So Purphoros, God of the Forge's "isn't a creature" ability only works when he is in play, correct? Can I search him out as a creature when he's in my library?
Yes. As you said, the ability that makes the God not a creature oly works on the battlefield. any where else it is a creature card/spell regardless of your devotion.
So using the above cards could I do the following?
From here on all I would need is a sac outlet to continue combo'ing off with Saffi Eriksdotter & Renegade Rallier, correct (dealing 4 damage to each opponent per cycle)?
Am I missing anything here? Thanks.
Almost correct. Except, that the Rallier is sacrificed as a cost to cast EE, and so its trigger is put on top of that spell and resolves first, with all players getting a chance to respond in between the trigger resolving and EE resolving. This means, that the God will arrive after both the Rallier and Saffi are already back on the battlefield. You don't get any damage triggers from that. But with the pieces assembled you can now start the 4 damage loop (a sac outlet provided).
No. +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters don't just cancel each other out, they annihlate each other as a state based action. While it is possible for a creature to have both kinds of counters for a short time, there is no window for any player to do something that requires priority (like actiavting Contagion Engine), since state based actions are checked after a spell/ability resolves.
However, your opponent can respond to Yahenni's triggers, or even respond to your board wipe, to proliferate the -1/-1 counters while they are still there. This will kill Yahenni before it actually gets any +1/+1 counters. If he lets even a single of those triggers resolve, there will be no more -1/-1 counter to proliferate.
The stack is a game zone, it always exists, and it cannot resolve. Objects on the stack resolve. Also, putting triggered abilities on the stack doesn't influence who gets priority next.
Quoting myself from above:
The active player gets priority first during each step/phase;
the active player gets priority after an object on the stack resolved;
the player who cast a spell/activated an ability/took a special action gets priority afterwards if he/she had priority before.
N casts Altar's Reap and sacrifices Goblin Arsonist
Both Blood Artist and Goblin Arsonist have abilities that trigger.
Because of APNAP, Blood Artist goes on the stack first and A must pick target player.
Then Goblin Artist goes on the stack, and N must pick a target for the trigger. (Let's say he picks Blood Artist)
Once that is done, this is the first chance for either player to react to the triggers. Since N's Goblin Arsonist's ability is on top of the stack, N had priority, he gets priority first. He passes.
N gets priority not becasue his trigger is on top of the stack, but because he had priority when casting Altar's Reap, so he gets priority back after he finished the casting process and all waiting triggers are put on the stack.
A now has priority, if he wants to, he can cast Shock targeting N. Shock is now on the stack, and A can hold priority (to cast another Shock if they want or something else).
A passes, and N can now respond to the Shock. N passes, shock resolves, N takes 2 damage.
All players have to pass priority in succession here again before anything else can resolve (next in line is the Arsonist's trigger).
All players have passed and Goblin Arsonist's trigger goes off, killing Blood Artist.
This triggers a NEW Blood Artist ability, that goes on the stack. A targets N with it.
Question: Does A get priority when this ability hits the stack? I believe he does.
Yes, because an ability on the stack resolved, so the active player gets priority after all waiting triggers are put on the stack.
A and N pass, the second Blood Artist ability resolves and N takes 1 damage.
He loses 1 life, which is not the same as taking damage.
Stack is now:
* 1st Blood Artist ability
* Alter Reap spell.
I believe at this point A can respond to the first Blood Artist ability if they want, and then N can respond to it if they want?
Yes.
If both pass, it resolves and N takes 1 more damage.
Loses 1 more life.
Now we are at Alter Reap. Since N cast it, N has priority first, correct? N passes, then A passes, spell resolves and N draws 2 cards and the stack is empty.
No, the active player has priority first, because this is the first time a player gets priority after an object on the stack resolved (Blood Artist's trigger).
The active player gets priority first during each step/phase;
the active player gets priority after an object on the stack resolved;
the player who cast a spell/activated an ability/took a special action gets priority afterwards if he/she had priority before.
Stick to those rules, you don't need to paraphrase them differently. Triggered abilities going off or not has no relevance whatsoever.
If something triggers during the actual action of casting the spell or activating the ability (like triggers on sacrificing or targeting, etc.), then the nonactive player gets priority to respond first (if he was the one to cast/activate), regardless of whose turn it is. But if something has to resolve to trigger an ability, the active player gets priority first.
I was assuming the abilities on the stack hasn't resolved yet.
Since it's NAP who casts a creature into the battlefield to trigger the triggered abilities, NAP has the priority to respond after all the triggered abilities go into the stack before resolving.
Is this correct?
No. In order for a creature to enter the battlefield, it usually requires a spell or ability to resolve (a creature spell, or something to blink it, etc.), and in that case, since something resolved, the active player gets priority.
No. In both scenarios the active player will get priority. It doesn't matter who puts his/her triggers on the stack last, only whose turn it is, and who gains priority next as per the rules for priority. (The active player gets priority first during each step/phase; the active player gets priority after an object on the stack resolved; the player who cast a spell/activated an ability/took a special action gets priority afterwards if he/she had priority before.)
If you cast a split spell fused, it will have two mana costs. Anything caring about either half's cost will see it. The fused spell will have the combined converted mana cost of both halves, though.
Yes, Thalia's Lieutenant will trigger and get a counter. The choice of creature type is made as the Mimic enters the battlefield, which is a replacement effect, so it is applied before the Mimic actually enters.
Same with the second Mimic. Since it enters as a human, the first Mimic's replacement effect to add a counter will be applicable and thus be applied. Replacement effects are chosen and applied one after the other, if the application of one effect makes another applicable, then it can be chosen as the next effect to apply. (This can also make effects not be applicable anymore!) Choosing and applying replacement effects goes on until no more effects are applicable, then the modified event happens.
If a draw is replaced by something that is not a draw, it never happens. So even if the opponent would draw a card during his upkeep, since that draw gets replaced by Notion Thief, he still get to draw his card during the draw step's turn based action, becasue he didn't draw a card yet during this turn.
And if the opponent actually gets to draw a card during his turn, any additional draws can't happen, so they can't be replaced either. Meaning, neither your opponent nor you get to draw a card fro Howling Mine during your opponent's draw step.
Yes and no. While he can respond to the trigger, the trigger itself is an independent object on the stack and will resolve regardless of what happens to its source.
Curses are auras and all aura spells target the thing they are going to enchant. So if the Curse is cast as a spell, then yes, it targets the player and Grip of Chaos will trigger and possibly change the player that's going to be cursed.
303.4a An Aura spell requires a target, which is defined by its enchant ability.
No. Hexproof only stops the opponent from targeting you with his spells and abilities. To be targeted, a spell/abilty has to identify the object/player that it will affect by explicit use of the word "target" (either in the card's text or in the rules for the ability). Aura spells target the thing they are going to enchant. Mind's Dilation doesn't use the word "target", so Leyline of Sanctity doesn't do anything against it.
Yes. As you said, the ability that makes the God not a creature oly works on the battlefield. any where else it is a creature card/spell regardless of your devotion.
Almost correct. Except, that the Rallier is sacrificed as a cost to cast EE, and so its trigger is put on top of that spell and resolves first, with all players getting a chance to respond in between the trigger resolving and EE resolving. This means, that the God will arrive after both the Rallier and Saffi are already back on the battlefield. You don't get any damage triggers from that. But with the pieces assembled you can now start the 4 damage loop (a sac outlet provided).
However, your opponent can respond to Yahenni's triggers, or even respond to your board wipe, to proliferate the -1/-1 counters while they are still there. This will kill Yahenni before it actually gets any +1/+1 counters. If he lets even a single of those triggers resolve, there will be no more -1/-1 counter to proliferate.
Quoting myself from above:
This is all there is to it.
N gets priority not becasue his trigger is on top of the stack, but because he had priority when casting Altar's Reap, so he gets priority back after he finished the casting process and all waiting triggers are put on the stack.
All players have to pass priority in succession here again before anything else can resolve (next in line is the Arsonist's trigger).
Yes, because an ability on the stack resolved, so the active player gets priority after all waiting triggers are put on the stack.
He loses 1 life, which is not the same as taking damage.
Yes.
Loses 1 more life.
No, the active player has priority first, because this is the first time a player gets priority after an object on the stack resolved (Blood Artist's trigger).
Stick to those rules, you don't need to paraphrase them differently. Triggered abilities going off or not has no relevance whatsoever.
No. In order for a creature to enter the battlefield, it usually requires a spell or ability to resolve (a creature spell, or something to blink it, etc.), and in that case, since something resolved, the active player gets priority.
Same with the second Mimic. Since it enters as a human, the first Mimic's replacement effect to add a counter will be applicable and thus be applied. Replacement effects are chosen and applied one after the other, if the application of one effect makes another applicable, then it can be chosen as the next effect to apply. (This can also make effects not be applicable anymore!) Choosing and applying replacement effects goes on until no more effects are applicable, then the modified event happens.
And if the opponent actually gets to draw a card during his turn, any additional draws can't happen, so they can't be replaced either. Meaning, neither your opponent nor you get to draw a card fro Howling Mine during your opponent's draw step.
303.4a An Aura spell requires a target, which is defined by its enchant ability.