The stack is a crucial mechanic in Magic the Gathering (MTG) where spells and abilities exist before they resolve. It acts as a queue where spells wait to resolve, allowing players to play cards while they wait for their effects to take effect. When a spell or ability resolves, it is removed from the stack and, if it’s a spell, put into its owner’s graveyard. If the spell’s targets are illegal, it is removed from the stack.
The stack resolves top-down, checking for legality of target(s) when a spell or ability resolves. Targeting the right spell can be important, especially if your counterspell does not resolve. Players cannot do anything in the middle of spells/abilities resolving, meaning that if you play (Read the Bones), you cannot play cards you draw before losing life.
Spells and abilities are placed on top of the stack as the first step of being played and removed from it as the last step of resolving. Players receive priority after a spell resolves, giving each player a chance to play an instant-speed spell or ability. The stack doesn’t resolve, but spells, abilities, and triggers on the stack do.
Players can cast add instants to the stack after the resolution of any spell or ability, although no non-instant can be cast until the stack is empty. When a spell resolves, the spell will leave the stack and go to the graveyard.
In summary, the stack is the zone in MTG where spells and abilities exist before they resolve, serving as the “waiting room” for Magic effects. Each time all players pass in succession, the spell or ability on top of the stack resolves. If the object resolving is an instant spell, a player can cast it to counter it.
📹 How the Stack Works in Magic: the Gathering
Here’s a basic understanding of how the stack works in Magic: the Gathering. ▭▭ ⚫️ Make your own Magic: The Gathering …
Does silence stop spells on the stack?
The casting of a spell by an opponent prior to the casting of the spell in question does not result in the spell being affected, including those that are still on the stack. The aforementioned rule does not impede opponents from casting spells subsequent to the casting of the spell in question, prior to its resolution.
What is the rule 608.2 G?
In section 608, A player may activate mana abilities prior to taking an action. In the event that an effect directs or permits the casting of a spell during resolution, the steps outlined in rules 601 must be followed. 2a–i, and thus no player receives priority after casting the spell.
Do you control spells on the stack?
Magic: The Gathering rules primarily revolve around the player’s control of permanents or objects they own. The controller of a spell is usually the player who placed the spell on the stack. Some effects may instruct a player to create a copy of a card and cast it, with the owner of that copy being the player who created it and given permission to cast it. The owner of a card is the player who brought it into the game, while the owner of a token is the player who created it.
The rules for most game actions revolve around the permanents or objects the player controls. Some effects can change who controls permanents or spells, and targets may be restricted by mana value or Power/Toughness.
Is a spell still on the stack as it resolves?
The Comprehensive Rules (September 20, 2024) outline the system where spells and abilities are placed on top of a stack and removed at the end of resolving. Players can respond to any spell or ability using the stack, allowing them to play with it still on the stack. The stack resolves in order from top to bottom, so spells and abilities will resolve before the spell they were played. However, actions that do not use the stack, such as paying costs or turning a face-down creature with morph, cannot be responded to.
Can you play spells while the stack is resolving?
The Comprehensive Rules for Duskmourn: House of Horror (September 20, 2024) state that spells and abilities that use the stack can be responded to by all players, allowing them to play with them still on the stack. The stack resolves in order from top to bottom, so spells and abilities will resolve before the spell they were played “in response” to. However, actions that do not use the stack, such as paying costs or turning a face-down creature with morph face-up, cannot be responded to.
Do creature spells go on the stack?
The stack is a crucial area in MTG where spells and abilities exist before they resolve. It functions as a “waiting room” for Magic effects, waiting for players to respond before resolving them. The stack reinforces the priority system that governs the game’s flow, passing priority between players and determining the next step or phase. It also allows players to interact before effects take place, such as using a Giant Growth to save a creature from an opposing Lightning Bolt. The stack also allows counterspells to work, as they target a spell on the stack, allowing for the casting of countermagic.
Do spells stack in 5e?
The most potent effects, such as the highest bonus, are derived from those castings.
Is a spell on the stack a permanent?
A spell is a card that has been cast and placed on the stack, or a copy of another spell. It is only a spell when on the stack, and in most other zones, it is simply a card or a permanent when on the battlefield. All card types, except lands, are types of spells, and even permanent cards are typically cast as spells before becoming permanents. Spells exist as game objects, and their rules determine interactions and effects between the casting of the spell and its taking effect. A copy of a spell is also a spell, even if it doesn’t have a card associated with it.
Can you respond to a spell resolving on the stack?
Actions during spell resolution do not use the stack, preventing responses between sequential spell abilities. However, spells can be responded to before any abilities start resolving. Replacement effects are applied without using the stack, but continuous effects are usually known ahead of time. Most replacement effects use the stack, so they can be responded to before replacement effects start. Damage itself does not use the stack, but many effects that cause damage can be responded to.
Combat damage can’t be responded to using the stack, but effects can affect damage pre-emptively by playing them before the combat damage step begins. Many effects interact with damage as replacement effects, setting up a replacement effect before the damage occurs and automatically modifying it when it occurs.
Can a spell target itself on the stack?
A spell or ability on the stack is an illegal target for itself, and it can only be targeted if one or more targets have been chosen for it. A target is a recipient of the effects of a spell or ability chosen by its controller, such as a creature or objects. Specific rules apply when a spell has one or more targets, which is one of the earliest tasks for players who have learned card types and basic flow of the game. Key ideas apply to targeted abilities, but are phrased for spells for brevity. Learning these rules is crucial for players to improve their expertise with more complex mechanics.
How do spells resolve on the stack?
The Comprehensive Rules for Duskmourn: House of Horror (September 20, 2024) state that spells and abilities that use the stack can be responded to by all players, allowing them to play with them still on the stack. The stack resolves in order from top to bottom, so spells and abilities will resolve before the spell they were played “in response” to. However, actions that do not use the stack, such as paying costs or turning a face-down creature with morph face-up, cannot be responded to.
📹 How to Play Magic: The Gathering | Priority and The Stack
Episode 5 of our “How to play Magic: The Gathering” video series. Professional MTG player Corey Baumeister walks you through …
Small clarifications / additions: > Ashnod’s Altar is a mana ability, so it wouldn’t use the stack, but you can just replace it with Goblin Bombardment and it works (although also of note, sacrificing the creatures is a cost, so the “deal 1 damage” will go on the stack, but the sacrifice is functionally immediate, you can’t “respond” by Doom Blading a creature before it’s sacrificed). > You can hold priority and put multiple things on the stack at once, so if you have Kenrith in play with six plains, you can activate his 2W ability twice before anybody gets the opportunity to respond. However > After each object on the stack resolves, players get another chance to respond before the next thing does. So say you try to be clever by casting Wrath of God, holding priority, and responding with Krosan Grip. Each player can pass priority, let Grip resolve, and then before Wrath resolves everybody gets a chance to respond again, at which point somebody could Counterspell it.
That Thumbnail … Pure art! Oh and small edit magic does alot of things unless they dont. Means you also can exile a stack or steal from the stack, you have splitsecond to stop the stack but then you have morph that goes around the stack and you can even push the priority of a spell in a stack or just end the turn, so does the stack. But most importantly most of those things you will maybe never see in your life and have to worry about it! 😂 So lets go back to the in responce i cast a normal instand and forget that magic is unessesary complicated ok? just pretend stifle effects doesnt exist and keep it simple.
This article was really helpful but one thing that still confuses me is that players can respond to a spell on the stack when priority is passed but in this case Garruk still resolved before priority was passed? Do planeswalkers being cast not go on the stack or were you able to hold priority while it was being cast? Everything else makes perfect sense it’s just the planeswalker example that confused me
with the new outlaw of thunder set out I would like to know where rooftop assassin stand on the stack (for the cards ability). it has : flash, flying and lifelink : when rooftop assassin ETB destroy target creature your opponent controls that was delt damage this turn. Question: can I play rooftop assassin after my opponents post combat / before end phase to trigger the destor a damaged target ?
“the stack is this imaginary place” wrong. if i cast a spell it goes from hand to the stack, an actual different slot for my card. If an opponent respond with an instant that makes me discard(or exile) my entire hand, the card is not affected because it isn’t in my hand anymore, but in the zone called Stack. Same goes for trying to cast something from Graveyard being responded with exile of the entire graveyard.
Can you add to a stack that is half resolved? Let’s say I have 3 effects on the stack, and after one of them resolve, you say “hold on I want to add to the stack” Or is the stack only layering and layering until everyone is done adding to it, then it just resolve and nobody can do anything about it, triggering any effects until it’s depleted? Question 2: You can play a land anytime on your main turns right? Even in the middle of the stack resolving? Example, someone try and counter one of my spells by making me pay 2, I only have one, but I play a land as a reaction to the player playing the counter, so now I have 2 to pay (he didn’t see that coming)
Question, do i get priority twice? e.g. i know can hold priority when i first cast a spell, simply playing two instants at once. Then if my opponent does nothing, can i add to the stack again before the first spell resolves? I cant remember the exact scenario this occured, but of top of my head an example might be wanting to double a spells damage, but waiting to see if someone counters the original. I would assume not, but looks like a mana saving trick. and side question, in 3+ people games, if player1 spell goes on the stack and player3 responds. Does priority for player3 spell start again from player3 or player1?