Is the artifact destroyed? (Magic: The Gathering)?

Question

I play Sensei's Divining Top and after a few turns my opponent plays Naturalize on it. Now because he targeted it, the stack is open and I use the Divining Top's ability: "Tap: Draw a card and put Sensei's Divining Top on the top of your library." Since the Divining Top is no longer in play, is it still destroyed?

I remember someone named NoOb something said that it's like a grenade. You throw the grenade at me so I shoot and kill you, but then your grenade goes off and kills me after. I fully understand the logic and how that works, but because the card is no longer in play, is it still destroyed?

Incase you didn't get anything I said, lemme make it easier. He plays a card that will destroy my artifact. I use the artifact's ability which lets me put it on the top of my library. Is it still destroyed?

Answer 1

In short, the top will survive because when the naturalize resoves, the top will be on top of your library, and no longer in play.

Strictly speaking, for a spell to do something, it has to resolve. That means that it does not have to be countered. There are 3 ways to counter a spell: 1.Counter a spell with a spell (like remand, counterspell, etc) 2. Counter a spell with an ability (null brooch, ertai the cursed, Erayo's essence, etc), and 3. Counter a spell because it no longer has valid targets (which is what happens to the naturalize).

Here is step by step:

1. Your opponent plays naturalize targeting your top (naturalize on the stack)

2. You use the top ability to return itself to the top of your library (ability on the stack).

3. Both of you pass priority (meaning, that the stack will resolve last in, first out).

4. The top ability resolves, and gets put on top of the library.

5. Naturalize resolves, but it does no longer has a valid target (the artifact it targeted is no longer in play). Therefore naturalize is countered.

This is the reason why wizards change the templates of some cards like Gaea's Herald from "creature spells can not be countered" to "creature spells can not be countered by spells or abilities", meaning that they can still be countered for other reasons (legally of targets, etc).

Hope this helps

Answer 2

No,

He targeted your top, in response, your top left play.  There is no target to destroy and the naturalize does not follow the top to your library, since that area is NOT a permanent in play.  Let me explain it to NoOb a little better, he threw a gernade, you shot and killed him, you ducked into your foxhole before the grenade exploded, you take no damage from the gernade.  It works the same way with targeting creatures, if you can respond to the spell, you can make the target vanish, whether by boomerang and the creature is back in your hand, to momentary blink where the creature is on the field, but the spell missed since the creature left play for a second.  Only Split second spells cannot be responded to, so if your opponent used a Krosan Grip on your top, then yes, it's destroyed and you cannot respond to it (unless you have a morphed Will-bender and can unmorph it, that is the only way around split second because morph doesn't use the stack, so you can Krosan Grip or whatever spell it is, some other legal target, but that won't help if your top is the only legal target, just an FYI).

Answer 3

As the others have said, the Top is not destroyed. The issue is that everyone here is misunderstanding what Noob said. The grenade analogy is as follows:

I lob a grenade at you, and immediately after it you shoot me. That does not stop the grenade from coming at you.

This analogy applies ONLY when you are removing the SOURCE of an ability before the ability resolves. In the naturalize example, you are removing the TARGET of a spell, not the source of an ability. Lets take your question a step further:

You activate the "look at the top 3" ability of Top. Your opponent responds by Naturalizing it. You then activate the "return and draw" ability. The top is returned after you draw a card. The naturalize is countered because it's target no longer exists. Then you rearrange the top 3 (this part IS because of the grenade analogy. The source of this ability is no longer in play, but the ability will still happen).

Answer 4

Makotto is completely correct on this.  Go Mak.