1, Feb, 25

MTG Aetherdrift Creature Receives Unusual Day Zero Errata

Errata is a complicated tool within Wizards of the Coast’s MTG design toolbox. On the one hand, errata can be vitally important to make cards function as intended. Alternatively, errata can help give support to existing creature types or remove them from the game entirely.

Unfortunately, while errata can be a force for good, they’re often a source of confusion since reading the card no longer necessarily explains the card. Due to this, Wizards of the Coast is often slow to errata cards and uses this tool fairly rarely. As such, it can be a big deal when Wizards of the Coast announces a new errata.

While any errata is often noteworthy enough on its own, it’s even stranger for them to happen before release. While printing and distributing a set does take time, you’d naturally assume that any needed errata pre-release would just be picked up during development. For whatever reason, this isn’t the case for Pit Automato, as it’s receiving a day zero errata.

Pit Automaton Errata

Pit Automaton

Pit Automaton is a relatively simple card with a handful of abilities. The final ability allows you to copy the next exhaust ability you activate. More specifically, this creates a delayed trigger, which will go on the stack once its trigger condition (activating the next exhaust ability) is met.

So, for example, if you invest two mana and tap Pit Automaton, then pay one blue mana and tap Loot, the Pathfinder to draw three cards, Pit Automaton’s ability will trigger, and you’ll get to draw three cards twice!

However, Pit Automaton’s final ability requires errata for one important reason: you shouldn’t be able to copy mana abilities. Mana abilities are unique in that they don’t use the stack. Per rule 706.10, to copy an activated ability, by definition, means to put a copy of it onto the stack. Going back to our Loot example, Loot’s first activated ability is a mana ability that doesn’t use the stack and therefore can’t be copied by Pit Automaton.

To make Pit Automaton more intuitive and function as it should, it has received an errata. Now, the final ability’s oracle text will state “When you next activate an exhaust ability that isn’t a mana ability this turn, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.” As such, “the delayed triggered ability doesn’t trigger if you activate an exhaust ability that is also a mana ability.”

This is obviously a minor change in the grand scheme of things. Nonetheless, it’s important to keep the errata in mind, especially if you find yourself with a copy of Pit Automaton and Loot at your Prerelease.

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