<p>No, it does not. Similar to your reasoning, the ability written on Thorn Lieutenant only functions while Thorn Lieutenant is on the battlefield. From the <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Comprehensive Rules</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>113.6. Abilities of an instant or sorcery spell usually function only while that object is on the stack. <strong>Abilities of all other objects usually function only while that object is on the battlefield.</strong> The exceptions are as follows:</p>
<p>...</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The exceptions listed do not apply; they're mostly obvious things that would only make sense if they applied outside of the battlefield.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-18T15:07:38.977Z
You can also enchant a karmic guide with a animate dead as pro black only does something when on the battlefield
Neil Meyer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-04T11:48:15.173Z
@NeilMeyer though the aura will fall off as soo  as it reanimates the karmic guide, making you sacrifice it. You will at least get the etb and reanimate something else, which will resolve before you need to sac the guide.
Andrew
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-15T16:18:53.503Z
2024-08-17T13:10:08.003Z
2024-08-17T13:10:08.003Z
GendoIkari
<p>During a recent <a href="https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Game_Night:_Free-for-All" rel="noreferrer"><em>Game Night: Free For All</em></a> game I played, the Boundless Elves player tried to cast a <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=447339" rel="noreferrer">Thorn Lieutenant</a> and the Glorious Combat player countered it with <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=413585" rel="noreferrer">Counterspell</a>.</p>
<p>The Thorn Lieutenant card says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Whenever Thorn Lieutenant becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, create a 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature token.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Does the casting of the Thorn Lieutenant getting countered count as the Thorn Lieutenant becoming the target of a spell and trigger the creation of a 1/1 green Elf Warrior?</p>
<p>(We assumed not, and reasoned that the counterspell was actually targeting the creature <em>spell</em> that creates the Thorn Lieutenant and that this does not amount to targeting the <em>Thorn Lieutenant</em> himself, but we weren't certain if this was correct, nor how we would determine what the official rule on this is.)</p>

<magic-the-gathering>
Do "Whenever X becomes the target of a spell" abilities get triggered by counterspell?
Mark Amery
# Do "Whenever X becomes the target of a spell" abilities get triggered by counterspell?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-08-15)

During a recent [*Game Night: Free For All*](https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Game_Night:_Free-for-All) game I played, the Boundless Elves player tried to cast a [Thorn Lieutenant](https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=447339) and the Glorious Combat player countered it with [Counterspell](https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=413585).

The Thorn Lieutenant card says:

> Whenever Thorn Lieutenant becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, create a 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature token.

Does the casting of the Thorn Lieutenant getting countered count as the Thorn Lieutenant becoming the target of a spell and trigger the creation of a 1/1 green Elf Warrior?

(We assumed not, and reasoned that the counterspell was actually targeting the creature *spell* that creates the Thorn Lieutenant and that this does not amount to targeting the *Thorn Lieutenant* himself, but we weren't certain if this was correct, nor how we would determine what the official rule on this is.)

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-08-15. Score: 16 | Accepted answer

No, it does not. Similar to your reasoning, the ability written on Thorn Lieutenant only functions while Thorn Lieutenant is on the battlefield. From the [Comprehensive Rules](https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules):

> 113.6. Abilities of an instant or sorcery spell usually function only while that object is on the stack. **Abilities of all other objects usually function only while that object is on the battlefield.** The exceptions are as follows:
>
> ...

The exceptions listed do not apply; they're mostly obvious things that would only make sense if they applied outside of the battlefield.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: You can also enchant a karmic guide with a animate dead as pro black only does something when on the battlefield  
> **username_3**: @NeilMeyer though the aura will fall off as soo  as it reanimates the karmic guide, making you sacrifice it. You will at least get the etb and reanimate something else, which will resolve before you need to sac the guide.  

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