<p>Yes, this works as you describe.</p>

<p>Although Sacred Ground has no rulings in Gatherer; we can look at a similarly-worded card, such as <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bNephalia%20Academy%5d">Nephalia Academy</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>If a spell or ability an opponent controls causes you to discard a card, you may reveal that card and put it on top of your library instead of putting it anywhere else.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This has the following ruling:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>If a spell or ability an opponent controls causes you to make a choice and you choose to discard a card, Nephalia Academy’s ability will apply.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This should make it clear that even when you have a choice to make; if you choose the thing that the ability cares about, it counts as your opponent's spell or ability "causing" it to happen.</p>

<p>In the case of Annihilator; your opponent controls the Annihilator triggered ability which is what causes you to sacrifice a permanent.</p>

<p>This would be no different if you controlled an Eldrazi Conscription enchanting an opponent's creature; because your opponent's creature is still the object with the Annihilator ability. It would be different if Eldrazi Conscription said "whenever enchanted creature attacks; defending player must sacrifice 2 permanents". If that were the wording; then you would be the controller of the ability, not your opponent.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-13T21:01:08.037Z
The reference to the ruling on Nephalia Acadamy is helpful. At first I wasn't sure that discarding and sacrificing were going to have a relevant connection, but the ruling about making choices seems to be pretty clear.
InternetHobo
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-13T21:56:14.157Z
@InternetHobo Yeah I wasn't able to find any other "causes"-worded card except ones that talked about discarding. But the "even if you had a choice" seems key. I don't think the comprehensive rules define something like this, because it's relying on the normal English meaning of the word "causes".
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-13T20:21:02.633Z
2020-04-13T20:21:02.633Z
GendoIkari
<p>My understanding is that being attacked by a creature with Annihilator N, which would force me to choose and sacrifice N permanents while have a <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5214" rel="noreferrer">Sacred Ground</a> on the battlefield means that if I sacrificed lands on resolution those lands would come back onto the battlefield since an opponent controlled the Annihilator ability. (Possibly even providing me with a benefit, due to ETB effects or sacrificing tapped Basic lands to get them back untapped.)</p>

<p>However, I understand that any intervening ability or effects including state based effects would interfere with the <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5214" rel="noreferrer">Sacred Ground</a>'s ability. For instance a <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=397410" rel="noreferrer">Stalking Stones</a> that's turned itself into an Artifact Creature should come back from an opponent's <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=439771" rel="noreferrer">Shatter</a>, but not a <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=442130" rel="noreferrer">Lightning Bolt</a> since the state based action of having enough damage to kill it puts it in the graveyard, not the <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=442130" rel="noreferrer">Lightning Bolt</a> itself.</p>

<p><strong>Are there any intervening effects involved in making a choice of sacrifices, or other effects I've missed, that prevent <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5214" rel="noreferrer">Sacred Ground</a> from bringing back a land sacrificed to an opponent's creature's Annihilator ability?
Or are there any issues in my interpretation of the abilities in question?</strong></p>

<p>If <em>I</em> gave the opponent's creature the Annihilator ability through <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=456599" rel="noreferrer">Eldrazi Conscription</a> (or copy effects or other contrivance...) does anything change? (Not that I plan to do anything of the sort, just to be comprehensive in my understanding.)</p>

<magic-the-gathering>
Can Sacred Ground mitigate Annihilator?
InternetHobo
# Can Sacred Ground mitigate Annihilator?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-04-13)

My understanding is that being attacked by a creature with Annihilator N, which would force me to choose and sacrifice N permanents while have a [Sacred Ground](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5214) on the battlefield means that if I sacrificed lands on resolution those lands would come back onto the battlefield since an opponent controlled the Annihilator ability. (Possibly even providing me with a benefit, due to ETB effects or sacrificing tapped Basic lands to get them back untapped.)

However, I understand that any intervening ability or effects including state based effects would interfere with the [Sacred Ground](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5214)'s ability. For instance a [Stalking Stones](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=397410) that's turned itself into an Artifact Creature should come back from an opponent's [Shatter](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=439771), but not a [Lightning Bolt](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=442130) since the state based action of having enough damage to kill it puts it in the graveyard, not the [Lightning Bolt](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=442130) itself.

**Are there any intervening effects involved in making a choice of sacrifices, or other effects I've missed, that prevent [Sacred Ground](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5214) from bringing back a land sacrificed to an opponent's creature's Annihilator ability?
Or are there any issues in my interpretation of the abilities in question?**

If *I* gave the opponent's creature the Annihilator ability through [Eldrazi Conscription](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=456599) (or copy effects or other contrivance...) does anything change? (Not that I plan to do anything of the sort, just to be comprehensive in my understanding.)

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-04-13. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Yes, this works as you describe.

Although Sacred Ground has no rulings in Gatherer; we can look at a similarly-worded card, such as [Nephalia Academy](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bNephalia%20Academy%5d).

> If a spell or ability an opponent controls causes you to discard a card, you may reveal that card and put it on top of your library instead of putting it anywhere else.

This has the following ruling:

> If a spell or ability an opponent controls causes you to make a choice and you choose to discard a card, Nephalia Academy’s ability will apply.

This should make it clear that even when you have a choice to make; if you choose the thing that the ability cares about, it counts as your opponent's spell or ability "causing" it to happen.

In the case of Annihilator; your opponent controls the Annihilator triggered ability which is what causes you to sacrifice a permanent.

This would be no different if you controlled an Eldrazi Conscription enchanting an opponent's creature; because your opponent's creature is still the object with the Annihilator ability. It would be different if Eldrazi Conscription said "whenever enchanted creature attacks; defending player must sacrifice 2 permanents". If that were the wording; then you would be the controller of the ability, not your opponent.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: The reference to the ruling on Nephalia Acadamy is helpful. At first I wasn't sure that discarding and sacrificing were going to have a relevant connection, but the ruling about making choices seems to be pretty clear.  
> **username_1**: @username_0 Yeah I wasn't able to find any other "causes"-worded card except ones that talked about discarding. But the "even if you had a choice" seems key. I don't think the comprehensive rules define something like this, because it's relying on the normal English meaning of the word "causes".  

---

