If I were to play Momentary Blink on a card with and ETB effect, would I be able to immediately cast it again for its flashback?
Asked by HEX. 7 years ago
There is a trick with Fiend Hunter, where if you remove it from play immediately after it enters the battlefield, the permanent will remain exiled. Would I be able to do this with Momentary Blink by casting it and then casting it for its flashback cost?
MindAblaze says... #2
Momentary Blink has to resolve before you can cast it again, but you can do it before the etb ability resolves to do what you want.
August 29, 2016 1:58 a.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #3
Whenever an ability triggers during the resolution of a spell, it waits to go on the stack when that spell has resolved.
When you flicker Fiend Hunter, both his LTB and ETB abilities trigger. It's not too important in what order you place these on the stack, just that you flashback Momentary Blink before his ETB trigger resolves. Thus permanently exiling whatever you target with his ETB ability.
August 29, 2016 2:26 a.m.
The best you can do in this situation is this (and I'm assuming that's what you were going for):
- cast Fiend Hunter
- in response to it's ETB ability (exiling a creature eventually), cast Momentary Blink to flicker it
- in response to the second Fiend Hunter (same card, entering the battlefield a second time, exiling a second creature eventually), flashback Momentary Blink to flicker it again
- have it's ETB ability trigger a third time, exiling a third creature, however this time only until Fiend Hunter leaves the battlefield (not indefinitely, as the first two times)
The way Momentary Blink works is that when it resolves, it will exile a creature, then return that creature to the battlefield, then put itself in the graveyard. Nothing happens during the resolution of a spell or ability, so at this point, all abilities that triggered (that would be Fiend Hunter's LTB and ETB abilities, in this order) are put on the stack in the order you choose (they triggered one after another, but because they're both put on the stack at the same time, you get to choose the order).
Now that all abilities have been put on the stack (with the Fiend Hunter's original ETB ability still on the stack, at the very bottom), players again receive priority, and you can cast Momentary Blink from the graveyard in response to the ETB ability (you have to blink it before this ability resolves, as Raging_Squiggle said) and do everything all over again.
Abilities on the stack exist independant of their sources, while their targets have to be still legal when they're resolving. Because each time Fiend Hunter re-enters the battlefield will be a new object, the respective LTB abilities won't do anything.
Note that this is different to cards that say "until [this card] leaves the battlefield", which defines a duration and would cause the permanent not even be exiled in the first place.
August 29, 2016 5:50 a.m.
Thanks, I was unsure whether you could cast Momentary Blinks flashback in time for Fiend Hunters ETB
Bob_Da_Epic says... #1
No, you have to let the other trigger resolve. Unless you do it in response to that trigger, but it stil has to resolve, no matter what
August 29, 2016 1:40 a.m.