What happens when a trigger triggers in the middle of a spell?
Asked by Leinahtan 8 years ago
Ok, I had a hard time phrasing it to my friends, so here it is here.
Say I have some creature like a Wurmcoil Engine and a Grave Titan in the yard. I have a Blightsteel Colossus in play. I then play a Victimize, sacrificing the Blightsteel to bring back the Wurmcoil and the Titan. The way I see it, (this is probably wrong, hence the premise of the question) the Blightsteel trigger will trigger in the middle of the Victimize resolving, so does the Victimize's effect stop while the trigger resolves? (Additionally, as I'm looking for a way to exploit this, would this be a way to play spells/activate abilities during the resolution of a spell or ability?
Nothing can ever happen during or inbetween the resolution of a spell or ability. So, once Victimize starts to resolve, other abilities may be triggered as a result of what happens, but they're put on the stack after Victimize finishes resolving.
June 6, 2015 3:41 p.m.
Thanks, this has been bugging me for quite some time and the internet put up no satisfactory answers.
June 6, 2015 4:13 p.m.
There seems to be some confusion here.
First off, Blightsteel Colossus has no triggered abilities. It has a replacement effect. Remember that triggered abilities always use the word "When," "Whenever," or "At," which the Colossus does not. A triggered ability (such as that of Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre) would not happen until after the Victimize fully resolved. A replacement effect, however, can happen during the resolution of another spell or ability.
So, you cast Victimize and target the two creatures in your grave. As Victimize resolves, you sacrifice the Colossus. As a replacement effect, the Colossus gets shuffled into your library. Note that the Colossus does not shuffle your entire graveyard into your library (as the Eldrazi do), just itself. So it gets shuffled in, and then Victimize will finish resolving and return the targeted creatures to the battlefield.
June 6, 2015 4:14 p.m.
@Leinahtan: Although BlueScope is correct that triggers wait to happen until the current spell or ability finishes resolving, that is not relevant in this scenario because there are no triggered abilities involved.
June 6, 2015 4:15 p.m.
Also, since you asked "Additionally, as I'm looking for a way to exploit this, would this be a way to play spells/activate abilities during the resolution of a spell or ability"
The only scenario where you can activate an ability while another spell or ability is resolving is if the spell or ability asks for a payment, in which case you can activate mana abilities (but no other abilities). Mana abilities are those which could add mana to your mana pool, do not target, and are not loyalty abilities; Llanowar Elves is the classic example of a creature with a mana ability.
June 6, 2015 4:16 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #7
For a complete answer to the wanting to cast spells during the resolution of a spell or ability: you can cast a spell during the resolution of a spell or ability if the spell or ability instructs you to cast the spell. Epic Experiment and Knowledge Pool are examples of cards that instruct you to cast spells during something else resolving.
canterlotguardian says... #1
The spell has already resolved at that point. The choosing of the creatures and the sacrificing happens at the same time. So the Blightsteel gets sac'ed, the creatures get returned, and then B-Co shuffles itself and the graveyard back into the library.
At least that's as far as I know. I may be wrong, but I don't think I am.
June 6, 2015 3:39 p.m.