Spree Cards Interact Poorly with Ward
I think the issue has to do with the way the game handles targeting on Spree cards that is incongruent with the procedure.
Example:
Opponent has a Vein Ripper in play which has a Ward of "Sacrifice a creature".
I have a single non-token creature.
I cast Getaway Glamer which has two Spree options:
1. Exile a creature and return it to the battlefield at the end step.
2. Destroy target creature if it is the creature with the highest power (no higher power).
The entire point of Getaway Glamer is to exit the battlefield and then kill the target, who is the highest power on the battlefield at that point. A "Glamer" is associated with "illusion magic", indicating the point is to exit the battlefield leaving something behind that destroys the target. The card processes the Spree options in order, top to bottom, and yet it apparently does all the targeting when the spell is cast, negating the point of the first Spree option.
What happens is:
Target my own creature with Spree Option 1
Target an opponent creature with Spree Option 2
Ward triggers forcing me to sacrifice the creature i've targeted to exile with the first Spree action.
The Ward of the second action preempts the first action, making it not a "Spree" at all but a typical two-target spell that immediately triggers any Ward effects.
The game actually processes the return step for a creature that doesn't exist based on the initial target for Spree action #1. I guess the glamer fooled something at least.
routergnome#42116
shared this idea
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routergnome#42116
commented
And Spree cards interact poorly with ward for that reason. In other conditions the first order of business processes first. Spree is a separate mechanic. You go down the order on the card like other kinds of 'modal' options, but it's not just a normal modal card. If it's a 'Spree' then it is expected behavior to not simply be exactly like every other modal option.
Cast glamer with both options. Target both creatures. Card then processes each Spree modality separately: target 1 -> effect. Target 2 -> ward -> effect.
Maybe that's not how they want it to function or maybe they can't without altering the rules, but from my intuitive sense, a "spree" means doing one thing and then doing another, with them being performed in sequence. I like Spree cards generally, but not with how they interact with ward as i already explained. I don't have a problem with other modal cards triggering all wards for all modal options, because it's not expected to behave that way--its doing all things simultaneously, placed on the stack as you describe.
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Rezzahan#77802
commented
And? That is exactly how the rules say the game works. Targets are chosen when a spell or ability is put on the stack. Once you finished that process, any appropriate triggers, like ward, go on the stack on top of that. Therefore you have to pay the ward of the Vein Ripper before your spell resolves.