Question about Lorwyn Commands

[mattdeballer]

With Regionals coming around, I figure now would be a good time to figure if I am playing things correctly. I have been told with the Lorwyn commands, that if both parts target, and one is countered, the second still resolves. For example, if I cast Profane Command targeting return a Creature from my yard to play, and give a dude -X/-X, if they RFG the guy I target for whatever reason, would I still get to use the -/- effect? Logically, I would assume not, but I have been told that it still goes through.

Take this example. If I cast Primal Command, and I choose to put target noncreature permanent on top of its owner's library and then search for a dude, and they fizzle the first part, I do not get the second part. That makes sense, as order of operations steps in, and disallows the spell to continue resolving if the other part does not.

Thus I ask why, or how. If I am even correct, is "Target" the reason that it works on Profane, but not on Primal. This is how it was explained to me, but I would like to know for sure.

Thanks in advance.

[Clariax]

In the examples you gave, the Profane Command would still resolve but the Primal Command would be countered.  If a targeted spell has all of its targets illegal on resolution then it's countered.  If however at least one of its targets is still legal, the spell will resolve and do as much as possible, doing nothing to any illegal targets.

The Profane Command has 2 targets.  One of the targets is no longer legal, but there is still one legal target, so the spell will resolve doing as much as possible.  The Primal Command in this example however only has 1 target.  Since this target becomes illegal, it is now a targeted spell with all of its targets illegal, so it is countered on resolution.

[Harlequin]

This rule is confusing for people who play primarily type 1 because the only real common situation where this comes type of rule would apply, has an errata to make it actually NOT follow the rule:  the card is Goblin Welder.

Here is the errata:
: Choose target artifact a player controls and target artifact card in that player's graveyard. If both targets are still legal as this ability resolves, that player sacrifices the artifact in play, then puts the other artifact from his or her graveyard into play.

Making 1 target illegal in this case causes the entire effect to not resolves only because the errata explicitly says so.

[Clariax]

Goblin Welder's ability does follow this rule, and always has followed this rule.  The errata to Goblin Welder is due to it previously containing what would now be a misuse of the word "exchange."  If one target of Goblin Welder is legal and the other is not legal, the ability will still resolve, it simply won't do anything.  While functionally this is often identical to the ability being countered, it is not the same.  Before its errata, this was not explicitly stated on the card because it was covered by the rules for "exchange."  The change was necessary because "exchange" now specifically refers to and exchange between players, not between zones.