what happens if a sliver loses its type while its activated ability is on the stack?
Asked by Dusk 9 years ago
what happens if a sliver loses its type while its activated ability is on the stack? For ex., I have a Basal Sliver and decide to sacrifice it to get mana. Then someone, in response, cast a spell which change my sliver's creature type. Can I still sacrifice my nomore sliver and get mana? Thank you
"I have a Basal Sliver and decide to sacrifice it to get mana. Then someone, in response, cast a spell which change my sliver's creature type."
That entire scenario actually can't happen. Sacrificing is part of the cost of activating the Basal Sliver's granted ability, which means it happens as you activate the ability, before anybody can respond with a spell or ability of their own. Additionally, since Basal Sliver's granted ability is a mana ability (it could add mana to a player's mana pool, has no targets, and is not a loyalty ability), it cannot be responded to. Once activated, it resolves immediately and you retain priority.
If, in some other context, somebody tries to change your Sliver's creature type, you can sacrifice it in response before their spell or ability resolves.
June 23, 2014 2:20 p.m.
GreatSword says... #3
I suppose I misanswered a bit in my last point; the creature isn't being destroyed, it's creature types are just being changed. The result is still the same: the ability has been activated, and changing the creature's type will not affect the ability on the stack.
GreatSword says... Accepted answer #1
Yes, still work for several reasons.
First, the activated ability Basal Sliver grants is a mana ability. Mana abilities resolve immediately; they don't need to go on the stack to resolve. This means they can't be "responded to".
Even if it could be, the ability will still work. Sacrificing the creature is the cost of the ability, which means it also happens immediately. The sliver could not even be targeted, because by the time your opponent has priority again, the Sliver is already in the graveyard.
Finally, even if the creature was still around for the effect to kill the it, the ability would still resolve. Once an object is on the stack it is independent of its source. Destroying that source will not prevent the ability from resolving.
June 23, 2014 2:19 p.m.