When Vex Apathetic is at the battlefield and Elder Drake is played, does he still do damage?
Yes, Elder Dragon still deals damage and its passive ability will still function, even if it is stunned by Vex, Apathetic.
Here is the breakdown of the interaction:
The Sequence of Events
- Playing Elder Dragon: The opponent plays the Elder Dragon. Its "When you play me" triggered ability is placed on the chain.
- Vex's Trigger: Vex, Apathetic's ability ("When an opponent plays a unit...") triggers and is placed on the chain.
- Chain Resolution: The chain resolves in Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) order.
- Vex’s ability resolves first, programmatically selecting the Elder Dragon and applying the Stun effect.
- Elder Dragon’s "When you play me" ability then resolves, dealing 1 damage to the chosen enemy units.
Why Elder Dragon still functions:
- Stun vs. Passive Abilities: According to RiftJudge FAQ #10447, a stunned unit cannot contribute its Might to combat damage (Rule 423.1.b), but being stunned does not deactivate a unit's passive abilities. Because Elder Dragon's ability ("Any amount of your damage is enough to kill enemy units") is a passive ability, it remains active even while the unit is stunned.
- Dealing Damage: The damage dealt by Elder Dragon’s "When you play me" ability is a separate game action from combat damage. Since the ability triggers and resolves as part of playing the card (which happens before Vex's stun would have any impact on the Elder Dragon's ability to "attack"), the Elder Dragon successfully deals its damage.
Summary: Vex, Apathetic will successfully stun the Elder Dragon, preventing it from moving or contributing its Might to combat damage during the Combat Damage Step, but it does not stop the Elder Dragon from dealing the damage specified by its "When you play me" ability, nor does it deactivate the Elder Dragon's passive ability.