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Ever since the Sixth Edition rules changes, players have been grappling with the stack. The stack is a mythical place where spells and effects wait to be countered or resolve in their"Last In, First Out" nature. This has helped the game tremendously when trying to figure out what (and when) things happen.
However, there comes a problem when things can happen on the stack and one of the players may not see them: Abilities that use the stack, followed by more abilities, can be confusing for both players. When these confusing things happen, sometimes it comes down to what the players say that makes the difference.
I don't mean to nitpick an article that I recently read, but in"How Many People Get It? The Over/Under Is Five" by John Becker, he talks about Game 5, of the World Championships, in the Quarterfinals where David Humpherys faced Wolfgang Eder:
"With respect to when you Sparksmith, the answer seems pretty clear; the only choices are in response to the activation of Aquamoeba, or following the activation of the 'Moeba - and really, this should be a non-choice. If you do it in response, the 'Moeba cannot be saved, you will not take any damage during combat and you can afford to Smith for two (putting you to one) and saving two goblins. If you wait until Arrogant Wurm resolves, you will definitely take one from the 'Moeba in combat (because you cannot Smith it for three, since you will die), and the best you can do is ping it for one to force the switchback by Hump. This also means that you can only keep one Goblin, and you know that your opponent will have an Arrogant Wurm back to block."
(emphasis added)
This is a very complicated situation. You have Madness triggers, ability triggers, and spells being cast after madness triggers resolve. The fact is, when the Arrogant Wurm resolves, the 'Moeba trigger is still on the stack. What this means is that Eder can wait for the Wurm to resolve, Smith, and still create the optimal situation. There is an added complexity, however - because when he Smiths, Humpherys asks,"What is he (Aquamoeba) now?" Eder replies,"3/1." That is what seals the deal, because it is made clear that he has let the 'Moeba ability resolve. If Humpherys wants Eder to make the wrong play, he has to bait him but not tip his mental hand.
If Humpherys says,"Is the Aquamoeba ability still on the stack?" or"Did the Aquamoeba ability resolve?" Eder has the opportunity to say,"No." Now he still had the opportunity to say,"It's still a 1/3, the ability hasn't resolved"... But it may become more obvious to Eder what the right play is if Humpherys asks the wrong question. This part of paper Magic is definitely one of the hardest parts to master.
Sometimes, you have to get your opponent to verbally tell you that they made the wrong decision. How do you do this without giving away the correct play?
Let's say your opponent has a Glintwing Invoker, Mistform Wakecaster, Disruptive Pitmage, Information Dealer, and a Nameless One in play. You cast Infest.
You want the Pitmage, Dealer, and Nameless all to go to the Yard. The"good player" will make his Wakecaster a Wizard and save the Nameless One. However, you have to allow your opponent to make the mistake. As you place your Infest onto the stack, you allow your opponent to respond. At this point, you or your opponent has to verbally progress the game. What do you do?
You can ask any of the following:
- "Infest resolves?"
- "Any responses?"
- "Are you going to save your Nameless One?"
- "Do all your guys die, or what?"
- "What you gonna do about that, you little b**ch?"
Okay, maybe not that last one. That's probably unsportsmanlike.
But how you decide to get your opponent to basically say,"Yes, my Nameless One dies" is up to you... But clearly, you don't want to steer them to say,"Actually, I'm making my Wakecaster a Wizard." This is not unsportsmanlike, or cheating; it is just allowing your opponent to make the little mistakes that decide the victor. In Humphreys' case, it was allowing a complicated (but big) mistake.
In short, when you are playing a game of competitive Magic, remember that games are often decided by the players and not by the cards. If you let your opponents make mistakes that you would not make, you will advance through the rounds. Try not to lead them, or you may find yourself facing Nameless One beatdown.
Andrew Cron
cronac@comcast.net
