Grafdigger's Cage and graveyard shuffling

[Fox]

This question is specific to dredge variants (ichorid and nether shadow):
The scenario is that dredge is winding up to topdeck a way to deal with a resolved cage, for whatever reason they need the last point of damage a nether shadow can provide. They need 1-3 ichorids above the shadow to trigger. In their upkeep Ichorids trigger, and dredge player *honors* that trigger, but cage stops them from entering the battlefield - do the ichorid's end up on top of graveyard (above nether shadow)??

[Julian23]

There is no effect that instructs you to change your graveyard order. Ichorid stay where they are.

[tescrin]

There is no effect that instructs you to change your graveyard order. Ichorid stay where they are.

A mild clarification (and the opportunity to post a very strange card); there is nothing in this context that instructs you to change your graveyard order. (the ichorids don't "come out and go back in"; they just "never come out" so remain where they are.)

There is the card Fossil Find :D

[Julian23]

I was not referring to Magic in general, but the specific situation when I said that there was no effect telling you to reorder your graveyard. I'm sure there should be a couple of effects that can potentially change your graveyard order.

Also, fun card

[tescrin]

I was not referring to Magic in general, but the specific situation when I said that there was no effect telling you to reorder your graveyard.

I realize it may have come off that way; but in my heart of hearts I knew what you meant. It was mostly an opportunity to post a ridiculous card while decorating it with mildly helpful reasoning (the bit about why Ichorid doesn't switch spots)

Glad you enjoyed the card lol

[Fox]

Thanks for the replies, was just unclear on whether or not cage creates some temporary zone-type area between using ichorid triggers to try and enter the battlefield but failing to enter, that would cause them to rise to top of graveyard. Correct graveyard order is what separates civilization from savagery after all.

[H]

Thanks for the replies, was just unclear on whether or not cage creates some temporary zone-type area between using ichorid triggers to try and enter the battlefield but failing to enter, that would cause them to rise to top of graveyard. Correct graveyard order is what separates civilization from savagery after all.

No, if anything were to change zones and it can't (for whatever reason), it just never moves at all.

[ubernostrum]

Thanks for the replies, was just unclear on whether or not cage creates some temporary zone-type area between using ichorid triggers to try and enter the battlefield but failing to enter, that would cause them to rise to top of graveyard. Correct graveyard order is what separates civilization from savagery after all.

Although MTGO likes to spawn "temporary zones", there's no such thing in Magic. Ante, battlefield, command, exile, graveyard, hand, library, and stack are all the zones that exist; when something moves a card, one moment it's in the origin zone and the next moment it's in the destination zone. If something tries and fails to move a card, it just doesn't move at all.

[thefringthing]

No, if anything were to change zones and it can't (for whatever reason), it just never moves at all.

Usually. If a permanent spell resolves but its controller can't put it on the battlefield, it goes to their graveyard; it doesn't just stay on the stack forever. (The canonical example for this one is a resolved Clone that wants to enter as a Dryad Arbor when there's a Worms of the Earth on the battlefield.)