Priority regarding casting and activating Key to the City
Asked by MrGameAndScotch 6 years ago
Hello everyone! Game looks like this:
My main phase: I resolved a Key to the City, immediately activating it's ability by tapping it and discarding a card. My opponent was upset he couldn't play Dissenter's Deliverance right away, stopping me from activating Key to the City's ability.
I told him it's because as the active player, I get priority after a stack resolves, and that the only way to prevent me from activating the ability is to counter Key to the City while it's on the stack.
Was I right or did I tell him rubbish? Thank you in advance!
VraskaTheCursed says... #2
Your response was correct, and for the correct reason. Just a detail - the stack doesn't resolve, individual items on the stack resolve. Once the last item on the stack resolves (aka the first item to be put on the stack), then the active player gets priority. Anyways, it wouldn't matter either way, because if your opponent cast an instant like Dissenter's Deliverance (basically anything but split second spells like Krosan Grip), you could use Key to the City's activated ability once you got priority again, in response.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #1
You're correct, although it's worth noting that the stack doesn't resolve all at once. Individual objects on the stack resolve, and there's a round of priority before and after each resolution. As the active player, you get priority first.
It's also worth noting that even if your opponent cast a spell or activated an ability to destroy your Key to the City, you could still activate its ability in response.
August 20, 2017 6:35 p.m.