Instants and priority when you're not Active
Asked by Unfallener 8 years ago
It's Player A's turn and they have 2 Relentless Rats out on field. Player B has a Go for the Throat in their hand. Player A decides to not attack, and end turn. Am I then correct in assuming at no point during Player A's turn that Player B received priority (because no actions were taken to respond to) and cannot use the Go for the Throat at any time during Player A's turn? They have to wait until their turn to use the instant after untap step?
Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #2
No, that's not how it works. Priority doesn't switch to the non-active player when the active player takes an action. Rather, priority gets passed to the next player when the player currently holding priority decides to not take an action.
The game will only move to the next step/phase if all players pass priority in succession when the stack is empty (if everyone passes when the stack is not empty then the top-most object on the stack resolves). There are several priority passes in your example situation, and there's nothing stopping Player B from casting Go for the Throat at any of those times before the end of the turn.
July 23, 2015 3:03 p.m.
Unfallener says... #3
OK, if I understand this correctly, then let's say it's Player A's turn:
Beginning of Main Phase - Player A cast Sorcery - End of Main Phase
Player B then only gets priority then to respond to sorcery, or in response to end of main phase, but at no point between beginning of main phase and when sorcery is first cast could they cast an instant then?
July 23, 2015 3:08 p.m.
filledelanuit says... #4
You are correct. Because the active player has priority the whole time the non-active player (player B) cannot do anything at all.
filledelanuit says... #1
Nope. Not at all. During ever phase but the cleanup and untap phases both players get priority. During the beginning of every phase (except the untap and cleanup phases) the active player will get priority. They can either cast a spell or some such or pass priority to the non-active player. That non-active player can then pass back and go to the next phases where the process will repeat itself or cast an instant.
July 23, 2015 2:59 p.m.