Spell ability on a permanent

[Ryder]

Suppose there is a card that allows permanent A to gain all abilities of card B (of any type).
If B is an Instant or Sorcery, it has spell abilities.

Would it cause any rules ambiguity if A gained B's abilities?
@bravelion83
@void_nothing
@Ink-Treader
@slimytrout

[void_nothing]

Spell abilities on a permanent would just have no meaning whatsoever. There's no precedent for this at all but it would simply be text that never did anything.

[user_938036]

Without rules to support such interactions, it would just be confusing and meaningless. A creature such as

Lightning Goblin

R

Creature — Goblin

Deal 3 damage to any target.

The Rules Manager shrieked, calling on the rage of the storms of his youth. To his surprise, the sky responded with a fierce energy he'd never thought to see again.

1/1

Art by

000/280

The "Deal 3 damage to any target" is definitely rules text but it doesn't mean anything on a permanent because there is no point in the game where you would execute such an effect. If you wanted such an effect to function you would need to hammer out rules for how it would function and then almost certainly watch as hundreds of corner cases blow up your idea.

[Pygyzy]

I could think of a few ways to do it but I'd start in UN territory and see if any ideas can be distilled into something workable.

Instant Goblin R
Creature — Goblin
Instant Goblin counts as an instant and sorcery spell in all zones.
If you would cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may exile that spell instead. If you do, Instant Goblin is on the stack and the battlefield simultaneously and gains the exiled card's text. Resolve Instant Goblin.
1/1

That probably isn't what you had in mind but it technically is "A spell on the battlefield".