Can you sacrifice a card before it is exiled?
Asked by Argy 8 years ago
The scenario:
I have a Darksteel Citadel on the field which has been Enchanted with Ensoul Artifact.
My Opponent casts Silence the Believers, targeting my Darksteel Citadel.
I want to cast Shrapnel Blast and pay its Artifact cost by Sacrificing Darksteel Citadel before it is Exiled.
Can I do that?
Thanks for any help.
Not quite correct, Chris. The sacrifice is an additional cost to casting Shrapnel Blast, so it has to happen when the mana payment is made at the end of the casting process. By the time the Blast is on the stack, the Citadel is already gone.
June 21, 2015 2:08 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #3
Another nitpick: spells are placed onto the stack as the first step in the casting process. Shrapnel Blast will be on the stack before its costs are paid, but Darksteel Citadel will be gone by the time anyone gains priority again.
June 21, 2015 8:43 a.m.
So, to get this right, Silence the Believers exiles my Darksteel Citadel.
I want to cast Shrapnel Blast, using Darksteel Citadel, but I can't put that spell on the stack because the Artifact has already be removed due to Exile.
Does that sound right?
June 21, 2015 2:42 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #5
No. That's the opposite of what's being said.
Silence the Believers exiles the target card as an effect, so it does this on resolution.
Shrapnel Blast requires you to sacrifice an artifact as an additional cost, so you do this during the casting process.
Because Shrapnel Blast is an instant, you may respond to Silence the Believers by casting Shrapnel Blast. You may sacrifice Darksteel Citadel to pay Shrapnel Blast's additional cost. When Silence the Believers tries to resolve, Darksteel Citadel will no longer be a legal target. Silence the Believers will fizzle unless it has at least one legal target remaining.
June 21, 2015 2:49 p.m.
Thanks for that Epochalyptik.
That's exactly what I thought would happen.
June 22, 2015 9:10 a.m.
ChrisWeeks93 says... #7
I forgot that was an additional casting cost! Yes its gone before blast even hits the stack. Love it!
ChrisWeeks93 says... #1
Of Course. Shrapnel Blast is instant speed, so you can respond to the Silence the Believers before it is exiled. Your opponent can then respond in turn with another silence if he wished and still exile it before the Shrapnel Blast. The last spell on the stack is always the first to resolve.
June 21, 2015 1:03 a.m.