Rebound Question
Asked by joga 13 years ago
I cast Virulent Swipe on my previous turn. Now it's my upkeep and it's on the stack but i have no creatures to target. Before it fizzles out, can i animate my inkmoth nexus so it can be the target?
doinitwrong says... #2
No, in order to cast the rebound, you need a valid target. You could, however, animate the Inkmoth Nexus during your opponent's end step. If you do, it would stay a creature until your end step, so you could target it with the rebound during your upkeep.
May 31, 2011 11:08 p.m.
You can do it in your upkeep, but not quite for the reason BrightGreenLine states. It all has to do with this rule: 603.5. Some triggered abilities' effects are optional (they contain "may," as in "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may draw a card"). These abilities go on the stack when they trigger, regardless of whether their controller intends to exercise the ability's option or not. The choice is made when the ability resolves. Likewise, triggered abilities that have an effect "unless" something is true or a player chooses to do something will go on the stack normally; the "unless" part of the ability is dealt with when the ability resolves.
The trigger for the Rebound goes on the stack before you can activate Inkmoth Nexus. However, you don't need to pick a target or anything you do when casting a spell until that triggered ability resolves. So yes, in response to the trigger you can activate Inkmoth Nexus, then when the Rebound ability resolves you have a target for Virulent Swipe, so you can cast it.
May 31, 2011 11:58 p.m.
Am I the only one that sees the irony of "doinitwrong"'s answer?
June 1, 2011 3:35 a.m.
@mafteechr: yeah, the ruling came up in an argument I was having with someone over Kuldotha Flamefiend . Turns out he's pretty damn brutal, since you don't pick targets until basically RIGHT before the damage is actually dealt.
@Jewrummer: ...irony?
June 1, 2011 3:45 a.m.
for the record, doinitwrong, Inkmoth Nexus lasts 'until end of turn', not 'until the beginning of the next end step'.
Effects that end at end of turn stop during the cleanup step, before the next player's untap step. compare the wording on Inkmoth Nexus to that on, say, Mimic Vat , which has an absolutely abusable 'beginning of the next end step' clause.
BrightGreenLine says... #1
I believe so. At the beginning of your upkeep, the first thing that happens is you get a delayed trigger that asks "Do you want to cast Virulent Swipe from exile?". Before you accept this trigger both players have the option to respond just like any other trigger, so you animate your Inkmoth Nexus now. Then, you decide to cast the spell from exile and pick your Inkmoth and again, both players have a chance to respond to this casting before the spell is resolved.
May 31, 2011 10:18 p.m.