Burning Planeswalkers; stack question.

Asked by Lurac 8 years ago

Any burn spell that can hit face can be redirected to a planeswalker, right?My question is: Am I required to declare this intent as I cast the spell, or can I decide it upon resolution? I can no longer remember the scenario in which this was relevant, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Also, on a remotely related topic: Does the damage from pain lands use the stack, e.g. can i tap a Battlefield Forge and Shock my opponent to death before I take the 1 damage?

And lastly: Can I redirect the damage from my own pain lands to my own planeswalker if I can't afford to lose life?

BlueScope says... Accepted answer #1

Relevant rule: 306.7. If noncombat damage would be dealt to a player by a source controlled by an opponent, that opponent may have that source deal that damage to a planeswalker the first player controls instead. This is a redirection effect (see rule 614.9) and is subject to the normal rules for ordering replacement effects (see rule 616). The opponent chooses whether to redirect the damage as the redirection effect is applied.

Redirection effects apply when the event they replace occurs, which is when you deal the damage. The target of a spell, say Shock, is always the player, but on resolution, you choose to deal damage to a Planeswalker instead.

The rule also tells you that only damage dealt by an opponent may be redirected, so your own pain lands won't be redirectable.

Battlefield Forge's abilities are mana abilities and therefore don't use the stack. Even if it wasn't a mana ability, their effect would have to resolve completely before you could do anything else, so before you could spend the mana, you'd also have to take 1 damage.

September 1, 2015 8:54 a.m.