If you are drawing multiple cards in your drawstep, can you respond to each seperate draw?
Asked by hyena69 8 years ago
Case: Nekusar, the Mindrazer is on the battlefield. I am at 2 life, My draw step, if I draw a removal spell say Swords to Plowshares as my first draw, can I use it before my 2nd draw to exile Neku and not die (or do I have to exile one of my own creatures to gain some life and find another way to deal with Neku? My guess is yes, since I guess I can respond to the first point of damage with swords in my hand
Thanks :-)
Raging_Squiggle says... Accepted answer #2
drawing your first card is a turn based action that doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to. You will take the 1 damage. However, the second draw in your turn, I'm assuming is from an ability (like Howling Mine). This can be responded to. You can cast your newly drawn Path to Exile on Nascar before the ability resolves, allowing you to draw your second card without any damage.
December 27, 2016 10:45 p.m.
lithium142 says... #4
I just want to clarify something here, and correct me if im wrong. But although your first draw doesnt use the stack, doesnt Nekusar, the Mindrazer's ability use the stack?
I feel like you could respond to that, even off of the first draw. Thus taking damage AFTER he is exiled, and still preventing a second trigger.
December 28, 2016 2:17 a.m. Edited.
When you draw a card on your draw step your opponent will have two triggers to put on the stack in any order. One trigger for the beginning of your draw step (having you draw another card) and one trigger for you having drawn a card (Nekusar dealing 1 damage to you). At this point you can respond by casting the Swords to Plowshares you drew to exile Nekusar so that when both abilities resolve you'll draw a card and take 1 damage, but won't trigger the damage ability a second time. You can also Stifle either ability.
December 28, 2016 5:26 a.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #6
Note that the two triggers don't go on the stack in any order, since he does not control both of them. They're put on in apnap order, so his extra draw trigger with Nascar's trigger above it. Not that important, but could be.
December 28, 2016 6:14 a.m.
Nekusar, the Mindrazer's first triggered ability will resolve (and let you draw a card) after turn-based action that causes you to draw a card. This ability uses stack and it causes players to get priority. You can respond to that ability and destroy/exile Nekusar, the Mindrazer to avoid triggering of his secind triggered ability.
But the most important thing is that you won't take any damage from him because his ability won't trigger at all since you control him and his ability only triggers "Whenever an OPPONENT draws a card..."
December 28, 2016 6:18 a.m. Edited.
Raging_Squiggle says... #8
Ghosty, the very first comment in this post is the OP saying he doesn't control Nekusar. Therefore the ability does trigger.
December 28, 2016 6:50 a.m.
Gidgetimer says... #10
Nekusar, the Mindrazer's controller will control both the damage ability and the extra draw ability so that person can put them on the stack in any order. This is assuming that there are only the two draws on your draw step of course and not another object controlled by another player also giving additional draws.
While the answers given so far in you this thread do answer your specific scenario, I would like to answer the question in the title of the thread instead of your specific scenario. This is so that people don't incorrectly expand a specific example to a general rule. If you get to respond between draws depends on if they are all from one effect or multiple. Since the turn based action to draw a card and Nekusar, the Mindrazer's ability are from different effects you get to respond in between. If instead you were at 10 life and you drew for turn and the Nekusar draw and them your opponent cast Blue Sun's Zenith on your for 8 and the Swords to Plowshares was from the first BSZ draw you would not be able to cast it before the other 7 draws.
December 28, 2016 9:03 a.m.
lithium142 says... #12
wow, im glad we expanded this thread. that was all super helpful. thank you for the clarification
hyena69 says... #1
To clarify, Neku is not under my control :-)
December 27, 2016 10:15 p.m.