I saw someone pull this off the other day and I'm confused as to how it works, so if anyone could offer a step by step explanation as to how the player did it then that would be much appreciated.
Player A attacked Player B with a bunch of creatures. Player B controlled a Caltrops and activated the blue activation on Sydri, Galvanic Genius to turn Caltrops into an artifact creature and also the white/black activation to give Caltrops deathtouch and lifelink. Then the damage resolved and since Caltrops had deathtouch, Player A's entire attacking army was destroyed.
What I don't understand is the order in which these activations go on the stack to make this happen. Player B seems to be using the blue activation as a response to Caltrops original trigger, but Player B seems to need to let the blue activation resolve before using the white/black activation - since Caltrops has to be a creature already before it can be targeted with the white/black activation. But if Player B lets the blue activation resolve, isn't he also allowing the original Caltrops trigger to resolve, thus making it irrelevant that Caltrops later gains deathtouch?
So can someone walk me through step by step how this is happening in a technical way? Or was it an illegal play? Thanks.
This is a legal play. Your confusion seems to come from a misunderstanding of how items on the stack resolve. Something on the stack only resolves once each player has passed without doing anything and this must happen every time something resolves. So after the blue activated ability of Sydri resolves both players will once again be given the opportunity to activate more abilities or cast spells if they want.
This is a legal play. Your confusion seems to come from a misunderstanding of how items on the stack resolve. Something on the stack only resolves once each player has passed without doing anything and this must happen every time something resolves. So after the blue activated ability of Sydri resolves both players will once again be given the opportunity to activate more abilities or cast spells if they want.
But when we let the blue activation resolve, why doesn't the Caltrops damage resolve at that same time? In other words, how is Player B allowing the blue activation to resolve while keeping the Caltrops trigger on the stack? Once both players pass, doesn't everything left on the stack resolve?
Once both players pass, doesn't everything left on the stack resolve?
No. Once both players pass, the top object on the stack resolves, and nothing else.
Then, after that object has resolved, both players need to pass again, and so on.
In most game situations, players just assume, as a shortcut, that you keep passing until everything resolves, unless otherwise noted.
Items (read - spell/ability) on the stack resolve one at a time, not all at once.
And after each item on the stack resolves, all players get priority again to add new items to the stack. The top most item on the stack will only resolve when all players pass priority.
So to elaborate, the stack looks like this:
Top of Stack
Sydri's first ability
Caltrops trigger Bottom of Stack
Both players pass, Sydri's first ability resolves.
Player A receives priority, as the active player. Chooses to do nothing.
Player B receives priority, chooses to active Sydri's second ability. The stack now looks like this:
Top of Stack
Sydri's second ability
Caltrops trigger Bottom of Stack
Both players pass, Sydri's second ability resolves.
Player A receives priority , passes. Player B receives priority pass.
Caltrops trigger resolves.
Oh God, I've been playing Magic wrong for about a decade. I get it now! Thanks everyone.
Quote from silentstormraider »
Items (read - spell/ability) on the stack resolve one at a time, not all at once.
I understood that they resolved one at a time and in order, but for some reason, I thought they did this in one big batch which was not something you could respond to once each player had passed once. So weird that I thought that.
Items (read - spell/ability) on the stack resolve one at a time, not all at once.
I understood that they resolved one at a time and in order, but for some reason, I thought they did this in one big batch which was not something you could respond to once each player had passed once. So weird that I thought that.
Once upon a time (pre-6th Edition), there was a concept of a "batch", but that was more complicated than what you're talking about. (In particular, interrupts like Counterspell or Dark Ritual could generally only be responded to with other interrupts, and damage wasn't actually applied until the entire batch was done, so you couldn't respond to Giant Growth with a Lightning Bolt and hope to kill the creature.)
Player A attacked Player B with a bunch of creatures. Player B controlled a Caltrops and activated the blue activation on Sydri, Galvanic Genius to turn Caltrops into an artifact creature and also the white/black activation to give Caltrops deathtouch and lifelink. Then the damage resolved and since Caltrops had deathtouch, Player A's entire attacking army was destroyed.
What I don't understand is the order in which these activations go on the stack to make this happen. Player B seems to be using the blue activation as a response to Caltrops original trigger, but Player B seems to need to let the blue activation resolve before using the white/black activation - since Caltrops has to be a creature already before it can be targeted with the white/black activation. But if Player B lets the blue activation resolve, isn't he also allowing the original Caltrops trigger to resolve, thus making it irrelevant that Caltrops later gains deathtouch?
So can someone walk me through step by step how this is happening in a technical way? Or was it an illegal play? Thanks.
But when we let the blue activation resolve, why doesn't the Caltrops damage resolve at that same time? In other words, how is Player B allowing the blue activation to resolve while keeping the Caltrops trigger on the stack? Once both players pass, doesn't everything left on the stack resolve?
No. Once both players pass, the top object on the stack resolves, and nothing else.
Then, after that object has resolved, both players need to pass again, and so on.
In most game situations, players just assume, as a shortcut, that you keep passing until everything resolves, unless otherwise noted.
And after each item on the stack resolves, all players get priority again to add new items to the stack. The top most item on the stack will only resolve when all players pass priority.
So to elaborate, the stack looks like this:
Top of Stack
Sydri's first ability
Caltrops trigger
Bottom of Stack
Both players pass, Sydri's first ability resolves.
Player A receives priority, as the active player. Chooses to do nothing.
Player B receives priority, chooses to active Sydri's second ability. The stack now looks like this:
Top of Stack
Sydri's second ability
Caltrops trigger
Bottom of Stack
Both players pass, Sydri's second ability resolves.
Player A receives priority , passes. Player B receives priority pass.
Caltrops trigger resolves.
Hope that helps make things clearer for you.
I understood that they resolved one at a time and in order, but for some reason, I thought they did this in one big batch which was not something you could respond to once each player had passed once. So weird that I thought that.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)