What exactly counts as an "Ability" for the purposes of Summary Dismissal?

Asked by SmugLookingBarrel 7 years ago

So Summary Dismissal says that it "counters all abilities", and I'm wondering exactly what that means. I know you can use it to stop cast triggers like Emrakul, the Promised End stealing your turn, and activated abilities but what about passive abilities? Can I Summary Dismissal and counter the infect on my opponent's Glistener Elf or the flying on their Shivan Dragon? Could I use it on Thought Vessel to force my opponent to discard down to hand size on their end step? Can I use it to counter a Mountain's ability to tap for mana?

nobu_the_bard says... Accepted answer #1

Only abilities that use the stack can be countered; this would be activated abilities such as Prodigal Pyromancer or triggered abilities such as Emrakul, the Promised End's second ability. This includes some things perhaps not obviously abilities, like Flame Jet's Cycling (an activated ability), either ability on Treasury Thrull (both triggered abilities) and Ovalchase Dragster's Crew (another activated ability).

Static abilities such as Shivan Dragon's flying (which only modifies blocking decisions), Glistener Elf's infect (which modifies damage), Thought Vessel's hand size modifier do not use the stack, so they cannot be countered.

Mountain and other mana source abilities are a special case. They are activated abilities, but they do not use the stack. They resolve immediately upon being activated. You'll never have an opportunity to counter them, so they cannot be countered. Some other actions are similar, such as land plays (doesn't use the stack) or activating Morph (also doesn't use the stack, though the card may have a triggered ability that does relating to its Morph).

October 18, 2016 10:44 p.m. Edited.