Can someone target a creature that was sacrificed as part of the casting cost?
Asked by rckclimber777 13 years ago
I was playing the other day against a valakut deck and I played Fling which says as an additional cost sacrifice a creature. He played a Harrow on top which activated valakut dealing 6 damage to the creature that I was flinging. Now shouldn't the creature have left the battlefield before Harrow actually played out since I still cast Fling which means I should still sacrifice the creature.
You have it right rckclimber.
The fact that you had cast Fling means you were obligated to pay the cost of the spell in full, and sacrificing a creature is very clearly a part of the cost.
So when you cast and paid for the fling it would be on the stack with the last known information about the creature's power locked in and the creature itself would be in the graveyard well before he could have the opportunity to respond to it.
December 17, 2010 12:49 p.m.
However You have to remember an instant is called an instant for a reason, it will always happen BEFORE whatever is on the stack before it (the stack resolves in the opposite direction it was played) Therefore the most Recent instant that was played would resolve because it was actually cast Before the one after it, and so on.
In this situation Player A casts Fling, Seeing this Player B Casts His own Instant (harrow) in Response Placing it on the stack Before Fling. The stack then resolves as follows. Harrow being the most recent spell cast resolves Putting its 2 mountains into play which auto trigger Valakuts Damage ability, Damage is Instantaneously delt to creature in question. if creatures toughness is less than the 6 damage dealt it is immediately sent to the graveyard.
After all of This has resolved we now move to the next item below harrow on the stack, Fling.
It has currently been declared cast but not paid for, now the mana is tapped and the casting requirements are met. The creature that was sent to the graveyard just before is no longer on the field to be sacrificed, so one of 2 things will happen.
- Another Creature may be named as the target creature and fling will then Resolve normally,
Or
- If No other creature is in play on Player A's Battlefield then the secondary cost Cannot be played and the spell Fizzles going to the graveyard without its effect resolving.
Desevrus says... #1
No your creature can't be targeted, just like the mana that leaves your mana pool as part of the cost, the creature leaves the battlefield as part of the cost.
December 17, 2010 12:29 p.m.