Do Spells Enter the Battlefield? A Comprehensive Guide
The question of whether spells enter the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering (MTG) is a crucial one for understanding the game’s mechanics. The short answer is: most spells do not enter the battlefield. However, the specifics depend heavily on the type of spell you are dealing with. Let’s break down exactly what happens when you cast a spell and why it often does not interact with the battlefield directly.
Understanding the Stack and Resolution
Before delving into the different spell types, it’s essential to understand the concept of the stack. When you cast a spell, it is placed on the stack. Think of the stack like a queue of actions waiting to happen. Players have opportunities to respond to a spell on the stack with their own spells or abilities. Only when all players choose not to respond does the spell resolve. Resolution means the spell’s effects take place. After resolution, the spell then leaves the stack.
The Fate of Instants and Sorceries
Instants and sorceries are the most straightforward when it comes to the question of entering the battlefield. They represent fleeting magical effects that are cast, resolve, and then disappear. Here’s what happens:
- You cast the instant or sorcery. It goes onto the stack.
- If no one responds to it, the spell resolves.
- The spell has its effect.
- The card is then placed into its owner’s graveyard.
Crucially, instants and sorceries are never put onto the battlefield. They have their effect directly from the stack and then move to the graveyard. This is why you will never see a creature enter the battlefield as a sorcery for example. They simply are not the same.
The Path of Permanents: Creatures, Artifacts, Enchantments, and Planeswalkers
The picture is slightly different with permanent spells – those that create creatures, artifacts, enchantments, or planeswalkers. These spells do interact with the battlefield:
- You cast the permanent spell. It goes onto the stack.
- If no one responds, the spell resolves.
- The card is then moved from the stack and enters the battlefield.
“Entering the battlefield” is a specific game term that refers to a permanent being put onto the battlefield. This is distinct from casting the spell. Casting is the act of putting the spell on the stack. Entering the battlefield is the act of a card being placed into play after the spell has resolved.
When a permanent enters the battlefield (or ETB), it can trigger other game effects, often referred to as “enter the battlefield” triggers or ETB abilities. These triggers only happen after the spell has resolved and the permanent has actually entered the battlefield.
Key Differences: Casting vs. Entering the Battlefield
It’s important to understand that casting a spell and something entering the battlefield are two separate events. Casting happens when you pay the mana cost and put the spell onto the stack. Entering the battlefield occurs after a spell resolves and places a permanent onto the battlefield.
Spells and abilities that instruct you to “put something onto the battlefield” are different than casting a card. They allow you to place something on the battlefield without going through the normal steps of casting which involves paying mana costs, interacting with the stack and the potential for being countered.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the concept of spells and entering the battlefield:
1. Does countering a creature spell mean it enters the battlefield?
No, if a spell is countered, it never resolves. Therefore, the creature card is never placed onto the battlefield. It will go directly to the graveyard (or exile in some cases) from the stack. The act of being countered prevents anything from entering the battlefield.
2. Do cast triggers happen before ETB?
Yes. Cast triggers occur when a spell is cast and before it resolves and its effects take place. ETB triggers happen after the spell resolves and the permanent actually enters the battlefield.
3. Can you cast spells before combat?
Yes, you can cast spells during your pre-combat main phase. You can also cast instant spells during the combat phase before attackers are declared and after attackers are declared. Spells can also be cast between first strike and regular damage.
4. Can you cast spells at the beginning of combat?
Yes, both players can cast instants and activate abilities during the Beginning of Combat step. The active player must declare attackers before players can then cast instants again and use abilities.
5. What happens if an instant or sorcery would enter the battlefield?
Due to the rules of Magic: The Gathering, an instant or sorcery card cannot enter the battlefield. If an effect would cause it to enter the battlefield, it will remain in its previous zone, which will often be in the graveyard.
6. Does turning a creature face up count as entering the battlefield?
No. If a creature is already on the battlefield, turning it face up does not trigger any enter the battlefield abilities. Turning it over does not mean it has entered the battlefield because the creature was already there, just face down.
7. When a creature enters the battlefield, if it wasn’t cast, does it still enter the battlefield?
Yes, if a noncreature card enters the battlefield as a creature due to an effect (like the effects of [[March of the Machines]]), it does still enter the battlefield. However, special rules apply. Unless stated, this creature will usually be exiled by the game. If it was a non-creature card (like a land), it will be exiled. This is different to a creature being put onto the battlefield by an effect.
8. Can you respond to a land entering the battlefield?
No. Playing a land is a special action that does not use the stack. You cannot respond to a land entering the battlefield.
9. Do creatures put onto the battlefield have summoning sickness?
Yes, creatures gain summoning sickness when they enter the battlefield, regardless of how they entered. They are affected by summoning sickness until the start of their controllers’ next turn. A creature with summoning sickness is unable to attack or use tap abilities.
10. Can you sacrifice a creature when it enters the battlefield?
Yes, some creatures have an “exploit” ability, which allows you to sacrifice a creature when they enter the battlefield and to gain an additional effect. The exploit ability occurs at the same time the creature is entering the battlefield.
11. Can you respond to ETB (Enter the Battlefield) triggers?
Yes, when an enter the battlefield trigger goes on the stack, all players can respond with instants and activated abilities.
12. Does putting a card from your hand onto the battlefield count as casting?
No, unless you are casting a spell as the game dictates (e.g., paying mana costs), putting a card onto the battlefield is not the same as casting it. This will also violate the rules of the game. You are only considered to be “casting from your hand” if you are following the correct steps for casting.
13. Is a permanent on the battlefield a spell?
No, a permanent on the battlefield is no longer a spell. However, the term “permanent spell” refers to a spell that will enter the battlefield as a permanent (creature, artifact, enchantment, or planeswalker) upon resolution.
14. Is Cascade an Enter the Battlefield ability?
No, cascade is a trigger that occurs when the spell with cascade is cast, not when it resolves. So, it happens before the permanent (if any) enters the battlefield.
15. Can you play an instant after a sorcery?
Yes, you can play an instant after a sorcery. However, to do this you must make sure you hold priority so that the sorcery resolves, and then you can play your instant at instant speed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while the term “spell entering the battlefield” can be misleading, it refers specifically to the resolution of permanent spells, like creatures, artifacts, enchantments, and planeswalkers. Instants and sorceries, on the other hand, resolve and go directly to the graveyard. Understanding the nuances of the stack, resolution, and the difference between casting and entering the battlefield is crucial to mastering Magic: The Gathering.