Sacrifice
If Sacrifice is countered, is the killed unit returned?
No, as the kill is an additional cost and countering a spell never refunds costs already paid.
Killing a friendly Mighty unit is an additional cost required to play Sacrifice. A countered spell does nothing and is cleared from the chain.[425.1.a] Countering does not refund any costs paid to play a card, including additional costs.[425.1.c][425.1.c.1] That cost is paid before the spell resolves, so the killed unit is not returned.
Can my opponent interact before the Mighty unit chosen for Sacrifice's additional cost is killed?
No normal reaction window opens between choosing the Mighty unit and killing it.
The unit killed as a cost is not a target — objects referenced as part of a cost are explicitly excluded from targeting.[355.10.c]
Costs are paid during step 4 of finalization, and finalization does not pass priority.[357.2][337.1.a] During that step, Sacrifice's controller may activate an eligible Add ability with Reaction when resources are required, even without priority.[357.1.a][429.3][429.3.a] This limited exception does not create a normal reaction window or permit an opponent to play a spell like Stupefy between choosing and killing the unit.
By the time a normal priority window opens, the cost has been paid and the unit is already in the trash.
Does the Deathknell of the unit killed as the cost resolve before Sacrifice draws and channels?
Yes. The kill is a non-standard additional cost, not a resolution instruction, so it happens during finalization. That puts the Deathknell on top of Sacrifice on the chain, where it resolves first.
Resolution Sequence
- Sacrifice's opening line — "as an additional cost to play this, kill a friendly Mighty unit" — is a cost, not a resolution instruction.[356.7]
- Costs are paid in step 4 of the play process, before Sacrifice has finished being finalized.[357.2]
- When a unit with Deathknell is killed to pay that cost, its Deathknell ability is added to the chain as a pending item before the unit moves to the trash.[428.1.a.1.b][808.1.d.2] The chain now holds the Deathknell above Sacrifice, which is still mid-finalization.
- Sacrifice continues through step 5, the legality check, and step 6, becoming a finalized chain item.[359.3.a]
- Because the Deathknell is still pending, it completes its own finalization before play proceeds.[359.3.b]
- Once both items are finalized, the chain resolves from the top down. The Deathknell was added last, so it resolves first.
- After the Deathknell fully resolves, Sacrifice resolves, drawing 2 and channeling 1 rune exhausted.
Example
You kill Rift Herald, whose Deathknell reads "Play a unit from your hand to your base, ignoring its Energy cost," to pay Sacrifice's cost. The Deathknell resolves first — you play a free unit from your pre-draw hand — then Sacrifice resolves and you draw 2 and channel 1 rune exhausted.
Related rulings
Are paid costs refunded if a card or ability is countered?
Canonical ruling on Costs and Payments
Can players react while costs are being paid?
Canonical ruling on Costs and Payments
Does Deathknell resolve before the card or ability that killed the unit?
Canonical ruling on Deathknell
What makes something a target?
Canonical ruling on Targeting
How was this page?
Written by Christian I. (Near).
Last updated on .