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Singing Bell Strike is, in my opinion, a really peculiar Aura, from the point of view of ruling's exceptions.

While the controller of the Aura remains the one who cast it, it is also true that the ability granted to the enchanted creature can be activated by the creature's controller only.

What happens, then, if after casting Singing Bell on an opponent's creature, I cast River's Rebuke, choosing the opponent controlling a creature enchanted by Singing Bell

  1. Singing Bell Strike returns to its owner's hand
  2. Singing Bell Strike goes to the graveyard

Although i think the correct answer is 2,I question it just the same because it is not easy to entangle like others. This question is different from others, in the way that a beginner may do not understand that paying the activation cost of an Aura placed on an opponent's creature does not mean that the Aura's controller is the opponent itself. There is a point in the rule 303.4e :
-"Only the Aura’s controller can activate its abilities" -
that can be read in ways that lead to bad interpretations of this situation, and this in my opinion should be clarified.

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    303.4e means that abilities on the enchantment can only be activated by the controller (e.g. Bound by Moonsilver). Singing Bell Strike gives the ability to the creature itself. And only the creature's controller can activate it.
    – JonTheMon
    Dec 20, 2019 at 15:13
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    In what way is this question not addressed by boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/45857/…?
    – murgatroid99 ♦
    Dec 20, 2019 at 15:56
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    Re "Only the Aura’s controller can activate its abilities", The Aura has no activated abilities.
    – ikegami
    Dec 20, 2019 at 16:42
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    @murgatroid99 Based on the OP's comments on another answer, I actually think the question they were trying to ask could be about why the controller of the enchanted creature, rather than the controller of Singing Bell Strike, is the one who can activate the activated ability.
    – GendoIkari
    Dec 20, 2019 at 16:43
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    We should keep in mind that there is a language barrier here; while the OP's English is far better than my any-language-but-English; they are not quite fully fluent.
    – GendoIkari
    Dec 20, 2019 at 16:44

3 Answers 3

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Your opponent controls their creature, you control your Aura. If you cast River's Rebuke, their creature will leave the play field, and your Aura will go to the graveyard as a state-based effect:

704.5m If an Aura is attached to an illegal object or player, or is not attached to an object or player, that Aura is put into its owner’s graveyard.

In most respects, Singing Bell Strike isn't that much different than, say, Pacifism. If you played the Aura, you control it, no matter who controls the enchanted creature:

303.4e An Aura’s controller is separate from the enchanted object’s controller or the enchanted player; the two need not be the same. If an Aura enchants an object, changing control of the object doesn’t change control of the Aura, and vice versa.

The rule then goes on to distinguish between two types of abilities:

Only the Aura’s controller can activate its abilities. However, if the Aura grants an ability to the enchanted object (with “gains” or “has”), the enchanted object’s controller is the only one who can activate that ability.

So activated abilities on the Aura itself (like the activated abilities on Keldon Mantle) can only be activated by the Aura's controller.

Other Auras, however, give an activated ability to the enchanted creature. If you want, think of this as adding text to the rules box of the creature:

  • Singing Bell Strike gives 6: Untap this creature to the enchanted creature
  • Burning Anger gives [T] This creature deals damage equal to its power to any target. to the enchanted creature

Check out the difference in wording between Dragon Breath vs Dragon Mantle:

enter image description here enter image description here

If you play either on your own creature, then their "pump" +1/+0 abilities work (pretty much) the same. But if you play them on your opponent's creature (or, more likely, if you play it on your own creature, then your opponent gains control of your creature with the enchantment already attached), they work differently. For Dragon Breath, only the controller of the Aura can pay to pump up the creature. For Dragon Mantle, only the controller of the creature can pay to pump it up.

I even found a single card with an example of each. Check out Ocular Halo:

enter image description here

If your Ocular Halo ends up on your opponent's creature, then only they can tap the creature to draw a card, and only you can give it vigilance.

To emphasize something I alluded to above: it's unlikely you would want to play some of these Auras on your opponent's creatures (because you don't want to help them), this situation can also arise when you've already enchanted your own creature, and your opponent takes control of the creature (with Control Magic or something similar). Even though they've taken control of the creature, they have not taken control of the Aura attached to it, so this distinction is important.

So per your original question, this ability discussion doesn't change the controller of the Aura or the creature, so if all your opponent's permanents leave play, your aura will be left enchanting nothing, and will go to the graveyard.

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  • "However, if the Aura grants an ability to the enchanted object (with “gains” or “has”), the enchanted object’s controller is the only one who can activate that ability." Is this supposed to be part of the rules quote?
    – Taemyr
    Dec 20, 2019 at 16:16
  • @Taemyr Yes, that's part of the rules, the following sentence about 6: Untap this creature is my comment. If the creature is controlled by Bob, and Sally plays the Aura, the aura gives the creature (and therefore Bob) an activated ability to untap. I've edited to clarify.
    – BradC
    Dec 20, 2019 at 16:19
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River's Rebuke on your opponent does not return your Singing Bell Strike to anyone's hand. It will go to your graveyard as a state-based action.

State-based actions are checks that the game performs automatically whenever a player would gain priority. One of those checks is whether an aura is attached to a legal target. If it isn't, it goes to its owner's graveyard.

704.5m If an Aura is attached to an illegal object or player, or is not attached to an object or player, that Aura is put into its owner’s graveyard.

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You would still control the aura, even though it was cast on the opponent's creature and confers an ability to that creature. Therefore, when River's Rebuke is cast, targeting your opponent, Singing Bell Strike will no longer have a valid target and will therefore go to your graveyard. (303.4c)

Your stated rule, 303.4e, seems consistent with this.

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    Although Aura spells are targeted when cast; it doesn't "have a target" once it is on the battlefield; not being attached is what causes it to go to the graveyard.
    – GendoIkari
    Dec 20, 2019 at 15:10
  • I'm only saying that a line of 303.4e - " Only the Aura’s controller can activate its abilities" - in this situation does not apply. I don't think it's any small stuff, especially for beginners.
    – ManoFromBerlin
    Dec 20, 2019 at 16:05
  • @Massimiliano Is your real question here about how Keldon Mantle is different from Singing Bell Strike? As in why the controller of the aura can activate the activated abilities on Keldon Mantle, but not the activated ability mentioned on Singing Bell Strike?
    – GendoIkari
    Dec 20, 2019 at 16:41
  • Well, yes Gendolkari, yours could be an example. this question is not equal to others which it has been associated with. As an evidence,everyone can see the lots of comments and answers coming before the closing. I really disagree the duplication, and the closing of this question.
    – ManoFromBerlin
    Dec 21, 2019 at 9:42
  • This question wants to be an exemplification of the line of rule 303.4e,in which it states:-"However, if the Aura grants an ability to the enchanted object (with “gains” or “has”), the enchanted object’s controller is the only one who can activate that ability". Well, here is a situation in which it is possible to find "has" in the card text. I think it was important to make at least one example of this kind of situations and cards, without incurring in a duplication of question ... it is slightly different, but I admit that the difference from the question to which we refer is really little.
    – ManoFromBerlin
    Dec 23, 2019 at 15:58

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