My main question is when a spell is resolving, does it remain on the stack until its effect is finished?
If I have a Tidehollow Sculler on the battlefield, currently exiling a card from my opponent's hand, and I use a blink spell like Ghostly Flicker on it, what happens?
Ghostly Flicker is resolving (and is still on the stack), exiling my creature. Then as it leaves the battlefield, its triggered ability activates giving back my opponent his card I exiled.
Then my exiled creature returns to the battlefield, and his ETB triggered ability activates and I get to exile another card in my opponent's hand.
The part I'm confused about is whether my opponent can cast the card he received back from exile (or any card rather) in the middle of all of this. It's confusing to me because in my head, Ghostly Flicker is still in the middle of resolving, so I'm not sure if stuff can be put on the stack (or whether anybody has priority) even though Tidehollow Sculler's triggered abilities were put on the stack.
I have similar confusion for Epic Experiment. Once I cast the spell and it's resolving, do I put the spells I want to cast on the stack ON TOP of epic experiment while it's still resolving (meaning it is the last spell to leave the stack)? Can my opponents respond?
For both situations, if the spells still on the stack and are halfway through their effects while resolving, what happens if my opponent counters that spell? (i.e. Tidehollow is exiled, but hasn't returned yet, and epic experiment revealed the cards and I've chosen spells but some of them are still on the stack on top of epic experiment)
Okay, first lets deal with the tidehollow sculler situation. Your first misconception is that the exiled card returns as soon as the sculler is exiled. It doesn't. Tidehollow sculler has a triggered ability, and when it's exiled it does indeed trigger, however it does not go on the stack until after the ghostly flicker resolves. This means that it would return to the battlefield and have it's first ability trigger as well before either is put on the stack. At that point you would have two triggers waiting to be put on the stack and you can choose to put them on the stack in any order (since you control them both). So you can choose to have the card returned to the opponents hand first and then exile a card from the opponents hand, or exile first then have the card return. Players will not get a chance to respond during the resolution of ghostly flicker, however they can respond before each trigger resolves.
As for epic experiment, the casting of the cards are part of the resolution of the spell. Again no player has a chance to respond during the resolution of a spell, so the spells do indeed go on the stack above the epic experiment. But once epic experiment is finished resolving, players will get a chance to respond to the new spells on the stack at that point.
Also just because the spells are on the stack above the resolving epic experiment doesn't mean its the last to leave the stack. When epic experiment finishes resolving it will be removed from the stack and put into its owner's graveyard, and the other spells will still be on the stack waiting to resolve.
So then for Epic Experiment, as soon as I decide which spells I'm casting, and I put them all on the stack, Epic Experiment is removed from the stack and now players can respond?
So then for Epic Experiment, as soon as I decide which spells I'm casting, and I put them all on the stack, Epic Experiment is removed from the stack and now players can respond?
Yes after you choose what spells to cast, you'd then put all other cards exiled with epic experiment in the graveyard. After that as the last step of a resolving sorcery or instant it's put into its owners graveyard. Then players have a chance to respond before each spell resolves.
Ok it's clear to me now, thanks. One final thing, the cards I didn't choose to cast with epic experiment are returned to the graveyard as well.
So is the order for epic experiment:
- reveal top cards from library
- decide what to cast
- put remaining cards in graveyard
- and then FINALLY, Epic Experiment is finished resolving and is moved to the graveyard from the stack
What remains in the stack are the spells I chose to cast, and THEN triggered abilities are put on top of those spells (for example, Countryside Crusher getting trigger activations from cards being put into the graveyard).
After all triggered abilities are put onto the stack, THEN players may respond starting with the active player (me) who has priority.
If I have a Tidehollow Sculler on the battlefield, currently exiling a card from my opponent's hand, and I use a blink spell like Ghostly Flicker on it, what happens?
Ghostly Flicker is resolving (and is still on the stack), exiling my creature. Then as it leaves the battlefield, its triggered ability activates giving back my opponent his card I exiled.
Then my exiled creature returns to the battlefield, and his ETB triggered ability activates and I get to exile another card in my opponent's hand.
The part I'm confused about is whether my opponent can cast the card he received back from exile (or any card rather) in the middle of all of this. It's confusing to me because in my head, Ghostly Flicker is still in the middle of resolving, so I'm not sure if stuff can be put on the stack (or whether anybody has priority) even though Tidehollow Sculler's triggered abilities were put on the stack.
I have similar confusion for Epic Experiment. Once I cast the spell and it's resolving, do I put the spells I want to cast on the stack ON TOP of epic experiment while it's still resolving (meaning it is the last spell to leave the stack)? Can my opponents respond?
For both situations, if the spells still on the stack and are halfway through their effects while resolving, what happens if my opponent counters that spell? (i.e. Tidehollow is exiled, but hasn't returned yet, and epic experiment revealed the cards and I've chosen spells but some of them are still on the stack on top of epic experiment)
As for epic experiment, the casting of the cards are part of the resolution of the spell. Again no player has a chance to respond during the resolution of a spell, so the spells do indeed go on the stack above the epic experiment. But once epic experiment is finished resolving, players will get a chance to respond to the new spells on the stack at that point.
Also just because the spells are on the stack above the resolving epic experiment doesn't mean its the last to leave the stack. When epic experiment finishes resolving it will be removed from the stack and put into its owner's graveyard, and the other spells will still be on the stack waiting to resolve.
Yes after you choose what spells to cast, you'd then put all other cards exiled with epic experiment in the graveyard. After that as the last step of a resolving sorcery or instant it's put into its owners graveyard. Then players have a chance to respond before each spell resolves.
So is the order for epic experiment:
- reveal top cards from library
- decide what to cast
- put remaining cards in graveyard
- and then FINALLY, Epic Experiment is finished resolving and is moved to the graveyard from the stack
What remains in the stack are the spells I chose to cast, and THEN triggered abilities are put on top of those spells (for example, Countryside Crusher getting trigger activations from cards being put into the graveyard).
After all triggered abilities are put onto the stack, THEN players may respond starting with the active player (me) who has priority.