Do abilities that trigger 'When I move...' still resolve if the unit is moved to a different zone (like being returned to hand) before the trigger resolves?
Ruling: Yes, the triggered ability still resolves even if the unit is no longer at its destination or has been moved to a non-board zone. Triggers are evaluated when their condition is fulfilled and go on the chain; once on the chain, the trigger resolves regardless of whether the condition is still true.
Sequence:
- Unit moves, triggering the "When I move..." ability
- Trigger goes on the chain
- Even if the unit is moved again or removed before the trigger resolves, the trigger still resolves
Nuances:
- The trigger will fail to resolve properly only if the effect itself requires information about the unit that can no longer be determined (e.g., "draw a card for each friendly unit here" when "here" is undefined because the unit is no longer on board)
- Triggers that simply say "When I move..." without requiring location-dependent information will resolve normally
- All chain items check legality both when added to the chain and when they resolve, but this applies to the effect's requirements, not the trigger condition itself