Can lands be used as an instant?
Asked by alblaster 13 years ago
I know lands don't use the stack and can't be countered. My question is if the opponent is trying to kill your creature with an instant on your 1st main phase, can you put down a non-basic land with an ability that would save the creature(Sejiri Steppe ) in response to the instant?
π_is_the_word says... Accepted answer #2
No, if your opponent is responding to something else you are doing on your first main phase with an instant, you can not drop a land at instant speed. However, your opponent cannot play an instant whenever he/she chooses on your turn. Your opponent must wait for you to do something and in response he/she may play an instant. So, if you have not done anything then your opponent can do nothing until you do something which he/she can respond to.
Remember that you cannot respond to a land coming into play.
January 5, 2011 6:53 p.m.
MagnorCriol says... #4
They printed Ruin Ghost for exactly this sort of thing, actually - it lets you pop a land in at instant speed.
January 5, 2011 7:24 p.m.
If the land (i.e. Sejiri Steppe ) has a 187 ability then that triggered ability will use the stack and can be responded to. Actually playing the land does not use the stack and happens at sorcery speed.
January 5, 2011 7:39 p.m.
305.1. A player who has priority may play a land card from his or her hand during a main phase of his or her turn when the stack is empty.
So if you played a creature and your opponent countered it, you would not be able to respond by playing a land.
January 5, 2011 8:22 p.m.
if your not into standard you can play Knight of the Reliquary which is a bit better
January 5, 2011 9:56 p.m.
erm, Hate to be the one to point this out, but there are some cards that can break this usually correct ruleset mentioned above.
The only problem here is that for your question, the answer is that there isn't any way in the first turn to be honest (outside of countering the spell for free...), In standard you have Ruin Ghost (if the land is already in play), somehow casting Primeval Titan at instant speed (Only way would be Leyline of Anticipation ), but there is one creature that allows you to get a land into play at instant speed... Walking Atlas . As you can see, to all these options, you will need to have a few extra lands down already...
Outside of standard, you will be needing to look at cards that essentially don't say "basic land"... good luck with that :) As I don't think there is any 0 casting cost card that will allow you to get extra lands into play... Unless you use Fastbond , and even then, that won't work for instant land dropping.
Hope this helps.
January 6, 2011 12:02 a.m.
I apologize for chasing a bunny trail but I believe that you can activate an instant at any point your opponent passes priority, not just if they do something.
Basically priority means that if they want to play something, they get the first chance. If you want to play something off turn, basically all you have to do is ask them if they want to play something, when they pass their priority by saying no, you can then play something at instant speed.
Am I wrong about this? I have always played this way in tournaments and I have never been called on it before so I assume it's right.
January 6, 2011 2:58 a.m.
Your right Mpz5, but I was answering regarding the question of getting a land into play at instant speed in the first turn ...
As Pointed out, cards like Walking Atlas can get lands into play at instant speed.
January 6, 2011 5:55 p.m.
Ok, I was just trying to make sure that I haven't been cheating this whole time. I play at a local tourney and usually people turn to me and one other guy for rulings because we tend to know the ones others don't. I just like to be sure that I have them right.
Vorxis says... #1
I don't think so. Land doesn't usually interact with the stack, though I could be wrong.
January 5, 2011 6:48 p.m.