Lightning Bolt and Monstrosity
Asked by InnerFlame 9 years ago
The other day I had a Stormbreath Dragon out and tried to monstosity it. In response, my opponent used two Lightning Bolt s on it. What would happen to the Stormbreath Dragon ?
a) Stormbreath Dragon would die because Lightning Bolt happens first.
b) Stormbreath Dragon lives because the ability was called.
Or
c) Stormbreath Dragon lives because they both resolve at the same time and Stormbreath Dragon would add to his toughness before a check point like life gain and 0 life.
Gidgetimer says... Accepted answer #2
Stormbreath Dragon
would die.
All abilities and spells go on the stack and resolve in First In, Last Out order. The order things would happen is:
The Monstrosity ability would go on the stack and wait to add 3 counters to Stormbreath Dragon .
Your opponent cast one of the Lightning Bolt s.
Your opponent cast a second Lightning Bolt .
The second Lightning Bolt to be cast resolves dealing 3 damage to a 4/4 Stormbreath Dragon .
The first Lightning Bolt to be cast deals 3 damage to a 4/4 Stormbreath Dragon .
The 4/4 Stormbreath Dragon dies as a state based action for having leathal damage marked on it.
June 22, 2014 4:14 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #3
Thanks, Greatsword .
one more question then: I'm pretty sure I used Lightning Bolt on a planeswalker to kill it and then they used it's +1. We're they able to use the +1 and survive cause of the stack and working like how the above did, or were they able to +1 and survive cause planeswalkers work different?
June 22, 2014 4:17 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #4
Thank you too you too, Gidgetimer can you answer the above question, also?
June 22, 2014 4:19 p.m.
GreatSword says... #5
It's different. He actually could not use the Planeswalker +1 "in response" to the Bolt. Planeswalker abilities can only be used at sorcery-speed (in the main phase, with nothing on the stack, to be exact).
June 22, 2014 4:20 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #6
GreatSword: So I should have killed the planeswalker? I can Lightning Bolt in response to the +1 though, correct?
June 22, 2014 4:23 p.m.
I believe that adding the plus one is part of the cost of the planeswalker abilities, so if it would have 3 counters on it, activating would put on the walker before you could cast lightning bolt. I think.
June 22, 2014 4:27 p.m.
GreatSword says... #9
You have it correct TehCoopeh. The +/- in Planeswalker abilities is the cost of activating the ability. Costs are paid as part of putting a spell or ability on the stack, so the +1 Loyalty will be on the Planeswalker as soon as the ability is activated.
June 22, 2014 4:37 p.m.
Let's have an example with Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver . Your opponent plays it on his turn, decides to activate his first ability and you say, "I want to Lightning Bolt him" (in this case, it is "It" instead of her).
First, you always target the player with direct damage and only after that resolves do you get choose whether you want to redirect the damage to the planeswalker.
Second, there is this thing called priority in the game. You can only cast spells when you have priority. The player whose turn it is is called the active player and always has priority first. In order for the game to progress, both players, first the active, then the non-active player must pass priority over an empty stack to go to the next step or phase.
In this case, priority matters. After the planeswalker resolves, you do not have priority, so you cannot bolt it. The opponent has priority after the resolution of the spell and chooses to use Ashiok's first ability.
Since gaining the loyalty counters is part of the cost of the spell, by the time you are allowed to cast bolt, AShiok would have 5 counters and survive.
GreatSword says... #1
Stormbreath Dragon is dead. Since the opponent cast while the ability is on the stack, the Dragon hasn't gotten the 3 counters yet. It only gets it when the ability resolves. They are the top-most objects on the stack and will resolve (one at a time, nothing ever resolves at the same time), and kill the Dragon.
June 22, 2014 4:10 p.m.