Judge’s Ingenuity is a column designed mostly for players who know the basics of how to play MTG, but aren’t super familiar with the rules. Here, I’ll be taking some of the deeper rules of Magic and giving a rundown on them so that you can play a tighter game!
This week in Judge’s Ingenuity, we’ll be talking about the stack. It’s the basis of how everything in Magic happens, and it’s a part of the game with many intricacies, some of which are bewildering to many players. It can get quite complicated sometimes, but it really comes down to a matter of taking it slow and walking it through step by step.
The stack has a few basic rules. First: A spell is never both on the stack and in a separate zone – it is never, for example, both on the battlefield and on the stack. Second, everything you do in magic uses the stack, outside of a few very specific things – playing lands is what is called a turn-based action, and does not use the stack. It just happens! If you remember my articles from previous weeks, you should know some other turn-based actions: Drawing cards at the beginning of your draw step, as well as declaring attackers and blockers. Third, everything in the stack happens in LIFO order – Last in, First out, for those of you who aren’t intimately familiar with computer data structures. It’s exactly what it says on the tin – the last card to be played is the first one to resolve.
Let’s elaborate on each point in order. First, a spell is never both on the stack and in a separate zone. The stack is the place where a spell goes when you cast it – it leaves your hand and goes onto the stack. After you cast it, each player gets a chance to play spells, which is called Priority. Assuming nobody counters your spells, they will resolve. The last step of resolving a spell is moving it to the zone where it belongs. Permanents such as creatures, artifacts, and enchantments move to the battlefield, while instants and sorceries move to the graveyard. The most relevant time this matters is for cards with on cast triggers and enters the battlefield triggers. To use a recent example, for instance, Genesis Hydra triggers on cast. This means that its ability triggers when you cast it, so countering Genesis Hydra will not stop it. On the other hand, Boonweaver Giant’s ability is an enters the battlefield trigger, so countering it will stop the ability.
The second point is that outside of a few exceptions, everything in Magic uses the stack. Not only spells, but activated abilities and triggered abilities too! These abilities are like spells, in that you put them on the stack, then each player can respond, then they resolve. This can be strange to many new players, since unlike with spells, there is no visual indicator of the stack for abilities, unless the players create one. If you’ve played Magic Online, then you’ve seen that they create a visualization of triggered ability. However, these abilities can still be responded to and even, in rare cases, countered – look at the Stifle in our card case to see an example of a card that does so!
Finally, the stack goes in LIFO order. Like I said above, that stands for Last in, First out. Basically, spells that are cast in response “stack up” in the stack, and then resolve from the top down. This is why, for example, if I try to Lightning Strike your 2/2, you can respond with a Titanic Growth to give the creature +4 toughness to have it survive the Lightning Strike. The Titanic Growth will resolve first (remember, LIFO) and then the Lightning Strike will resolve, so the creature goes up to 6 toughness before being dealt 3 damage.
The stack is something that a lot of players are vaguely aware of – I’m sure you’ve pumped your creature with an instant spell in response to damage before. Overall, it’s pretty simple, but it can get complicated pretty quickly when you start adding in triggered abilities, spells, etc. If you’ve ever played a long game of 4 player EDH, you know what I’m talking about. Now, though, you know the basic steps to keeping the stack in order, and you’ll be on your way to becoming an expert stack user!
Note on Judge’s Ingenuity:
Judge’s Ingenuity is a weekly column wherein our local Magic judge, Conner Morrison, talks about Magic Rules, tricks, and tips. This week: The Stack! Judge’s Ingenuity and all content are TM & Copyright Bel Air Games and Conner Morrison.
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