A devotionless God is still treated as the same object.

Similarly, if you disfigure/shock one of these gods during devotion, then the god loses devotion and regains it in the same turn, it still gets -2/-2 or a creature with 2 damage marked on it respectively.

So what's the difference between something like Animate Dead falling off and killing the Enchantment Creature it was once attached to - even though it is not a creature - and something like targeting a face-down creature with Terror and then paying the Morph cost to reveal Zoetic Cavern?

I mean, I get that these are wildly different game actions - playing a spell vs. a state-based action - but Terror is countered on resolution because Zoetic Cavern is no longer a creature (unless I am horribly mistaken on how this works, but I do not think I am). Why is Animate Dead's LTB effect not similarly countered if the object is now a noncreature?

[Tammit67]

So what's the difference between something like Animate Dead falling off and killing the Enchantment Creature it was once attached to - even though it is not a creature - and something like targeting a face-down creature with Terror and then paying the Morph cost to reveal Zoetic Cavern?

I mean, I get that these are wildly different game actions - playing a spell vs. a state-based action - but Terror is countered on resolution because Zoetic Cavern is no longer a creature (unless I am horribly mistaken on how this works, but I do not think I am). Why is Animate Dead's LTB effect not similarly countered if the object is now a noncreature?

Those are not similar things at all. Terror is countered upon resolution because it is no longer targeting a legal target.

This is my best understanding of it:
When Animate dead falls off it reads "When Animate Dead leaves the battlefield, that creature's controller sacrifices it." It might as well read "When Animate Dead leaves the battlefield, sacrifice what it was previously attached to". Since the game is able to recognize the God as the creature card to which animate dead was previously referring, it will still link it to the sacrifice trigger.

What is similar is that in both instances the object is still not considered a new object despite it changing types.

201.5. If an ability of an object uses a phrase such as "this [something]" to identify an object, where [something] is a characteristic, it is referring to that particular object, even if it isn't the appropriate characteristic at the time. ["ex 201.5." for examples]

608.2i. If an ability's effect refers to a specific untargeted object that has been previously referred to by that ability's cost or trigger condition, it still affects that object even if the object has changed characteristics. ["ex 608.2i." for examples]

Does that clarify?

[ahg113]

Thx for the rules clarifier Tammit.

While we're at it- how does Humility affect the new God cards? Without devotion, no effect, with devotion, all aspects of God card removed? Will anything occur if the devotion level changes down after Humility is in play?

[Koby]

Thx for the rules clarifier Tammit.

While we're at it- how does Humility affect the new God cards? Without devotion, no effect, with devotion, all aspects of God card removed? Will anything occur if the devotion level changes down after Humility is in play?

If the God card does not have enough devotion yet, and Humility is in effect, the God card will not become affected.
Once the God becomes a creature, it will turn into a 1/1 with no abilities and stops checking for devotion until Humility leaves play, or somehow becomes a non-creature by some other means.