Mana abilities, and their priority
Asked by Unfallener 10 years ago
Wait, I'm confused then about mana abilities not going on the stack then. Does that mean if I declare I'm going to cast a spell and start to tap a land, something like Aphetto Grifter can't preempt me and tap my land, making it unusable? But conversely, it also means they declare they're gonna tap my land first, I can't quickly tap the land before it to use it up?
Mana abilities do NOT use the stack. Selvala, Explorer Returned and Forest for example have mana abilities. They are classified by three characterics: they do not target, they generate mana and is not a loyalty ability. Thus, Elvish Mystic has a mana ability, but Deathrite Shaman does not.
Also note that lands and other mana abilities only serve fill your mana pool. The mana in your pool is what is actually used to pay for costs. So, in your example:
If they use the Aphetto Grifter to tap your land before you cast a spell, it will go on the stack. In response, you can simply tap your land and add the mana to your pool. Then the grifter's ability will resolve and basically do nothing. If they activate the ability after you tap the land for mana, it is also useless - the mana is already in your pool and the land is tapped.
Also, abilities can be activated only the player has priority. The player whose turn it is (the active player) gets priority in the given step or phase of the turn first. After any spell or ability is put on stack, there is a round of priority (with the active player having priority first). If nobody does anything, the topmost object on the stack resolves.
Mana abilities are the same, except that they can also be used anytime the game requires you to pay something. That is true even during the resolution of a spell, when nobody has priority generally.
tl;dr: Aphetto Grifter cannot tap your lands before you can benefit from them (for the current step or phase).
August 27, 2014 4:11 a.m.
Gidgetimer says... #3
I'm sorry to be pedantic but this: After any spell or ability is put on stack, there is a round of priority (with the active player having priority first). is incorrect.
After a player cast a spell or activates an ability they receive priority. The active player receives it after a spell or ability resolves and in each step and phase that players receive priority after turn-based actions. In the procedure for casting a spell:
601.2h Once the steps described in 601.2ag are completed, the spell becomes cast. Any abilities that trigger when a spell is cast or put onto the stack trigger at this time. If the spells controller had priority before casting it, he or she gets priority.
(I'm unsure how a spells controller would cast it without having priority but that is another matter entirely.)
August 27, 2014 9:27 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
@Gidgetimer: You can cast a spell without having priority if you resolve an ability like Chancellor of the Spires 's last ability.
Just to further clarify the difference for Unfallener:
In the first case, you are tapping your land for mana. This means you're activating a mana ability of that land (provided it doesn't have targets, isn't a loyalty ability, and adds mana to your mana pool on resolution). Your opponent can't respond to this action because he or she doesn't get priority; the ability doesn't use the stack.
In the second case, your opponent is trying to tap your land, but it's not the same. Your opponent is using an ability to tap the land, and he or she is not activating any abilities of that land at all. The ability that is attempting to tap the land is a triggered ability, so it uses the stack, and you can respond to this ability.
Drilnoth says... Accepted answer #1
That is correct, they cannot.
That is incorrect, you can.
Basically, when you activate a mana ability, it resolves immediately; it doesn't go on the stack. That means it can't be responded to, but you can use it as a response.
August 27, 2014 4:04 a.m.