Can the inactive player play unlimited instants/fast effects with new stacks before the active player plays/casts a permanent?
Asked by vic 7 years ago
My opponent has a Ballynock Trapper and a Royal Assassin untapped on my turn. I'm the active player. If I play an Admonition Angel will I be able to play a land before it gets both tapped by the trapper, then killed by the Assassin? The tap can obviously happen before the land EtB (as a response to my casting the Angel), but since the Assassin needs the tap effect to resolve before it can make the kill, it needs to be part of a new stack. So will I get to drop my land and exile the assassin before my angel dies? Or does my opponent get to do unlimited fast effects (as separate stacks) before I get to play my land?
I realize the Assassin would come back anyway, but I've just never been clear about this kind of situation.
As mentioned, because the Angel has two linked abilities instead of the modern "Exile until this permanent leaves the battlefield," whatever you target will be permanently exiled if they kill Admonition Angel in response to the trigger, but they will be able to kill her. Also, if her entering the battlefield causes another ability to trigger (Such as a Soul Warden either player controls) the ability will be put on the stack before you can play a land and the entire tapping and killing will be able to happen before you have a chance to trigger the landfall ability.
Boza says... Accepted answer #1
There is no such thing as separate stacks. There is only 1 zone known as the stack that all players share.
Players use what is known as priority to cast spells and activate abilities. When both players pass priority without doing anything, the next object on the stack resolves. If the stack is empty and both palyers pass, the current step or phase ends.
Also, remember that the stack resolves Last In, First Out, one object at a time.
Now that we know all that, Admonition Angel is cast and priority is passed to your opponent. He does nothing and angel resolves. You once again have priority. You play the land for your turn, triggering the ability of the angel.
The land play does not use the stack, but that does not matter - the ability of the angel is put on the stack.
Now, your opponent can respond to this by activating the ability of Trapper and after that resolves, but before the angel's ability does, activate the ability of Royal Assassin to destroy the angel.
Now that angel has been destroyed, its last ability triggers on top of the original ability, returning all exiled cards (0 at this point).
Only after everything above happens, does the original exile ability of the angel resolve. Royal Assassin will be exiled with no way to return.
January 18, 2017 7:30 a.m. Edited.