Why Can't you stop a Thassa's Oracle win after the spell resolves?

[MechaPsyche]

First post so I'm sorry if stuff isn't formatted correctly.

This has to do with a clarification of rule 603.6 and that I commonly hear and read statements stating "you can't interact with Thassa's Oracle as a permanent".

603.6 states:

Trigger events that involve objects changing zones are called “zone-change triggers.” Many abilities with zone-change triggers attempt to do something to that object after it changes zones. During resolution, these abilities look for the object in the zone that it moved to. If the object is unable to be found in the zone it went to, the part of the ability attempting to do something to the object will fail to do anything. The ability could be unable to find the object because the object never entered the specified zone, because it left the zone before the ability resolved, or because it is in a zone that is hidden from a player, such as a library or an opponent’s hand. (This rule applies even if the object leaves the zone and returns again before the ability resolves.) The most common zone-change triggers are enters-the-battlefield triggers and leaves-the-battlefield triggers.

The most important bit being "During resolution, these abilities look for the object in the zone that it moved to. If the object is unable to be found in the zone it went to, the part of the ability attempting to do something to the object will fail to do anything".

So I take this to mean that if you use an instant to remove Thassa's Oracle from the battle field while the ETB is still on the stack then the ETB will fizzle because it will check for Thassa's Oracle and then not find it.

When I first heard people saying "you can't interact after the spell resolves" I thought it was just hyperbole, but I keep hearing/reading this and I am know wondering if there's something that I am misinterpreting. Can you remove Thassa's Oracle from the battlefield with the etb on the stack to stop the player from winning?

[The Golgari Guy]

So I take this to mean that if you use an instant to remove Thassa's Oracle from the battle field while the ETB is still on the stack then the ETB will fizzle because it will check for Thassa's Oracle and then not find it.

That's not how it works, because the ability doesn't need to check for the Oracle itself in any way. It will resolve regardless of whether the Oracle is removed or not. The only way to stop an oracle is either to counter it or to Stifle its triggered ability. If you're playing blue, Tale's End is a pretty versatile card since it can stop Thoracle but also counter a commander for example.

If, for example, you play a creature with an ability that says: "when this enters the battlefiled, put two +1/+1 counters on this", and the creature is removed in response to the ETB trigger, then the ability will indeed fizzle, since it will check for the creature and not find it.

[The Golgari Guy]

PS: Also take a look here, it may interest you https://deckstats.net/forum/index.php?topic=57320.0

[anjinsan]

The only way to stop an oracle is either to counter it or to Stifle its triggered ability.

Any way of invalidating the win condition will work - but indeed, removing Thoracle itself doesn't do that. It will lower devotion, but usually when you Thoracle you have an empty deck so a devotion of zero is usually enough. However, an instant-speed way to put cards back into someone's library would work.

Typically, this means shuffling their graveyard - there's that new green flash creature, and Learn from the Past, etc. Feasibly, you could also e.g. put a creature on their library (and also lower devotion - Repel or similar on Thoracle itself ought to work, actually. At least for a turn, anyway... and if they have no other devotion).I

Or, of course, you could win at instant speed yourself!