4. Triggers

Triggered abilities

Abilities that go off on their own when something happens

Some text on cards waits for something to happen. Stellacorn Herder says "When I move, draw 1." Nobody uses it: when the Herder moves, the ability goes on the chain by itself, as an activated ability does once it's used. Your opponent can answer it, and it resolves once you both pass. An ability like this is a trigger.

Spotting one

Triggers start with a moment:

• "When" something happens: "When I move", "When you play me".
• "At" a point in the turn: "At the start of your Beginning Phase".
• "The first time" something happens each turn.

The rest of the text is what happens once the trigger resolves.

How it goes

• The thing happens first, then the trigger goes on the chain. The Herder has already moved when its trigger goes on. A move can't be answered, but the trigger can.
• It goes on whenever its moment comes, on either player's turn, even while other cards are on the chain.
• Its choices are made as it goes on, like a card's. If it says "a unit", you pick the unit then.

"When you play me" is a trigger too. The unit is on the table first, then the trigger goes on the chain. That's why nobody can answer a unit being played, but they can answer what it does when it arrives.

Read the words

Noxian Drummer says "When I move to a battlefield, play a 1 Recruit unit token here." Moving back to your base sets off the Herder, as that's still a move, but not the Drummer: your base isn't a battlefield. Small words decide whether a trigger goes off at all.