Can I cast Fleecemane Lion and make it monstrous in the same main phase without my opponent being able to exile/destroy it?

Asked by Ogrecorps 5 years ago

Hello all!

I did some research before asking: This other nice thread is related but doesn't quite answer the question. The rulings on the doesn't address this.

Here's the scenario: It's the beginning of my first main phase. I have 7 untapped green/white dual lands. In my hand I have Fleecemane Lion. My opponent has 1 untapped Plains on the field and Path to Exile in his hand.

Here's how I think the order of events goes:

  1. I tap 2 of my lands to cast Fleecemane Lion. This goes on the stack, I still have priority.
  2. I have nothing else to do in relation to this casting so I pass priority on this matter to my opponent. If he had a counter spell, he could use it, it would resolve first, and I'm out 1 Fleecemane Lion.
  3. But he doesn't have anything he can/wants to do to stop the spell being cast so Fleecemane Lion comes onto the battlefield.
  4. Alright, so Fleecemane Lion is now permanent on the field, currently without Hexproof and so it is a valid target for Path to Exile but I have priority.
  5. I tap 5 lands to make Fleecemane Lion monstrous, a triggered ability on a creature that therefore resolves at instant speed.
  6. In regards to this activated ability which is now on the stack, I pass priority to my opponent. He does not have anything he can/wants to do to stop this ability from resolving, priority passes back to me.
  7. The triggered ability resolves, Fleecemane Lion is now monstrous and has Hexproof so is no longer a valid target for Path to Exile.

Here's how he thinks it goes:

  1. I cast it, it resolves.
  2. He exiles it before I can use the ability and give it hexproof.

Here's how I'm pretty sure it doesn't go but am afraid it might:

  1. I cast it, it resolves.
  2. I trigger the ability, pass priority
  3. He casts Path to Exile, passes priority
  4. I decline to act, stack resolves from top down so my lion gets exiled before he is hexproof.

Kogarashi says... Accepted answer #1

If you link to cards with double square brackets, it creates a pop-up so we can see the cards without having to click through.

Like so: [[Fleecemane Lion]], [[Path to Exile]]

Like so: Fleecemane Lion, Path to Exile

The short answer is that whoever acts first is going to lose in this case.

The long answer:

You've cast Fleecemane Lion. It's on the battlefield, without hexproof, and since it's your turn, you have priority again. If you decide to activate its ability now, you will have to pass priority to your opponent, at which point he can cast instants or activate abilities in response. Those instants and abilities don't have to relate to your Lion at all. But since Path to Exile is an instant, this does mean he can cast Path targeting your Lion while the Monstrosity ability is still on the stack. The stack resolves top-down, so your Lion will be exiled before it has hexproof.

However, let's say you don't activate the ability and instead pass priority (say, to move on to the Combat Phase). Your opponent decides, "No, I can't let that live" and casts Path to Exile targeting your Lion. They pass priority to you, and you can activate the ability in response. Since the stack resolves top-down, your Lion will gain hexproof and no longer be a valid target for Path.

December 10, 2018 12:15 p.m.

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