Use bounce to counter valakut
Asked by Kjartan 8 years ago
Using Scapeshift player A sacrifices 7 lands and finds 6 Mountains and a Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. Using Boomerang Player B thinks about bouncing Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle in response to the first Valakut trigger, well the rest of the Valakut triggers still go on the stack, or will they not count. and if they do count, can player B instead bounce a mountain, so the 5 othe clause won't be present during resolvation?
Forgot to mention that removing any of the mountains will also not have any effect - there is no intervening "if" clause in Valakut's trigger, so when those triggers hit the stack, they stay there and fulfill their effects (barring any Trickbind shenanigans).
August 6, 2015 7:49 a.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #3
There is an "intervening if clause" in Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle's trigger: "...if you control at least five other Mountains..." See the other thread on this topic for the detailed explanation and rules quotes.
August 6, 2015 11:17 a.m.
from the gathererer:
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle's triggered ability has an "intervening 'if' clause." That means (1) the ability won't trigger at all unless, at the time a Mountain enters the battlefield under your control, you control five or more Mountains other than that new one, and (2) the ability will do nothing if you control fewer than five Mountains other than that new one by the time it resolves.
So removing Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle from the play would have no effect on the abilities on the stack, but reducing the number of Mountains in play would effect it.
Note: that if you remove one Mountain from play to reduce the number to 5, then the trigger from the Mountain that was bounced will still resolve as they would still control 5 other Mountains in play.
August 6, 2015 7:20 p.m.
pskinn01 That was what I thought as well. However, I don't exactly understand why, it works that way.
All the abillities are on the stack, and when they do, this "If clause" is met. Does all abilities that have an if clause only ressolse if that save clause is still met during Resolution.
August 7, 2015 3:24 a.m.
an "intervening 'if' clause" is checked on resolution also, just like spells and abilities that target check to see if the target is still a legal target.
Boza says... #1
Since all cards entering the battlefield simultaneously "see" each other enter the battlefield, Valakut's 6 triggers will be put on the stack before the other player has the chance to respond.
Bouncing Valakut after that will have no effect on the triggers that are already o n the stack - abilities on the stack exist independently of their source.
August 6, 2015 7:39 a.m.