Kroxa and Kunoros - is that combo or nombo?
I've read that Kroxa and Kunoros forms a combo with Altar of Dementia by saccing KaK in response to ETB trigger to return them from GY after milling 6. Rinse and repert. I'm in doubt because their ETB ability consist of a word "target" which means a creature to reanimate has to be targetted when ability triggers even if player chooses NOT to exile 5 cards when it resolves. Am I right or wrong?
Accepted Answer
It looks like that works. Kroxa and Kunoros enters the field and the only trigger that goes onto the stack at this time is "You may exile five cards from your graveyard". That's it. And, notably, this trigger has no targets. So, before that resolves, you sac it to Altar and mill yourself for six. Then, the trigger resolves and you exile five cards. At that point, the other trigger goes onto the stack and then you pick a target for it. When you do this, Kroxa and Kunoros are in the yard to be targeted.
This works in this case because the targeting of the card in the graveyard is not done as part of the initial trigger. Instead, it is a reflexive trigger only triggering if you take the first optional action. This is denoted by the "When you do...." text. If this had said "If you do...." (or something similar) then your understanding would be correct. But because it is another trigger, it won't go onto the stack until you take the action provided in the first trigger and you have time to take other actions before the "When you do..." trigger goes onto the stack.
Go to full postThis works in this case because the targeting of the card in the graveyard is not done as part of the initial trigger. Instead, it is a reflexive trigger only triggering if you take the first optional action. This is denoted by the "When you do...." text. If this had said "If you do...." (or something similar) then your understanding would be correct. But because it is another trigger, it won't go onto the stack until you take the action provided in the first trigger and you have time to take other actions before the "When you do..." trigger goes onto the stack.
It looks like that works. Kroxa and Kunoros enters the field and the only trigger that goes onto the stack at this time is "You may exile five cards from your graveyard". That's it. And, notably, this trigger has no targets. So, before that resolves, you sac it to Altar and mill yourself for six. Then, the trigger resolves and you exile five cards. At that point, the other trigger goes onto the stack and then you pick a target for it. When you do this, Kroxa and Kunoros are in the yard to be targeted.
This works in this case because the targeting of the card in the graveyard is not done as part of the initial trigger. Instead, it is a reflexive trigger only triggering if you take the first optional action. This is denoted by the "When you do...." text. If this had said "If you do...." (or something similar) then your understanding would be correct. But because it is another trigger, it won't go onto the stack until you take the action provided in the first trigger and you have time to take other actions before the "When you do..." trigger goes onto the stack.
This works in this case because the targeting of the card in the graveyard is not done as part of the initial trigger. Instead, it is a reflexive trigger only triggering if you take the first optional action. This is denoted by the "When you do...." text. If this had said "If you do...." (or something similar) then your understanding would be correct. But because it is another trigger, it won't go onto the stack until you take the action provided in the first trigger and you have time to take other actions before the "When you do..." trigger goes onto the stack.
