<p>Yes, you get a Black Mutavault with a +1/+1 counter on it. It will not be a Zombie because non-creatures cannot have creature subtypes.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Detailed Explanation</strong></p>
<p>First, you need to know why Grave Betrayal triggers.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>603.6c Leaves-the-battlefield abilities trigger when a permanent moves from the battlefield to another zone [...]</p>
<p>603.6d [...] Leaves-the-battlefield abilities will trigger based on [an object's] existence, and the appearance of objects, prior to the event rather than afterward.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Mutavault was a creature prior to death, and so Grave Betrayal <em>will</em> trigger. The trigger doesn't care what Mutavault becomes after death. Second, you need to know how Grave Betrayal can still find the Mutavault in the graveyard even though it is a new object.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>603.6 Trigger events that involve objects changing zones are called &quot;zone-change triggers.&quot; Many abilities with zone-change triggers attempt to do something to that object after it changes zones. During resolution, these abilities look for the object in the zone that it moved to.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Third, you need to know why lands cannot have creature subtypes.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>205.3d An object can't gain a subtype that doesn't correspond to one of that object's types.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Lastly, here is how the events actually unfold:</p>
<ul>
<li>An opposing Mutavault creature dies.</li>
<li>Grave Betrayal triggers.</li>
<li>Grave Betrayal's trigger resolves. It looks for Mutavault in the graveyard and finds it there.</li>
<li>Mutavault returns to the battlefield under your control. It gains the color Black and a +1/+1 counter. It won't be a Zombie because Zombie is a creature subtype and Mutavault is not a creature at the moment.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T17:01:11.743Z
One missing note: the Mutavault *had to be a creature* when it went to the graveyard. If it just a land and gets destroyed, Grave Betrayal does not trigger.
bengoesboom
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T17:03:40.990Z
@bengoesboom Corrected (thanks). Also found the relevant rule about subtypes for lands.
Rainbolt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T17:33:35.583Z
If the ability read "Whenever a creature enters your graveyard, ...", it wouldn't trigger. It's not a LTB ability, so you look at its state *after* the event (as is the norm), so you look at its state in the graveyard.
ikegami
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T17:55:32.353Z
@ikegami; Do the rules clarify that "dies" is an "LTB" instead of an "ETG"? The definition in the rules is to be "put into a graveyard from the battlefield"; that doesn't make it clear which it is. I do see an example given under 603.6d that mentions "dies", but nothing in an actual rules quote.
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T18:32:31.483Z
@GendoIkari, That's not the definition, that's one example. The first sentence of 603.6c is the definition. If you saw nothing, then you missed "but aren’t limited to". "Die" is not a keyword action. (e.g. "Die target red creature" makes no sense.) As such, "die" is transparent, a mere synonym that's fully interchangeable with its definition. 700.4. The term dies means “is put into a graveyard from the battlefield.”
ikegami
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T18:36:05.330Z
@ikegami, I quoted the same definition of "die" that you did, from 700.4. How do you know from that wording if 603.6d applies to that or not, if it wouldn't apply to "enters the graveyard" abilities?
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T18:37:36.313Z
@ikegami, sorry, never mind. I read 603.6c now, and I understand. Thanks!
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T18:44:29.353Z
@GendoIkari, It really should be added as an example to 603.6c.
ikegami
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T19:16:13.713Z
@Ikegami I hope you don't mind - I shortened the rules that you added. And we had *"It's not a creature anymore, but it doesn't matter."* in two places, and *"It won't be a creature on re-entry"* also in two places, so I removed the redundancies. Just explaining my edit so we don't start an edit war.
Rainbolt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T20:25:01.867Z
@ikegami You pointed out in a now deleted comment that *First*, *Second*, *Third*, *Finally* was grammatically incorrect. I went ahead and changed it, but I thought you might be interested in watching [this question](http://english.stackexchange.com/q/174847/72792) unfold. Hurray for using Stack Exchange to improve Stack Exchange!
Rainbolt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-03T16:57:53.653Z
2014-06-04T13:43:32.677Z
2020-06-17T09:01:24.697Z
Rainbolt
<p>Would <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Grave%20Betrayal">Grave Betrayal</a> give me a <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mutavault">Mutavault</a>? I'm guessing no, but enough rules have changed since Onslaught that I'm not going to guess.</p>

<magic-the-gathering>
Can Grave Betrayal give me a Mutavault?
Rob Kinyon
# Can Grave Betrayal give me a Mutavault?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-06-03)

Would [Grave Betrayal](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Grave%20Betrayal) give me a [Mutavault](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mutavault)? I'm guessing no, but enough rules have changed since Onslaught that I'm not going to guess.

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-06-03. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

Yes, you get a Black Mutavault with a +1/+1 counter on it. It will not be a Zombie because non-creatures cannot have creature subtypes.

---

**Detailed Explanation**

First, you need to know why Grave Betrayal triggers.

> 603.6c Leaves-the-battlefield abilities trigger when a permanent moves from the battlefield to another zone [...]
>
> 603.6d [...] Leaves-the-battlefield abilities will trigger based on [an object's] existence, and the appearance of objects, prior to the event rather than afterward.

Mutavault was a creature prior to death, and so Grave Betrayal *will* trigger. The trigger doesn't care what Mutavault becomes after death. Second, you need to know how Grave Betrayal can still find the Mutavault in the graveyard even though it is a new object.

> 603.6 Trigger events that involve objects changing zones are called "zone-change triggers." Many abilities with zone-change triggers attempt to do something to that object after it changes zones. During resolution, these abilities look for the object in the zone that it moved to.

Third, you need to know why lands cannot have creature subtypes.

> 205.3d An object can't gain a subtype that doesn't correspond to one of that object's types.

Lastly, here is how the events actually unfold:

* An opposing Mutavault creature dies.
* Grave Betrayal triggers.
* Grave Betrayal's trigger resolves. It looks for Mutavault in the graveyard and finds it there.
* Mutavault returns to the battlefield under your control. It gains the color Black and a +1/+1 counter. It won't be a Zombie because Zombie is a creature subtype and Mutavault is not a creature at the moment.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: One missing note: the Mutavault *had to be a creature* when it went to the graveyard. If it just a land and gets destroyed, Grave Betrayal does not trigger.  
> **username_1**: @username_2 Corrected (thanks). Also found the relevant rule about subtypes for lands.  
> **username_3**: If the ability read "Whenever a creature enters your graveyard, ...", it wouldn't trigger. It's not a LTB ability, so you look at its state *after* the event (as is the norm), so you look at its state in the graveyard.  
> **username_4**: @username_3; Do the rules clarify that "dies" is an "LTB" instead of an "ETG"? The definition in the rules is to be "put into a graveyard from the battlefield"; that doesn't make it clear which it is. I do see an example given under 603.6d that mentions "dies", but nothing in an actual rules quote.  
> **username_3**: @username_4, That's not the definition, that's one example. The first sentence of 603.6c is the definition. If you saw nothing, then you missed "but aren’t limited to". "Die" is not a keyword action. (e.g. "Die target red creature" makes no sense.) As such, "die" is transparent, a mere synonym that's fully interchangeable with its definition. 700.4. The term dies means “is put into a graveyard from the battlefield.”  
> **username_4**: @username_3, I quoted the same definition of "die" that you did, from 700.4. How do you know from that wording if 603.6d applies to that or not, if it wouldn't apply to "enters the graveyard" abilities?  
> **username_4**: @username_3, sorry, never mind. I read 603.6c now, and I understand. Thanks!  
> **username_3**: @username_4, It really should be added as an example to 603.6c.  
> **username_1**: @username_3 I hope you don't mind - I shortened the rules that you added. And we had *"It's not a creature anymore, but it doesn't matter."* in two places, and *"It won't be a creature on re-entry"* also in two places, so I removed the redundancies. Just explaining my edit so we don't start an edit war.  
> **username_1**: @username_3 You pointed out in a now deleted comment that *First*, *Second*, *Third*, *Finally* was grammatically incorrect. I went ahead and changed it, but I thought you might be interested in watching [this question](http://english.stackexchange.com/q/174847/72792) unfold. Hurray for using Stack Exchange to improve Stack Exchange!  

---

