Does Regenerate Work on Exiled Creatures?
In the world of Magic: The Gathering, exiling a creature seems like a permanent solution. However, what happens if that creature has a crucial ability like Regenerate? Can Regenerate still come into play, or does it get lost in exile? In this article, we’ll dive into the intricacies of Regeneration and its relationship with exile.
Direct Answer
No, a creature with Regenerate will not be protected from exile. Once a card enters exile, it doesn’t have any abilities or properties unless the effect that put it there says so. Cards in exile also can’t be destroyed or put into combat, which means Regenerate effects would do nothing (Source: Vintage IS The New Old).
Evergreen Keyword Action
Regenerate is an evergreen keyword action until it was removed from the evergreen status after the Oath of the Gatewatch set. This ability replaces a destroy event and taps the creature, then removes it from combat.
Timing of Regenerate
Regenerate can be used anytime before damage is applied (the last such timing exists in combat at the end of "declare blockers" step) (Source: Vintage IS The New Old).
Sacrifice and Regenerate
What happens when we sacrifice a creature with Regenerate? Boom: after "combat damage", the decayed ability which sacrifices the decayed creature is on the stack, and the creature is still alive until that resolves (Source: Vintage IS The New Old). You still have priority to sacrifice or do anything else to it before it resolves.
Hexproof and Sacrifice
No. Hexproof states that the creature cannot be targeted by spells or abilities that your opponent controls. If the spell or ability causing sacrifice targets the player and not the creature, it can still be sacrificed (Source: Vintage IS The New Old).
Regenerate and Dying
Regenerating a creature replaces a "dying" event and taps the creature, removes it from combat, then removes all damage marked on it. Dying doesn’t necessarily mean destruction.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Regenerate does not work on exiled creatures. Exiled creatures are removed from gameplay and lose all their properties, including abilities. To protect a creature with Regenerate, you’ll need to find alternative solutions beyond exile.
Table: Regenerate and Exile Timing
| Timing | Situation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Before damage | Attack or combat | Regenerate can be used to restore the creature |
| End of combat | Combat resolves | Regenerate cannot stop the creature from being removed from combat |
| Anytime | Sacrifice attempt | Regenerate can restore the creature, but decayed ability still resolves |