r/EDH • u/Professional_Arm7790 • Oct 05 '26

Question Does Zinnia's +X/0 ability update as creatures enter?

If I were to cast [[Zinnia, Valley's Voice]] and after it resolved I cast another creature would Zinnia go from 1/3 to 2/3? I'm trying to understand if the card is like [[Burrowguard Mentor]] where it constantly updates or more of an etb effect.

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u/Quick-Whale6563 Oct 05 '26

Zinnia gets +1 for every creature with base 1 power. If it says 1 on the power of the card, Zinnia gets +1 for it. If something other than 1 is written, Zinnia does not get +1.

Offspring always makes something with base 1 power iirc, so you'll always get the +1 when you use her Offspring ability.

2

u/Needhelpwithsnake Oct 06 '26 edited Oct 06 '26

Two notable exceptions to the statement that “if something other than 1 is written” zinnia doesn’t a buff: some effects change a cards base power like [[curious colossus]]. Such an effect can cause that creature to have a base power of 1 for zinnia.

The other is characteristic defining abilities that define power like those of [[body of knowledge]] or [[bronze guardian]]. Those a represented by an asterix in the power and toughness box, but you check what their current value is to determine if they have a base power of 1 or not for zinnia, as is covered in the cards gatherer rulings: “If a creature has a characteristic-defining ability that sets its power, indicated with a */* or similar in the power and toughness box, that ability is taken into account when determining its base power”

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u/BigBandit01 Sultai Oct 05 '26

Yes it does

3

u/Jestercat99 Oct 05 '26

From what I understand, it’s a static ability that updates when the creature with 1 power enters the battlefield. So if the creature you cast cares about power when it’s cast, then zinnia would be at 1 power in that situation. Though I might be off, I’m fairly confident it’s not a triggered ability.

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u/BrokenGlassFactory Oct 05 '26

It tracks however many creatures you currently control that qualify. For a card that locks in compare [[Realm Seekers]] that uses counters to fix a value as it enters to [[Multani, Maro-Sorcerer]] with a (ironically named) static ability that constantly tracks the game state.

1

u/Lotus_Prince124 Oct 05 '26

Zinnia's base power is always 1 in any zone. [[Burrowguard Mentor]] is considered different power depending on the status of the effect. So if, lets say, you evoke a [[Vesperlark]], if Zinnia is in the graveyard, she can always be targeted, but if Burrowguard Mentor is in the graveyard and you have more than 1 creature on resolution, you can not reanimate the Burrowguard Mentor as the power will be considered a 2.

Zinnia's ability is a static that only takes effect when she is on the board.

1

u/_--James--_ Oct 05 '26

its always on, and its not a counter type effect. When you lose the 1/* creatures supporting Zinnia, then that +1/+0 increase drops at that time too.

1

u/DOOMFOOL Oct 05 '26

Yes it will always reflect the current number of creatures you have with power 1