Deathknell — Riftbound Rules

808.1.

Deathknell is a Triggered Ability keyword.

808.1.a.

It is present on Permanents.

808.1.b.

It is formatted as "[Deathknell][>] [Effect]".

808.1.b.1.

[Effect] is the rules text for the specific instance of Deathknell. This is referred to as the Deathknell effect.

808.1.c.

It is functionally short for "When I die, [Effect]."

808.1.c.1.

[Effect] is the rules text of the Deathknell effect.

808.1.d.

The Trigger for this and similar effects that trigger on their source’s death is the Permanent being Killed and sent to the Trash.

808.1.d.1.

If the Permanent with the effect is not sent to the Trash, for example because its "killed" event was replaced with a recall, the triggered ability will be removed from the chain. Example: Draven, Audacious is killed in combat. Draven reads in part “When I die in combat, choose an opponent. They gain 1 point.” Draven’s controller has a Zhonya’s Hourglass in base. Draven’s death is replaced by him being healed, recalled, and exhausted. Draven’s triggered ability will be removed from the chain.

808.1.d.2.

The trigger will be added to the chain as a Pending Item before the card with an ability that triggers on its own death is moved to the trash due to a Kill instruction or a Cleanup.

808.1.d.3.

Before the card is moved to the Trash, note its location, its attributes, and any other details related to the effect of its triggered ability to process the trigger after it has been Finalized.

808.2.

Each instance of Deathknell a Permanent may have will trigger separately.

808.2.a.

The controller will choose the order to add these Triggers to the chain.

808.3.

Deathknell, and whether or not a permanent has Deathknell, is a characteristic of the permanent and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.

Related FAQ (1)

Does the damage from Kog'Maw's Deathknell ability happen before or after combat damage is healed?

After. Kog'Maw, Caustic has a Deathknell ability that says “Deal 4 to all units at my battlefield." Under the revised rules, all damage currently on units will be healed before Kog'Maw's Deathknell ability resolves. This does mean, however, that any units that survive his Deathknell will still have 4 damage on them after combat, and you can use a spell or another combat to finish them off. This is a change from previous rulings.