Athreos question

[Dboe]

Hey guys, appreciate the advice.  So, athreos god of passage.  When a creature of mine dies, does it first bounce to my graveyard before arriving to my hand (assuming the 3hp lots want paid) or does it go directly to my hand from the battlefield?  A buddy of mine was thinking that the perilous myr would be good as he thinks it bounces first before it gets in my hand.  Is that the case? I don't feel like it is.

[G. Moto]

It would go to the graveyard first, then to your hand unless they pay the price. On the card (if you read carefully) it says "when another creature DIES...RETURN it to your hand. That means the creature died, went to the graveyard, and is now being placed back into your hand. So really the creature does not go directly from the battlefield to your hand.

[natesmith]

It would go to the graveyard first, then to your hand unless they pay the price. On the card (if you read carefully) it says "when another creature DIES...RETURN it to your hand. That means the creature died, went to the graveyard, and is now being placed back into your hand. So really the creature does not go directly from the battlefield to your hand.

Does Athreos work on creatures with Haunt?

[Dboe]

To my understanding, it would only work the moment they died, they would either go back to your hand or the graveyard. Then if it goes to the graveyard, the creature could haunt another creature.

[Mostlynotgay]

the Atheros ability is a triggered ability, not a replacement effect.  If it were a replacement effect, the creature would never hit the graveyard (something like "If a permanent would be put into a graveyard from play, instead return it to your hand unless..."). 

It's an effect that triggers when something "dies," which is a term that means "is put into the graveyard."
"700.4. The term dies means “is put into a graveyard from the battlefield.”"

So yes, Myr would still trigger because the creature, no matter what happens, will go to your graveyard (unless you have something with an anti gy replacement effect like Wheel of Sun and Moon or Leyline of the Void).  If they pay 3 life, the creature stays there. 

If a haunt creature dies, you end up with 2 triggers, both controlled by you.  Trigger 1 is "return to hand if opponent pays 3 life," and trigger 2 is "exile haunting."  You, as the controller of both triggers, would chose which order to put them on the stack, since they occur simultaneously affecting the same permanent.  If you wanted the "haunt" trigger to happen, you'd put trigger 1 on the stack first, then trigger 2.  Trigger 2 would resolve, which would exile the creature, and trigger 1 would be moot.  If you wanted the "opponent can pay 3 life" trigger to happen, you'd do the opposite. 

[Drunk Cynic]

It would go to the graveyard first, then to your hand unless they pay the price. On the card (if you read carefully) it says "when another creature DIES...RETURN it to your hand. That means the creature died, went to the graveyard, and is now being placed back into your hand. So really the creature does not go directly from the battlefield to your hand.

Does Athreos work on creatures with Haunt?

As the controller of both Athreos, God of Passage, and the creature with Haunt, you choose how the triggered abilities are placed on the stack. Following Last in, First out, it depends which effect is on top of the stack, and there are three cases that exist.

If Athreos, God of Passage, is on top, then it will resolve first. The opponent decides not to pay 3 life, so the creature is returned to your hand. When the Haunt triggered ability resolves, it can't find the card in the graveyard, so nothing happens.

With Athreos, God of Passage on top, it will resolve first. The opponent decides to pay 3 life, negating the triggered effect. Next, the Haunt ability resolves, and you exile it from the game, haunting target creature.

Separately, with the Haunt effect on top of the stack, you exile it from the game haunting target creature. That done, the Athreos, God of Passage effect resolves. Since the card is no longer in the graveyard, nothing happens.