If my opponent's 1/1 creature was buffed by Giant Growth, does the +3/+3 effect go away at the beginning of the end step? If not, when does the effect end, and would I have a chance to cast spells AFTER the effect is gone, but BEFORE the turn ends. For example, can I kill that creature with a Lightning Bolt?
Thanks for the response. How about if I activated Drowned Rusalka's ability and discarded a madness card?
Is it like this:
- activated Rusalka's ability
- discarded Asylum Visitor
- Aslyum Visitor goes to exile (and I CAN'T decide whether to cast this for its madness cost or not until Rusalka's ability finishes resolving?)
- Rusalka's ability continues resolving and I draw a card
- Rusalka's ability is removed from the stack and now I, the active player, have priority
- THEN I cast Aslyum Visitor for its madness cost
514.3a At this point, the game checks to see if any state-based actions would be performed and/or any triggered abilities are waiting to be put onto the stack (including those that trigger “at the beginning of the next cleanup step”). If so, those state-based actions are performed, then those triggered abilities are put on the stack, then the active player gets priority. Players may cast spells and activate abilities. Once the stack is empty and all players pass in succession, another cleanup step begins.
So this means that even if I do pay the madness cost, the spell would only be put onto the stack after the active player finishes discarding and all damage is removed. Therefore I wouldn't be able to kill the demon?
I'm a bit confused with how madness works in terms of timing.
If I have a Heir of Falkenrath and I activate its ability by discarding Fiery Temper, how are each ability/spell put on the stack?
In my mind it looks like this:
- Activate the creature's transform ability by discarding Fiery Temper
- The creature's transform ability is on the stack while Fiery Temper is now in the exile zone
- I choose to pay Fiery Temper's madness cost and put it on the stack on top of the transform ability?
- Fiery Temper resolves first, and then the transform ability resolves?
So this example was if discarding a card was a cost to activating an ability. But what if discarding a card was due to resolving an ability/spell, like Wharf Infiltrator?
Let's say I discard Asylum Visitor and decide to pay its madness cost.
In my mind it looks like this:
- Discard Aslyum Visitor
- the Visitor is in the exile zone and I decide to pay for its madness cost
- the Visitor is put on the stack now, on top of the Wharf's still-triggering ability
- I decide to pay 2 to get the token from Wharf Infiltrator
- The token-generating ability is put onto the stack on top of Asylum Visitor
(so the stack so far has the triggered ability from the Wharf still resolving, followed by the Asylum Visitor on top, followed by the token generating ability on top of that)
- at this point, the Wharf's triggered ability (the one at the very bottom of the stack) is finished resolving so it's removed from the stack
- then I get the token, and then Asylum Visitor enters the battlefield
514.1. First, if the active player’s hand contains more cards than his or her maximum hand size (normally seven), he or she discards enough cards to reduce his or her hand size to that number. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack.
514.2. Second, the following actions happen simultaneously: all damage marked on permanents (including phased-out permanents) is removed and all “until end of turn” and “this turn” effects end. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack.
Just wanted to double check that discarding to maximum hand size occurs before damage is removed. For example if I had to discard Alchemist's Greeting due to having to many cards in my hand, and I cast it for it's madness cost, targeting a Mindwrack Demon that already had one damage dealt to it this turn. It will die because damage hasn't been removed yet?
So in the second (non-first strike) damage step, that damage also uses the stack? Therefore if (in my previous example) some creature dying during the first strike damage step caused an ability to trigger, it would be put on the stack of the second (non-first strike) damage step? So the stack would have triggered abilities from the previous first strike damage step, on top of the damage that will be dealt during this second (non-first strike) damage step?
If my opponent has Cultivator's Caravan and has enough creatures to crew it, the latest he can crew the vehicle if he intends to attack this turn is if he crews it in the Beginning of Combat Step? After the vehicle is crewed and becomes a creature (meaning the crew ability resolves), do I get a chance to tap it with Deadlock Trap? Just want to make sure that after the crew ability resolves, during Beginning of Combat Step, I still get a chance to respond.
Also for first/double strike creatures, the Combat Damage Step is split into two parts, but do any players get to respond inbetween the steps? What about triggered abilities? For example, if a first strike lifelink creature kills another creature and activates some triggered ability that cares about creatures dying or players gaining life. Are those abilities put on the stack after the second Combat Damage Step (where the rest of the creatures without first/double strike do damage)?
If I've used 3/4 of the modes for Demonic Pact and I plan to destroy it with Mortify before I lose the game, when is the last moment I can do so?
If I wait till my upkeep, the triggered ability for Demonic Pact would be put on the stack before any players can cast spells/activate abilities in response. So even if I use Mortify to destroy the pact, the ability still remains and I'll lose the game? Does this mean the latest I can destroy it would be at the end of my opponent's turn?
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.
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?
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)
Thanks for the reply. The first part of my question meant to ask about Commune with Lava exiling Reverberate. In response to second question, if it originally targets a legal target, but becomes illegal on resolution, will it go from the stack to the graveyard, if it was originally cast from exile because of Commune with Lava?
If I use Past in Flames to exile a Reverberate, and I want to cast Reverberate so that it doesn't remain in exile, do I have to have a legal target on cast to cast Reverberate? As in, can I cast it without a target or at an illegal target (for example, targeting a creature). It kinda sounds dumb, so I'm guessing no. HOWEVER, if I cast it on a legal target but then it becomes illegal on resolution, it will still return to the graveyard?
(On a side note why is Past in Flames such an expensive card? Anyone know what deck it's used in?)
If I cast Twincast on my opponents Nissa's Pilgrimage and he has spell mastery, do I also get the spell mastery bonus (regardless of what's in my graveyard)?
If I cast Twincast on my opponents Primal Bellow, does my copy of the spell check my lands or my opponents lands?
My real question is whether there is a "golden rule" for determining whether a spell checks all of its information on cast or on resolution. For spell mastery, my gut feeling is saying that its checked on cast, so my copied spell will get the bonus if my opponent does. It gets a little fuzzy for me for cards like Primal Bellow since I don't know whether the lands are checked on cast or on resolution.
If I had a devotion to white that's higher than 5, and I enchanted my Heliod, God of the Sun with an Armored Ascension, what happens when my devotion falls below 5? Does the Armored Ascension get placed in the graveyard as a state-based action?
If my opponent's 1/1 creature was buffed by Giant Growth, does the +3/+3 effect go away at the beginning of the end step? If not, when does the effect end, and would I have a chance to cast spells AFTER the effect is gone, but BEFORE the turn ends. For example, can I kill that creature with a Lightning Bolt?
Is it like this:
- activated Rusalka's ability
- discarded Asylum Visitor
- Aslyum Visitor goes to exile (and I CAN'T decide whether to cast this for its madness cost or not until Rusalka's ability finishes resolving?)
- Rusalka's ability continues resolving and I draw a card
- Rusalka's ability is removed from the stack and now I, the active player, have priority
- THEN I cast Aslyum Visitor for its madness cost
So this means that even if I do pay the madness cost, the spell would only be put onto the stack after the active player finishes discarding and all damage is removed. Therefore I wouldn't be able to kill the demon?
If I have a Heir of Falkenrath and I activate its ability by discarding Fiery Temper, how are each ability/spell put on the stack?
In my mind it looks like this:
- Activate the creature's transform ability by discarding Fiery Temper
- The creature's transform ability is on the stack while Fiery Temper is now in the exile zone
- I choose to pay Fiery Temper's madness cost and put it on the stack on top of the transform ability?
- Fiery Temper resolves first, and then the transform ability resolves?
So this example was if discarding a card was a cost to activating an ability. But what if discarding a card was due to resolving an ability/spell, like Wharf Infiltrator?
Let's say I discard Asylum Visitor and decide to pay its madness cost.
In my mind it looks like this:
- Discard Aslyum Visitor
- the Visitor is in the exile zone and I decide to pay for its madness cost
- the Visitor is put on the stack now, on top of the Wharf's still-triggering ability
- I decide to pay 2 to get the token from Wharf Infiltrator
- The token-generating ability is put onto the stack on top of Asylum Visitor
(so the stack so far has the triggered ability from the Wharf still resolving, followed by the Asylum Visitor on top, followed by the token generating ability on top of that)
- at this point, the Wharf's triggered ability (the one at the very bottom of the stack) is finished resolving so it's removed from the stack
- then I get the token, and then Asylum Visitor enters the battlefield
514.1. First, if the active player’s hand contains more cards than his or her maximum hand size (normally seven), he or she discards enough cards to reduce his or her hand size to that number. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack.
514.2. Second, the following actions happen simultaneously: all damage marked on permanents (including phased-out permanents) is removed and all “until end of turn” and “this turn” effects end. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack.
Just wanted to double check that discarding to maximum hand size occurs before damage is removed. For example if I had to discard Alchemist's Greeting due to having to many cards in my hand, and I cast it for it's madness cost, targeting a Mindwrack Demon that already had one damage dealt to it this turn. It will die because damage hasn't been removed yet?
Also for first/double strike creatures, the Combat Damage Step is split into two parts, but do any players get to respond inbetween the steps? What about triggered abilities? For example, if a first strike lifelink creature kills another creature and activates some triggered ability that cares about creatures dying or players gaining life. Are those abilities put on the stack after the second Combat Damage Step (where the rest of the creatures without first/double strike do damage)?
If I wait till my upkeep, the triggered ability for Demonic Pact would be put on the stack before any players can cast spells/activate abilities in response. So even if I use Mortify to destroy the pact, the ability still remains and I'll lose the game? Does this mean the latest I can destroy it would be at the end of my opponent's turn?
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)
(On a side note why is Past in Flames such an expensive card? Anyone know what deck it's used in?)
If I cast Twincast on my opponents Primal Bellow, does my copy of the spell check my lands or my opponents lands?
My real question is whether there is a "golden rule" for determining whether a spell checks all of its information on cast or on resolution. For spell mastery, my gut feeling is saying that its checked on cast, so my copied spell will get the bonus if my opponent does. It gets a little fuzzy for me for cards like Primal Bellow since I don't know whether the lands are checked on cast or on resolution.