Welcome back to MTG Rules Tips! If the latest set and its rules have had you feeling a bit displaced, worry not, Rules Tips is here. Eldrazi Displacer has an interesting activated ability that allows you to “flicker” (exile and return) a creature as many times as you can pay for the ability. Some of you might be feeling greedy as you consider the processor (returning an exiled creature to the owner’s graveyard) possibilities. Unfortunately for your processor folk, you cannot process cards exiled with Displacers activated ability. In fact, you cannot do anything until that card returns to play. Once an ability starts to resolve it must finish resolving in the order that it reads before state based actions are checked and priority is given to the active player again. That said, the creature is exiled, then returned to the battlefield tapped. Once that is done, the card is no longer in exile, thus you cannot use processing abilities to put it in its owner’s yard. It will remove all auras, counters, and equipment, since it will return to play as a brand new permanent.

But wait, there’s more! Once a token is exiled, it cannot return to the battlefield. Then it ceases to exist.

If you’re interested in really maxing out card advantage, consider using Displacer to flicker your own creatures to multiply any “enters the battlefield” effects, block and flicker to prevent your opponents from gaining life with lifelink, or stop your opponent’s removal spells from resolving. Something to think about!

Today’s Rules Tip written by Daniel Clarke