<p>It will die but Cathars' Crusaides ability will still trigger.</p>

<p>A ruling on gatherer for <a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=366354" rel="nofollow">Illness in Ranks</a> has this to say:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>If an effect creates a creature token that normally has toughness 1,
  it will enter the battlefield with toughness 0, be put into its
  owner's graveyard as a state-based action, and then cease to exist.
  Any abilities that trigger when a creature enters the battlefield or
  dies will trigger.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-12T16:28:10.113Z
2013-11-12T16:28:10.113Z
Colin D
<p>It will die.</p>

<p>Illness in the Ranks creates a continuous effect, which applies constantly. From the moment the token enters the battlefield, it has -1/-1. Cathars' Crusade, on the other hand, has a triggered ability, signified by the word "whenever" in its text. When the token enters the battlefield, that triggered ability goes on the stack. Before it can resolve and add a +1/+1 counter, the token dies. (Players get priority, so state-based actions are checked first, and since the token has zero toughness, it dies.)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-08T07:23:42.177Z
2013-11-08T07:23:42.177Z
Cascabel
<p>Suppose I have an <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Illness%20in%20the%20Ranks">Illness in the Ranks</a> out and my opponent has a <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cathars%27%20Crusade">Cathars&#39; Crusade</a> out. If 1/1 creature token comes into play under the opponent's control, does the token die due to the effects of Illness or does it get the counter first before Illness's effect activates?</p>

<magic-the-gathering>
Which comes first: Illness in the Ranks or Cathars' Crusade?
Pincer
# Which comes first: Illness in the Ranks or Cathars' Crusade?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-11-08)

Suppose I have an [Illness in the Ranks](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Illness%20in%20the%20Ranks) out and my opponent has a [Cathars' Crusade](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cathars%27%20Crusade) out. If 1/1 creature token comes into play under the opponent's control, does the token die due to the effects of Illness or does it get the counter first before Illness's effect activates?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-11-08. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

It will die.

Illness in the Ranks creates a continuous effect, which applies constantly. From the moment the token enters the battlefield, it has -1/-1. Cathars' Crusade, on the other hand, has a triggered ability, signified by the word "whenever" in its text. When the token enters the battlefield, that triggered ability goes on the stack. Before it can resolve and add a +1/+1 counter, the token dies. (Players get priority, so state-based actions are checked first, and since the token has zero toughness, it dies.)


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### Answer by username_1 on 2013-11-12. Score: 0

It will die but Cathars' Crusaides ability will still trigger.

A ruling on gatherer for [Illness in Ranks](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=366354) has this to say:

> If an effect creates a creature token that normally has toughness 1,
> it will enter the battlefield with toughness 0, be put into its
> owner's graveyard as a state-based action, and then cease to exist.
> Any abilities that trigger when a creature enters the battlefield or
> dies will trigger.


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