I have a question on when a player can play an instant during their opponents turn.
In Gatewatch, we had a number of cohort abilities that had us doing 'before the end of your turn', and executing cohort ability. In Innistrad, we have a number of flip card firing on upkeep.
Here's the scenario, we were playing our Innistrad pre-release decks against each other with the following:
I've got untapped mana at the end of my turn because I've Silverstrike and Fiery Temper and couple other cards. For some reason I carried mana over instead of playing the instant. Probably an error on my part. However, the question still applies to other instants that may be beneficial to play at the beginning of the opponents turn.
Naturally, I don't want her equipping the Missionaries and flipping them and banishing my Chaplain.
So starting with the end of my end turn. The steps for my opponent of Untap -> Upkeep -> Draw Card -> Begin Main Phase. When can I hit with an instant?
In the upkeep step, the active player, performs upkeep, any triggered abilities go on stack and gains priority, correct? So before the active player moves to draw a card, the active player needs to either cast their own spell or pass priority. So if my opponent is the active player, before she draws, priority passes to me and I may cast an instant correct?
In the draw step the player, the active player draws a card, any abilities triggered by card draw go on the stack and the active player gains priority to cast spells (instants) or abilities before resolving, correct? Again, thus priority must pass to non-active player before moving to main phase, allowing for the play of instants before active players plays a card or land, correct?
You are correct, before the phases can pass to the next each player must pass priority on an empty stack. You may cast spells during their upkeep, and if something triggers on their draw step you may respond to it.
If people are sick of reading about stuff just stop taking part. You have 100% control over what you read. Simic Ascendancy isn't going to get banned just because you didn't tell someone to shut up on the internet.
Any pointers for keeping a casual game, casual while pulling that off? The beginning step is pretty loose with the untap, upkeep (if any), draw and straight to playing a land or first spell. Innistrad to me seems to favor exploitation of what I call technical play (oh, I'll tap for discard ability, discard, madness something etc.). Kind of like the before the end of your turn move in Gatewatch.
In a casual game, it's pretty common if we're not casting a spell to either drop a land and declare they'll attack with whatever creatures. Granted technically, they play a land, and you can respond with an instant or activated ability before they play their first spell, correct? Any action and priority passes so land play -> priority pass.
I suppose we could do "before your main phase", "before your draw", etc.
If all you are trying to do here is to keep the Avacynian Missionaries from transforming and exiling one of your creatures, you have tons of occasions to do so. You could do it on the opponent's upkeep before they draw a card (maybe you are worried about them drawing a pump spell), or respond to their attempt to equip the Missionaries (this gets them to waste some mana), or even wait until the transform trigger goes onto the stack at the end step (although in this case if you let them get equipped, they will be out of reach of your Fiery Temper).
Playing a land does not actually use the stack, so you can't respond to playing a land itself. However, you do technically have to pass priority for the opponent to move on to each of the phases in their turn. Usually nothing happens during the upkeep, so people skip right through it by untapping and drawing. If you know you are going to do something during the upkeep, it's best to start to say something as soon as they begin untapping so you can catch them before they actually draw or look at the top card. Likewise, it is common for people to just start tapping attackers, but you actually get priority during their first main phase and their beginning of combat step. You may want to have them back up so you can cast instants that tap down potential attackers, for example.
The opponent can't deny you these chances by playing quickly, so you might want to ask them to slow down or announce phases if you need to make sure the timing comes out right. This is often in the best interests of both players; for example, if you rush into combat too quickly, you might show who you intend to attack with and key the opponent into making a different decision with the precombat instant they wanted to cast.
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In Gatewatch, we had a number of cohort abilities that had us doing 'before the end of your turn', and executing cohort ability. In Innistrad, we have a number of flip card firing on upkeep.
Here's the scenario, we were playing our Innistrad pre-release decks against each other with the following:
My opponent had Avacynian Missionaries on the battlefield tapped, with mana tapped out, and a True-Faith Censer on the battlefield along with another weaker flyer creature. I had a Bygone Bishop on the battlefield, along with Nearheath Chaplain who is equipped with my own True-Faith Censer and another weaker flyer creature.
I've got untapped mana at the end of my turn because I've Silverstrike and Fiery Temper and couple other cards. For some reason I carried mana over instead of playing the instant. Probably an error on my part. However, the question still applies to other instants that may be beneficial to play at the beginning of the opponents turn.
Naturally, I don't want her equipping the Missionaries and flipping them and banishing my Chaplain.
So starting with the end of my end turn. The steps for my opponent of Untap -> Upkeep -> Draw Card -> Begin Main Phase. When can I hit with an instant?
In the upkeep step, the active player, performs upkeep, any triggered abilities go on stack and gains priority, correct? So before the active player moves to draw a card, the active player needs to either cast their own spell or pass priority. So if my opponent is the active player, before she draws, priority passes to me and I may cast an instant correct?
In the draw step the player, the active player draws a card, any abilities triggered by card draw go on the stack and the active player gains priority to cast spells (instants) or abilities before resolving, correct? Again, thus priority must pass to non-active player before moving to main phase, allowing for the play of instants before active players plays a card or land, correct?
Thanks
Any pointers for keeping a casual game, casual while pulling that off? The beginning step is pretty loose with the untap, upkeep (if any), draw and straight to playing a land or first spell. Innistrad to me seems to favor exploitation of what I call technical play (oh, I'll tap for discard ability, discard, madness something etc.). Kind of like the before the end of your turn move in Gatewatch.
In a casual game, it's pretty common if we're not casting a spell to either drop a land and declare they'll attack with whatever creatures. Granted technically, they play a land, and you can respond with an instant or activated ability before they play their first spell, correct? Any action and priority passes so land play -> priority pass.
I suppose we could do "before your main phase", "before your draw", etc.
thanks
Playing a land does not actually use the stack, so you can't respond to playing a land itself. However, you do technically have to pass priority for the opponent to move on to each of the phases in their turn. Usually nothing happens during the upkeep, so people skip right through it by untapping and drawing. If you know you are going to do something during the upkeep, it's best to start to say something as soon as they begin untapping so you can catch them before they actually draw or look at the top card. Likewise, it is common for people to just start tapping attackers, but you actually get priority during their first main phase and their beginning of combat step. You may want to have them back up so you can cast instants that tap down potential attackers, for example.
The opponent can't deny you these chances by playing quickly, so you might want to ask them to slow down or announce phases if you need to make sure the timing comes out right. This is often in the best interests of both players; for example, if you rush into combat too quickly, you might show who you intend to attack with and key the opponent into making a different decision with the precombat instant they wanted to cast.