Undercity Eliminator is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
When this creature enters, you may sacrifice an artifact or creature. When you do, exile target creature an opponent controls.
Complete guide
Undercity Eliminator is a versatile Gorgon Assassin that turns your board presence into a precise removal tool. By trading away a permanent, you can permanently remove a threat from the battlefield via exile.
Understanding Reflexive Triggers
The ability on Undercity Eliminator is a reflexive triggered ability. Unlike standard enter-the-battlefield effects, you do not choose a target creature to exile when the Gorgon first enters. Instead, the game waits for you to decide whether or not to sacrifice a permanent. Only after the sacrifice is performed does the second 'reflexive' part of the ability trigger and go on the stack, which is when you finally select the target.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, Undercity Eliminator enters the battlefield, putting its ability on the stack. When this resolves, you choose whether to sacrifice an artifact or creature. If you choose not to, nothing further happens. If you do sacrifice something, the 'When you do' ability triggers immediately. You then choose a target creature an opponent controls. Players can respond to this new trigger with spells or abilities before the target is actually exiled.
Strategic Timing
Because this ability exiles rather than destroys, it is an excellent answer to creatures with Indestructible or those with powerful 'when this creature dies' triggers. Since the sacrifice is optional, you can also simply play the Eliminator as a 3/3 body if you have nothing you wish to lose, though you will miss out on the removal effect.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumWhen Undercity Eliminator enters, you choose to sacrifice Solemn Simulacrum. This causes two things to happen: the Eliminator's reflexive ability triggers to exile an opponent's creature, and the Simulacrum's 'dies' ability triggers. You get to exile a threat and draw a card for your trouble.
Roaming ThroneIf you have Roaming Throne on the battlefield with 'Gorgon' or 'Assassin' chosen, Undercity Eliminator's enter ability triggers twice. For each trigger, you may sacrifice a permanent. If you sacrifice two permanents, you get two separate reflexive triggers, allowing you to exile two different creatures controlled by your opponents.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Undercity Eliminator
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You don't choose a target at the time Undercity Eliminator's ability triggers. Rather, a second "reflexive" ability triggers when you sacrifice an artifact or creature this way. You choose a target for that ability as it goes on the stack. Each player may respond to this triggered ability as normal.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Undercity Eliminator
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