#layer system

Layer System

I’m assuming you choose to switch the Fluxcharger’s power and toughness when prompted. (The Fluxcharger’s trigger says “you may", so you can choose not to.)

The answer is that the Fluxcharger will be a 10/1. I know this is a bit unintuitive since the Fluxcharger’s trigger will resolve before the Tower Defense does, but the reason is that the continuous effects created by Fluxcharger’s trigger and Tower Defense (switching Fluxcharger’s power and toughness, and giving Fluxcharger +0/+5, respectively) exist in different layers in the Layer System.

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If you’ve never heard of the Layer System, you probably want to stop here and check out MTG Tutorials #27 (Part One): What is the Layer System? and #27 (Part Two): The 8th Layer and Beyond.

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All caught up? Here’s how Fluxcharger looks after its trigger and Tower Defense have both finished resolving. (We’ll only bother looking at the sub-layers in Layer 7, which handles power and toughness, since nothing’s affecting Fluxcharger in Layers 1-6.)

Layer 7A: (nothing)

Layer 7B: (nothing)

Layer 7C: Fluxcharger gets +0/+5

Layer 7D: (nothing)

Layer 7E: switch Fluxcharger’s power and toughness

Applying the layers in order, Fluxcharger first becomes 1/10, then becomes 10/1. Remember, because the effects fit into different layers, it is not necessary to look at which one took effect first ("timestamps").

There’s two things at work here.

Dragonshift makes Foundry Street Denizen lose all abilities, so its ability won’t continue to trigger if more creatures enter the battlefield after Dragonshift takes effect. Keep that in mind.

However, any previous triggers that have given Foundry Street Denizen +1/+0 will still take effect. This is because effects which modify power and toughness are in a later sub-layer than effects which set power and toughness to a certain value.

After Dragonshift resolves, Foundry Street Denizen’s layers look like this:

Layer 1:

Layer 2:

Layer 3:

Layer 4: becomes a Dragon (replaces previous types)

Layer 5: becomes blue and red (replaces previous colors)

Layer 6: loses all abilities, then gains flying

Layer 7a:

Layer 7b: becomes 4/4 (replaces base power/toughness)

Layer 7c: gets +1/+0 (or whatever modifiers are already on it)

Layer 7d:

Layer 7e:

MTG Tutorials #27 (Part Two): The 8th Layer and Beyond

Be sure and check out Part One: What is the Layer System?

You can also check out our Layer System flowchart right over here.

*** IMPORTANT REMINDER ***

Following the release of the Magic 2014 Core Set, the rules have been changed so that "indestructible" is now a keyword ability (something a permanent has) instead of a characteristic (something a permanent is).

MTG Tutorials #27 (Part One): What is the Layer System?

Be sure and check out Part Two!

If two continuous effects exist within the same layer, they're applied in timestamp order.

In other words, they are applied in order from oldest to newest, based on when each effect began.

EDIT -- Things get a little more complicated if either effect comes from a characteristic-defining ability (CDA) or if one effect is dependent on the other, but generally the above is a good rule of thumb. To learn more about layers, check out:

MTG Tutorials #27 (Part One): What is the Layer System?