Ability priority, when can I use it and how many times?
Asked by JoltsOfEnergy 8 years ago
ok my friends and I never completely know how priority works exactly and we always argue about it. I just need to know very clearly.Here's an example: I have a Kaseto, Orochi Archmage on my battlefield and 4 snake tokens. I have 8 mana in my mana pool. I try to use kaseto's ability 4 times to buff all my tokens and make them unblockable. An opponent tries to kill it with a Murder before I activate it the first time. The question: Can I use Kaseto's ability 3 more times while murder is still on the stack and does the first token get the buff or not?
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #2
@TheNextRedDude: That's slightly misleading.
When you cast a spell or activate an ability, you may choose to retain priority (you must announce that you're doing so). You may then continue to cast spells or activate abilities until you choose to pass priority to an opponent.
Your opponent may choose to do the same: he or she may cast spells or activate abilities or pass priority.
Once both players pass priority without adding to the stack, the topmost object on the stack resolves and priority is again given to players.
So if you cast a spell or activate an ability, then pass to your opponent, then your opponent passes back, the topmost object on the stack resolves. You do not get a chance to do something else prior to that resolution.
However, if your opponent instead casts a spell or puts an ability onto the stack, then you do get the opportunity to respond.
Therefore, there are a few possible scenarios:
1
You activate Kaseto, Orochi Archmage's ability four times in succession, then pass priority. Your opponent casts Murder. Murder resolves first, then each instance of Kaseto, Orochi Archmage's ability resolves. (Remember that an ability on the stack exists independently of its source; removing the source doesn't counter the ability.)
2
You activate Kaseto, Orochi Archmage's ability once and pass priority. Your opponent casts Murder. You then activate Kaseto, Orochi Archmage's ability multiple times in response. The abilities will all resolve normally, as will Murder.
November 28, 2015 5:21 p.m.
JoltsOfEnergy says... #3
Oh, so this means that all activated abilities cannot be stopped after they are activated unless you use cards with split second or "counter target activated ability". This will really change the way we've been playing.
November 28, 2015 5:57 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
I'm not quite sure what you mean by that.
Remember that a card with split second only applies split second while that card is on the stack. So if you activate Kaseto, Orochi Archmage's ability, then cast Angel's Grace, opponents won't be able to respond yet, but they'll still be able to respond after Angel's Grace resolves.
But yes, the only way to get rid of an ability is to counter it (see Stifle) or otherwise remove it from the stack (such as by exiling it with an "end the turn" effect).
November 28, 2015 6:03 p.m.
TheNextRedDude says... #5
JoltsOfEnergy Keep in mind that you can also destroy an ability's target if it has one. If all of the ability's targets are illegal by the time it resolves, it will just "fizzle."
TheNextRedDude says... #1
Here is how it works:
You Activate Kaseto's ability. Priority passes to your opponent. (Whenever a player takes an action using the stack, or decides not to do anything, priority passes to the next player in the turn order.)
Your opponent casts Murder. Priority passes to you.
You activate Kaseto's ability. Priority passes to your opponent.
Opponent does nothing. Priority passes to you.
3 and 4 until you run out of mana. Both players pass priority.
Kaseto's last activation resolves and the last snake gets +2/+2 and is unblock able. Same for the second and third to last Snakes.
Murder resolves, killing Kaseto.
Kaseto's first activation resolves, giving the first Snake the buff. (Abilities exist independent of their source. To remove an ability you must counter it.)
November 28, 2015 5:12 p.m.