Priority

This page is current as of Comprehensive Rules October 2010. Please direct your feedback to: The Staff

Magic is a game about action and reaction, so of course it is logical that players can only take actions with certain timing. In Magic the point when a player may take a game action is called priority. This system of priorities determines when players may take actions including casting spells, activating abilities, and taking special actions [CR 116.1]. Players receive and pass priority based on taking actions or not taking actions. When a player has priority if they do not take an action they pass, thus passing priority to their opponent [CR 116.3d]. Whenever a player would receive priority, the game first checks all state-based actions, repeating until there are no more, and then puts any triggered abilities that may have triggered onto the stack. Once these steps are complete, the player who received priority may cast spells and activate abilities [CR 116.5].

Example. You are the active player and you control Jackal Pup since your previous turn. You just declared it as an attacker. You have priority and you have to pass it to your opponent in order to let him or her declare blockers. Once you pass priority, your opponent casts Lightning Bolt targeting your Jackal Pup. When Lightning Bolt resolves, it deals lethal damage to the Jackal Pup and Jackal Pup's ability triggers. After the spell resolves and before you would receive priority, state-based actions are performed and the Jackal Pup is destroyed and put into the graveyard. At this point triggered abilities are put onto the stack, so Jackal Pup's ability is. You receive priority back and you may cast spells and activate abilities way before your opponent may declare blockers and even before you take 3 damage from Jackal Pup's ability.

Jackal Pup Lightning Bolt

Players may cast spells or activate abilities in "response" to another spell or ability on the stack, this new spell or ability will go on top of the previous spell or ability and will resolve before the older one [CR 116.7].

Example. You cast Fireball, then in response your opponent casts Cancel targeting your Fireball. Cancel will go onto the stack above Fireball and resolve before it, thus countering your Fireball.

Cancel Fireball

Each card type has certain timing rules that determine when players may cast them. An instant spell may be cast any time a player has priority; however a non-land non-instant card such as a sorcery, creature, or artifact can only be cast during a players main phase and when the stack is empty [CR 116.1a].

Example. Since Lightning Bolt is an instant you may cast it any time you have priority, such as in response to a spell an opponent cast, during your opponent's end step, or during your own main phase.

Lightning Bolt

Example. A player may choose to cast Runeclaw Bear from their hand when they have priority during their main phase and when the stack is empty.

Runeclaw Bear

Similarly a player may activate abilities any time they have priority [CR 116.1b]. Special actions, such as turning a face-down creature face up may also be taken whenever the player has priority [CR 116.1c]. However, certain special actions (such as playing a land), have further restrictions on them; for additional information, see the section on Special Actions.

Example. Temple Bell's controller may choose to activate its ability any time he or she has priority. Many cards restrict the timing when you may activate their abilities. Kuldotha Phoenix's controller may activate its ability only during his or her upkeep and only if he or she controls at least 3 artifacts.

Kuldotha Phoenix Temple Bell

Example. A player with a face down Exalted Angel may choose to take the special action of turning it face up paying its morph cost , any time he or she has priority. However, a player may take the special action to play a land, such as a Mountain, any time he or she has priority during the main phase of his or her turn when the stack is empty but only if he or she has not yet taken this action previously during this turn.

Mountain Exalted Angel

Players may activate mana abilities whenever they have priority and whenever they are casting a spell or activating an ability that requires a mana payment. Also they may activate mana abilities whenever a rule or effect asks for a mana payment, this includes during the middle of casting, activating or resolving spells and abilities! [CR 116.1d]

Example. A player may activate Llanowar Elves' ability to add to their mana pool any time he or she has priority or whenever the game asks him or her for a mana payment.

Llanowar Elves

Example. The player whose spell is targeted with Broken Ambitions can activate mana abilities during the resolution of the spell in order to pay the mana.

Broken Ambitions

Other types of actions are generated by the game automatically, such as when a triggered ability triggers, these happen even when no player has priority. A triggered ability can trigger at any time whenever the trigger condition is met, including such times as when a spell is cast. Each time a player would receive priority, each ability that has triggered but hasn't yet been put on the stack is put on the stack. [CR 116.2] [CR 116.2a] For additional information on these types of abilities see the section on Handling Triggered Abilities.

Example. Howling Mine's draw step ability will trigger at the beginning of each player's draw step regardless of who will have priority after the time the condition is met.

Howling Mine

Example. You control Wake Thrasher and, as you enter your untap step, you untap 4 permanents. Wake Thrasher's ability triggers 4 times, but it can't be put onto the stack because no player gets priority in the untap step. As you enter your upkeep step, those 4 abilities will be put onto the stack because at the beginning of the upkeep step you would receive priority for the first time this turn.

Wake Thrasher

Static abilities are continuously affecting the game and, as such, priority does not have an effect on when or how they apply [CR 116.2b]. For additional information on these types of abilities see the section on Static Abilities as well as Continuous Effects.

Example. Honor of the Pure's static ability continuously affects its controller's white creatures, so they will continue to receive the +1/+1 bonus as long as it is on the battlefield.

Honor of the Pure

Some actions are turn based, such as a player discarding down to their maximum hand size, and those happen automatically at their appropriate time [CR 116.2c]. State-based actions also happen automatically when the conditions for them are met, the game takes care of these before a player would receive priority [CR 116.2d].

Example. You control Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and your opponent casts another Emrakul. When your opponent casts it, its ability triggers and is put onto the stack on top of the creature spell. When Emrakul resolves, before any player receives priority, state-based actions are performed and both Emrakuls will be put into the graveyard by the Legendary Rule. At this point the active player will receive priority.

Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

Players may be instructed to make choices or take actions when resolving spells and abilities; however, in doing so no player has or receives priority at this point in the game [CR 116.2e].

Example. You cast and resolve Smallpox. You and your opponent must take many choices (which card to discard, which creature and land to sacrifice). At no point while making these choices either player receives priority. You can't for example tap the land you want to destroy to add mana to your pool.

Smallpox

The active player receives priority at the beginning of most steps and phases, and after any turn-based actions, such as drawing a card for the turn [CR 116.3a]. Also, the active player receives priority after a spell or ability has finished resolving [CR 116.3b] and if a player has priority after casting a spell or activating an ability he or she again receives priority afterward [CR 116.3c].

Note: The active player will be the one to receive priority after any action during his or her turn except when the non-active player adds an object onto the stack.

Players may choose to take no actions and pass priority to the next player [CR 116.3d], if they do so they must announce any mana remaining in their mana pool and the next player in turn order receives priority. If all players pass in succession, then the top spell or ability on the stack will resolve. If there are no spells or abilities on the stack, then the current step or phase will end [CR 116.4].

Note: The turn is composed of many phases and steps. In order to pass from one to the other each player must pass priority with an empty stack and without taking any action. This would require a lot of time and rules expertise. Usually players do not pass explicitly priority to each other for all the phases and steps. This is called a shortcut. If you wish not to play anything during your turn, you may simply say something like "go", or "I'm done". This means that you are willing to pass priority to your opponent all the times needed for you to end your turn without doing anything. If he or she agrees, all these priority passes are skipped at once.