Question about the "stack"
Asked by Bldymry 11 years ago
So the other night this happened and I'm not sure how it is supposed to resolve. I had an Agent of the Fates on the field and I targeted him with a spell activating his Heroic. In response my brother played a dispurse which he used to return Agent of the Fates to my hand. At this point do I have the opportunity to play another spell and activate his Heroic again putting that back on top of the stack or does he return to my hand before I get the chance? Trying to wrap my head around the "stack" I understand it resolves from the top down but I don't quite understand what moves are legal as responses.
GoblinsInc says... #2
Also note that the agent of fates' ability (and any triggered ability, or activated one) is independant of its source. Removing an agent of fates won't counter the agent's ability that was triggered.
December 17, 2013 2:06 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #3
Technical nitpick: You don't activate a heroic ability. Heroic is a triggered ability. Triggered abilities are triggered.
December 17, 2013 3:23 a.m.
So the way Greatsword is explaining it I totally understand, but Dispersing Agent to my hand would seem to me resolves first which then negates everything else. GoblinsInc is saying however triggered abilities are seperate from the stack or what?
December 17, 2013 11:34 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #5
You're misinterpreting the way abilities work, that's all. There is only one stack, and all spells, activated abilities, and triggered abilities use that stack (with the exception of mana abilities, which are abilities that add mana to a player's mana pool, don't have any targets, and aren't loyalty abilities).
The mistake you're making is that you're assuming Agent of the Fates 's ability will be countered if Agent of the Fates leaves the battlefield. This is not the case. Once an activated or triggered ability is put onto the stack, it exists there independently of its source. Destroying or otherwise removing the source of the ability will not counter the ability. You have to specifically counter the ability using something like Voidslime .
GreatSword says... #1
Before 'any' object on the stack resolves, there's a round of priority for every player. While a player has priority, he or she may cast spells or activate abilities. If they do, that spell/ability becomes the top-most object on the stack.
So you cast a spell (let's say Giant Growth ) targeting your Agent of the Fates . Your brother cast Disperse . The stack now looks like this, in descending order:
Disperse , Agent of the Fates trigger, Giant Growth .
Now there's a round of priority, starting with the active player, going clockwise. Only when both players pass priority successively does an object on the stack resolve.
December 17, 2013 1:14 a.m.