Can I sac a fetchland to get the mana I need to respond to something an opponent plays?
Asked by Legendinc 14 years ago
A simple question really, say I have a Misty Rainforest out and two Island s untapped, while the rest of my land is all tapped out.
my opponent hardcasts Summoning Trap and in my hand I have Stoic Rebuttal with no metalcraft ability. I only have two Island s but can I, in response, pay the one life and crack Misty Rainforest , bringing out either an Island or Forest and have enough mana to counter Summoning Trap with my Stoic Rebuttal ?
i'm pretty sure i can do that, but i'm not 100% sure with all the technical calls on spell speed, and stack, and resolve and all that.
okay sweet, thanks
yeah, i know most of the rules, if not all the basic ones, but when you get down to the nitty gritty like....core of specific rules and situations, I'm at a loss.
November 20, 2010 3:35 a.m.
Yes.
But perhaps not for the reason you think. This is all about priority, not speed. Whoever was last to have something resolved is granted priority until/unless they pass.
1) Your opponent casts Summoning Trap and it goes on the stack. Priority is his, so he can still cast some more. But he tapped out to hardcast it, so he has no more spells to sling, so he passes priority.
2) You have priority. You crack your Misty Rainforest to fetch that mana you need. It goes on the stack and you pass priority.
3) He can't do anything, so he passes priority too (if he had some more mana he could do things but nothing relevant)
4) Because you both just passed, the first thing on the stack resolves. This would be you cracking the fetch. You get your land.
5) Suddenly, new priority begins! Your fetchland cracking resolved, and now you have the priority to tap all of them and cast your Stoic Rebuttal on his Summoning Trap .
Nobody does anything because there's nothing to do/no mana/no cards to play/weebles to tap, your spell resolves, he gets nothing.
And this is why Kaley loves counterspells.
November 20, 2010 3:40 a.m.
that makes a lot of sense.
especially since my intuitive imagination pictures huge colored, dyed blocks whenever somebody uses stack to explain technicality stuff in magic
so in my head I picture both players operating their own, huge block moving crane, and each spell they cast, they place a block on the stack, etc.....
and now what you've just explained makes me think that every time a new priority begins, a new column of stacked blocks is being built.
if that makes any sense at all.
November 20, 2010 3:48 a.m.
Magical Tetris. You must clear the blocks to resolve your spells.
November 20, 2010 3:58 a.m.
thaimaishuu says... #7
Priority is what gives a player the chance to make an action. Such as casting spells, activating triggers, etc. If a player does not have priority they are not allowed to do anything.
Priority is really important, but it is so automatic that you don't notice it in many situations, like your case. The stack is just so deeply rooted that it feels like common sense. It feels natural that you should be able to react to what your opponent does and in most cases you can.
One instance where priority is more noticeable is the playing of planeswalkers. Once a planeswalker resolves the controller may immediately put it's ability on the stack before it is hit by something, let say Lightning Bolt . This is because, like Zanven said, "Whoever was last to have something resolved is granted priority until/unless they pass." (I hope he doesn't mind if I quoted him :P)
thaimaishuu says... Accepted answer #1
Yes you can.
You can sacrifice Misty Rainforest in response to Summoning Trap being casted. Then pay the mana with the lands, which doesn't use the stack.
I know what you mean by technical calls though. I'm still grasping the concept of priority fully.
November 20, 2010 3:29 a.m.