How does this actually work?
Asked by Postmortal_Pop 8 years ago
So I was playing a game with a friend and he has a Cunning Sparkmage and I had a Royal Assassin. So he taps the mage to deal 1 to the assassin and in response I tap the assassin to assassinate the mage.
We played it as both of them dying but a fellow player suggested that the assassin would resolve first on the stack and kill the mage before the mage could resolve,sparing the assassin.
Did we play it right by letting them both die or was our fellow player correct about the stacking?
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April 26, 2016 3:30 p.m. Edited.
And Roar is correct.
Activate Cunning Sparkmage's ability targeting Royal Assassin. This ability goes on the stack.
In response, you activate Royal Assassin's ability targeting Cunning Sparkmage.
No further abilities are placed.
Assassin's ability resolves first, destroying Sparkmage and sending him to the graveyard..
Even though Sparkmage is not in play, his ability exists independently and will use last known information to deal 1 damage to Assassin as his ability resolves.
Assassin is dealt lethal and goes to the graveyard.
The stack is clear.
April 26, 2016 3:34 p.m. Edited.
SpringingTiger says... #4
Yes, the end result is that they both die.
Here's how it works:
Your friend taps the Sparkmage, putting its ability on the stack targeting the Assassin.
You respond by tapping the Assassin, putting its ability on the stack targeting the Sparkmage.
Since the Assassin's ability was put on the stack last, its ability resolves first, killing the Sparkmage.
The Sparkmage's ability then resolves, killing the Assassin.
Once the Sparkmage's ability was put on the stack, it doesn't matter what happens to the Sparkmage itself before its ability resolves. It will still deal 1 damage to its target. If, on the other hand, your opponent cast Dazzling Reflection on the Sparkmage, the damage would be prevented when the ability resoles.
April 26, 2016 3:36 p.m.
Postmortal_Pop says... #5
Alright that's what we thought would happen, thanks guys!
RoarMaster says... Accepted answer #1
Both creatures would die. Although the assasin will reolve first and kill the sparkmage, the sparkmages ability is still on the stack even though the creature is dead, and its damage will still resolve after the assasins deatroy effect.
April 26, 2016 3:28 p.m.