How to stop persistent Abzan combo?
Asked by Markbass 9 years ago
So this new deck by user Cobra has been around for a while now, and I have some questions about how the combo can be stopped.
Let's say I have this on the field.Safehold Elite (no -1/-1 counters on it)Melira, Sylvok OutcastViscera Seer
I cast Collected Company and find a Blood Artist which I want to put on the battlefield to complete the combo. If it resolves and I get it on the battlefield is there even a way for my opponent to stop the combo with removal? Let's say he casts Path to Exile on either of my creatures as a response to me sacrificing Safehold Elite with Viscera Seer. I can just respond by saying "In response Ill sac Safehold Elite a hundred times, or can't I? When do I have to pass the priority here? When could my opponent cast Path to Exile and won't I be able to stop it?
Thank you
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #3
@TJMadMan: That's incorrect.
When an ability triggers during the casting or activation process, that ability will be put onto the stack before players can use priority to take another action. The persist ability will always be below Path to Exile because it must be put onto the stack before players can respond.
If your opponent responds before the persist ability resolves, he or she can break the combo. The Path to Exile (which would be used to target Viscera Seer or Melira, Sylvok Outcast) will resolve first, and the persist ability will resolve after. Unless you have another creature with persist, you won't be able to activate the ability in response and continue the loop.
TJMadMan says... #1
The sacrificing is part off a cost, so once you activate that ability, Safehold Elite is dead. Then the persist trigger occurs, which goes on the stack as well (to return your creature to the battlefield). If he responds to the activated ability (you sacrificing Safehold Elite) the persist trigger will go on top of Path to Exile on the stack, so you can sacrifice Safehold Elite infinitely.
Now if we take the same scenario, but he cast Path to Exile, responding to the persist trigger instead, Safehold Elite will not be on the field to sacrifice again - he will still be in the graveyard. So you will not be able to sacrifice him in response to Path to Exile
March 29, 2015 8:28 a.m.