If Soulgorger or Spectral Maiden have no legal targets in trash, does their ability still create a trigger on the chain that can be reacted to?

Ruling: If you have no legal targets in your trash, you cannot activate the ability at all. Nothing is placed on the chain and no reactions can be played.

Nuances:

• If you do have a legal target, you can decline the "may" ability, which still creates a trigger on the chain that can be reacted to
• You must have a legal target to activate the ability in the first place