<p><strong>It will trigger once.</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>601.2c The player announces his or her choice of an appropriate player, object, or zone for each target the spell requires. A spell may require some targets only if an alternative or additional cost (such as a buyback or kicker cost), or a particular mode, was chosen for it; otherwise, the spell is cast as though it did not require those targets. If the spell has a variable number of targets, the player announces how many targets he or she will choose before he or she announces those targets. The same target can’t be chosen multiple times for any one instance of the word “target” on the spell. However, if the spell uses the word “target” in multiple places, the same object, player, or zone can be chosen once for each instance of the word “target” (as long as it fits the targeting criteria). If any effects say that an object or player must be chosen as a target, the player chooses targets so that he or she obeys the maximum possible number of such effects without violating any rules or effects that say that an object or player can’t be chosen as a target. <strong>The chosen players, objects, and/or zones each become a target of that spell.</strong> (Any abilities that trigger when those players, objects, and/or zones become the target of a spell trigger at this point; they’ll wait to be put on the stack until the spell has finished being cast.) Example: If a spell says “Tap two target creatures,” then the same creature can’t be chosen twice; the spell requires two different legal targets. A spell that says “Destroy target artifact and target land,” however, can target the same artifact land twice because it uses the word “target” in multiple places.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>After having chosen all targets for Seeds, all those creatures become targeted by Seeds.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>603.2d Some trigger events use the word “becomes” (for example, “becomes attached” or “becomes blocked”). These trigger only at the time the named event happens—<strong>they don’t trigger if that state already exists</strong> or retrigger if it persists. An ability that triggers when a permanent “becomes tapped” or “becomes untapped” doesn’t trigger if the permanent enters the battlefield in that state.
  Example: An ability that triggers when a permanent “becomes tapped” triggers only when the status of a permanent that’s already on the battlefield changes from untapped to tapped.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Although it can be inferred from 601.2c, this rule says that the Illusionist will not trigger more than once from being targeted by Seeds, because even if the number of times that the Illusionist has been chosen for Seeds mattered, it can only become a target of Seeds once. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T20:42:48.367Z
There is no "second" or "third" time. You choose all targets for a spell simultaneously.
Rainbolt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T20:45:26.120Z
It was a figure of speech. Target selection happens simultaneously, but you go down the instructions in the order they are written.
Hackworth
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T20:46:11.367Z
Sure, when a spell *resolves* you follow the instructions in the order written. That has nothing to do with the question. Cephalid triggers long before the spell resolves.
Rainbolt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T20:55:30.333Z
So if a card said "whenever... is targeted by a spell or ability...", then it should happen multiple times. But no such card seems to exist.
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T21:14:30.757Z
@Rainbolt Better now?
Hackworth
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T21:53:13.273Z
@Hackworth Yes. You already had my +1 before the edit, though.
Rainbolt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T20:40:10.847Z
2015-02-17T05:39:29.853Z
2015-02-17T05:39:29.853Z
Hackworth
<p>Some abilities trigger whenever a (certain) permanent &quot;becomes the target of a spell or ability.&quot; For example, <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cephalid%20Illusionist">Cephalid Illusionist</a> says</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Whenever Cephalid Illusionist becomes the target of a spell or ability, put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some spells can target the same permanent multiple times. For example, <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Seeds%20of%20Strength">Seeds of Strength</a> says</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If I cast Seeds of Strength with a single Cephalid Illusionist as all 3 targets, will its ability trigger once or three times?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T21:04:09.983Z
Feel like one of these two questions should be deleted, or they should be combined: http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/23053/does-seeds-of-strength-trigger-heroic-three-times
Waterseas
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T21:05:03.657Z
That other question was about Heroic, which is worded differently. The whole reason I asked this question was to determine whether the difference in wording meant that it worked differently.
murgatroid99
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T21:19:18.423Z
Fair enough, true.
Waterseas
<magic-the-gathering>
Can abilities that trigger when a permanent becomes targeted trigger multiple times from the same spell?
murgatroid99
# Can abilities that trigger when a permanent becomes targeted trigger multiple times from the same spell?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-02-16)

Some abilities trigger whenever a (certain) permanent "becomes the target of a spell or ability." For example, [Cephalid Illusionist](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cephalid%20Illusionist) says

> Whenever Cephalid Illusionist becomes the target of a spell or ability, put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard.

Some spells can target the same permanent multiple times. For example, [Seeds of Strength](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Seeds%20of%20Strength) says

> Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

> Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

> Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

If I cast Seeds of Strength with a single Cephalid Illusionist as all 3 targets, will its ability trigger once or three times?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Feel like one of these two questions should be deleted, or they should be combined: http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/23053/does-seeds-of-strength-trigger-heroic-three-times  
> **username_0**: That other question was about Heroic, which is worded differently. The whole reason I asked this question was to determine whether the difference in wording meant that it worked differently.  
> **username_1**: Fair enough, true.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-02-16. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

**It will trigger once.**

> 601.2c The player announces his or her choice of an appropriate player, object, or zone for each target the spell requires. A spell may require some targets only if an alternative or additional cost (such as a buyback or kicker cost), or a particular mode, was chosen for it; otherwise, the spell is cast as though it did not require those targets. If the spell has a variable number of targets, the player announces how many targets he or she will choose before he or she announces those targets. The same target can’t be chosen multiple times for any one instance of the word “target” on the spell. However, if the spell uses the word “target” in multiple places, the same object, player, or zone can be chosen once for each instance of the word “target” (as long as it fits the targeting criteria). If any effects say that an object or player must be chosen as a target, the player chooses targets so that he or she obeys the maximum possible number of such effects without violating any rules or effects that say that an object or player can’t be chosen as a target. **The chosen players, objects, and/or zones each become a target of that spell.** (Any abilities that trigger when those players, objects, and/or zones become the target of a spell trigger at this point; they’ll wait to be put on the stack until the spell has finished being cast.) Example: If a spell says “Tap two target creatures,” then the same creature can’t be chosen twice; the spell requires two different legal targets. A spell that says “Destroy target artifact and target land,” however, can target the same artifact land twice because it uses the word “target” in multiple places.

After having chosen all targets for Seeds, all those creatures become targeted by Seeds.

> 603.2d Some trigger events use the word “becomes” (for example, “becomes attached” or “becomes blocked”). These trigger only at the time the named event happens—**they don’t trigger if that state already exists** or retrigger if it persists. An ability that triggers when a permanent “becomes tapped” or “becomes untapped” doesn’t trigger if the permanent enters the battlefield in that state.
> Example: An ability that triggers when a permanent “becomes tapped” triggers only when the status of a permanent that’s already on the battlefield changes from untapped to tapped.

Although it can be inferred from 601.2c, this rule says that the Illusionist will not trigger more than once from being targeted by Seeds, because even if the number of times that the Illusionist has been chosen for Seeds mattered, it can only become a target of Seeds once.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: There is no "second" or "third" time. You choose all targets for a spell simultaneously.  
> **username_2**: It was a figure of speech. Target selection happens simultaneously, but you go down the instructions in the order they are written.  
> **username_3**: Sure, when a spell *resolves* you follow the instructions in the order written. That has nothing to do with the question. Cephalid triggers long before the spell resolves.  
> **username_4**: So if a card said "whenever... is targeted by a spell or ability...", then it should happen multiple times. But no such card seems to exist.  
> **username_2**: @username_3 Better now?  
> **username_3**: @username_2 Yes. You already had my +1 before the edit, though.  

---

