If I use Here to Help to play Akshan in reaction to Dazzling Aurora's End of Round trigger and steal Aurora, does the trigger still resolve?

Question

Accepted Answer

Yes. The triggered ability from Dazzling Aurora remains on the chain and will still resolve for the player who controlled Dazzling Aurora when it triggered, even if your opponent reacts by playing Here to Help to play Akshan and steal Dazzling Aurora before the trigger resolves. The trigger is a pending chain item and does not disappear simply because its source changed controllers; it will execute its instructions when it resolves, subject to the usual rules for instructions that can’t be followed or partially followed [FAQ:unleashed#2] [359.3.e.6].

The End of Turn trigger from Dazzling Aurora will still resolve after your opponent plays Here to Help to play and resolve Akshan and steal Dazzling Aurora. When the trigger resolves it will reveal cards from the original controller’s Main Deck until a unit is revealed, attempt to play that unit ignoring its cost, and recycle the rest. Parts of that instruction that cannot be executed (for example, if the revealed unit cannot legally be played) are ignored or executed as much as possible [FAQ:unleashed#2] [359.3.e.11] [359.3.e.6].

At the end of the turn, Dazzling Aurora's ability triggers and that triggered ability is placed on the chain as a pending chain item [FAQ:unleashed#2]. During the Closed State while that trigger is pending, an opponent may play Here to Help as a Reaction (Reactions can be played during Closed States) to play Akshan to a battlefield they control [813.1.c.1]. If Akshan's play effect steals control of Dazzling Aurora, that change of controller happens as part of resolving Akshan's play and associated effects (before the pending trigger finishes resolving). After all reactions finish and the pending chain item for Dazzling Aurora's trigger resolves, it will execute: reveal cards from the top of the original controller’s Main Deck until a unit is revealed; attempt to play that revealed unit ignoring its cost; recycle the rest [FAQ:unleashed#2]. If any instruction of that trigger can’t be carried out (for example, the revealed unit can’t legally be played to any battlefield the trigger’s controller controls), the game follows the partial-execution rules and ignores the parts that can’t be done [359.3.e.11] [359.3.e.6].

If Akshan or another effect moves Dazzling Aurora to a non-board zone (e.g., banish or hand) before the trigger was placed on the chain, different results may follow — a trigger that never existed won't resolve. If the pending trigger requires any choices or costs during finalization and those choices become illegal (for example, the original controller no longer has a legal battlefield to play the revealed unit to), the instructions that can’t be followed are ignored or partially followed as applicable [359.3.e.11] [359.3.e.6]. If some other effect countered or removed the pending trigger card from the chain before it finalized, then it would not resolve; this ruling assumes the trigger was already placed on the chain and not countered.

Triggered abilities are placed on the chain as pending chain items once their trigger condition is satisfied and the controller decides to place them there; they remain as independent chain items to be finalized and resolved even if the originating permanent later changes controllers [FAQ:unleashed#2]. Reactions (like playing Here to Help) are permitted during Closed States and so an opponent can legally play Here to Help in response to Dazzling Aurora's pending trigger to play Akshan and steal Dazzling Aurora while that trigger is still on the chain [813.1.c.1]. That change of control does not automatically remove the already-pending trigger from the chain. When the pending Dazzling Aurora trigger resolves, it performs its instructions using the game state at resolution. Because Dazzling Aurora's text does not target any object on the board (it says to reveal cards from your Main Deck until you reveal a unit, play it ignoring its cost, and recycle the rest), there is no targeting relationship that would be invalidated by changing controllers. The trigger will therefore reveal cards from the original controller's Main Deck and attempt to play the revealed unit, ignoring its cost, then recycle the rest [FAQ:unleashed#2]. If, however, part of that instruction cannot be carried out at resolution (for instance the revealed unit cannot legally be played to any battlefield the trigger’s controller controls), the game follows the partial-execution rules: do as much as possible and ignore what can’t be done [359.3.e.11] [359.3.e.6]. In short: stealing Dazzling Aurora after its End of Turn trigger has been placed on the chain does not stop that trigger from resolving; it resolves for the player who controlled Dazzling Aurora when it triggered, subject to the usual rules about partially-executable instructions and illegal actions.