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Animate Dead / Necromany do not work properly with Astral Dragon
Tokens created by Astral Dragon that copy Animate Dead / Necromancy doesn't work as intended:
What's currently happening with the creature copies of Animate Dead on XMage:
- The Animate Dead creature tokens enter the battlefield.
What SHOULD happen with the creature copies of Animate Dead:
- The tokens should never get created due to rule 111.5.
111.5 If a spell or ability would create a token, but a rule or effect states that a permanent with one or more of that token’s characteristics can’t enter the battlefield, the token is not created. Similarly, if an effect would create a token that is a copy of an instant or sorcery card, no token is created.
What's currently happening with the creature copies of Necromany on XMage:
- The tokens enter the battlefield and reanimate their respective targets, all of them remain on the battlefield.
What SHOULD happen with the creature copies of Necromancy:
- That Creature Necromancy token would enter the Battlefield, Trigger, Target a Card in a Graveyard.
- Put said Card onto the Battlefield.
- The Creature Necromancy becomes an Aura.
- The Creature Necromancy Aura fails to attach to the Creature.
- The Creature Necromancy Aura is put into the Graveyard.
- The Creature Card that was put onto the Battlefield is sacrificed to the Necromancy Delayed Trigger.
Rules explaining the above interaction:
Rules
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303.4d. An Aura can't enchant itself. If this occurs somehow, the Aura is put into its owner's graveyard. An Aura that's also a creature can't enchant anything. If this occurs somehow, the Aura becomes unattached, then is put into its owner's graveyard. (These are state-based actions. See rule 704.) An Aura can't enchant more than one object or player. If a spell or ability would cause an Aura to become attached to more than one object or player, the Aura's controller chooses which object or player it becomes attached to.
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303.4f. If an Aura is entering the battlefield under a player's control by any means other than by resolving as an Aura spell, and the effect putting it onto the battlefield doesn't specify the object or player the Aura will enchant, that player chooses what it will enchant as the Aura enters the battlefield. The player must choose a legal object or player according to the Aura's enchant ability and any other applicable effects.
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111.5. If a spell or ability would create a token, but a rule or effect states that a permanent with one or more of that token's characteristics can't enter the battlefield, the token is not created. Similarly, if an effect would create a token that is a copy of an instant or sorcery card, no token is created.
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704.5m. If an Aura is attached to an illegal object or player, or is not attached to an object or player, that Aura is put into its owner's graveyard.
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Animate Dead - (Gatherer) (Scryfall) (EDHREC)
{1}{B} Enchantment — Aura Enchant creature card in a graveyard When Animate Dead enters the battlefield, if it's on the battlefield, it loses "enchant creature card in a graveyard" and gains "enchant creature put onto the battlefield with Animate Dead." Return enchanted creature card to the battlefield under your control and attach Animate Dead to it. When Animate Dead leaves the battlefield, that creature's controller sacrifices it. Enchanted creature gets -1/-0.
Necromancy - (Gatherer) (Scryfall) (EDHREC)
{2}{B} Enchantment You may cast Necromancy as though it had flash. If you cast it any time a sorcery couldn't have been cast, the controller of the permanent it becomes sacrifices it at the beginning of the next cleanup step. When Necromancy enters the battlefield, if it's on the battlefield, it becomes an Aura with "enchant creature put onto the battlefield with Necromancy." Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control and attach Necromancy to it. When Necromancy leaves the battlefield, that creature's controller sacrifices it.
Astral Dragon - (Gatherer) (Scryfall) (EDHREC)
{6}{U}{U} Creature — Dragon 4/4 Flying Project Image — When Astral Dragon enters the battlefield, create two tokens that are copies of target noncreature permanent, except they're 3/3 Dragon creatures in addition to their other types, and they have flying.
I can confirm - although this isn't just astral dragon, this is any token copy of animate dead. Just had it happen with a token copy created with [[Extravagant Replication]]:
I'd be willing to bet it would happen on non-token version that enter the battlefield without being targeted on the stack, such as with [[Estrid's Invocation]] or putting a normal animate dead onto the battlefield via something.
Extravagant Replication - (Gatherer) (Scryfall) (EDHREC)
{4}{U}{U} Enchantment At the beginning of your upkeep, create a token that's a copy of another target nonland permanent you control.
Estrid's Invocation - (Gatherer) (Scryfall) (EDHREC)
{2}{U} Enchantment You may have Estrid's Invocation enter the battlefield as a copy of an enchantment you control, except it has "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may exile this enchantment. If you do, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control."