How to Stop Triggered Abilities in Magic: The Gathering

Stopping triggered abilities in Magic: The Gathering is a crucial skill for any player looking to gain a competitive edge. Unlike activated abilities, which require a player to consciously initiate them, triggered abilities happen automatically when their specific conditions are met. This automatic nature can make them feel unstoppable, but thankfully, there are several ways you can disrupt or neutralize them. The key lies in understanding how these abilities function and utilizing cards that specifically target them.

The most direct way to stop a triggered ability is to counter it while it is on the stack. This isn’t done with standard counterspells like Counterspell, which target spells, but rather with spells and abilities specifically designed to interact with triggered abilities. Cards like Stifle, Disallow, Trickbind, Squelch, and Voidslime are your go-to options for this type of disruption. They allow you to directly target the triggered ability on the stack and effectively cancel it, preventing it from resolving and having its effect.

Another way to “stop” triggered abilities is by strategically playing around them. This doesn’t involve directly countering them, but rather mitigating their impact or rendering them less effective. Understanding the conditions of your opponents’ triggers and planning your plays accordingly is key to this strategy. Sometimes, the best way to stop a trigger is to prevent it from happening in the first place by controlling the board state.

Let’s dive deeper into the different strategies and the cards that will help you handle those pesky triggers.

Countering Triggered Abilities Directly

Spells and Abilities That Counter Triggered Abilities

As mentioned above, several specific cards exist in MTG that directly counter triggered abilities. These are usually instant spells and creatures with abilities that can be activated at instant speed. Here are some of the most commonly used and effective examples:

• Stifle: This is one of the most well-known cards for countering triggers. It’s a low-cost instant that can target any triggered ability on the stack.

• Disallow: While it is more expensive, Disallow is a versatile counter that can target not only triggered abilities but also activated abilities and spells. It is a very powerful and popular card in Commander and other formats.

• Trickbind: Trickbind is similar to Stifle but adds the bonus of preventing the source of the countered ability from using that same ability again that turn.

• Squelch: Another low-cost option for directly countering a triggered ability.

• Voidslime: Similar to Disallow, Voidslime can counter either a triggered or activated ability but also has a more significant mana cost.

• Bind: This is a classic counter that directly targets activated abilities but can be used against triggered abilities with the use of cards like Voidslime.

• Azorius Guildmage, Voidmage Husher, Rimewind Cryomancer: These creatures provide repeatable methods of stopping activated abilities and can indirectly deal with triggered abilities when used alongside other cards like Voidslime.

When using these cards, you need to be precise in your timing. Remember that triggered abilities go on the stack the moment their conditions are met. Once they are on the stack, you have a window of opportunity to respond. The timing of using your “counter” is critical to stop the desired ability effectively. You respond to the triggered ability, meaning that any spells or activated abilities you use will go on the stack on top of the trigger and resolve before it.

Mitigating Triggered Abilities Through Strategy

Understanding and Planning Around Triggers

While countering is the most direct approach, sometimes it is more beneficial to play around a trigger or mitigate its effects. This requires a deeper understanding of the game and its many mechanics. Here are some strategies:

• Preventing the Trigger: Some triggers happen when a certain event occurs (e.g., a creature dying or a player gaining life). If you can predict or control those events, you can prevent triggers from occurring in the first place. For example, if your opponent has a triggered ability that activates when they gain life, you might want to attack them directly and reduce their life total before they can trigger the ability by other means.

• Altering the Board State: Sometimes, simply changing the state of the game board can reduce the effectiveness of triggered abilities. For example, if your opponent has a creature with a triggered ability that becomes more powerful with the number of creatures they control, you might prioritize removing some of their creatures from the board.

• Timing Your Plays: Carefully sequencing your actions can sometimes render an opponent’s triggered ability irrelevant. If you anticipate an opponent triggering a powerful ability on their turn, you might want to make sure you have already taken the necessary actions to benefit you before their trigger resolves.

• Ignoring Triggers (Strategically): Though generally it is not legal to ignore your own triggered abilities, if your opponent forgets one, it is legal to choose to let it resolve without saying anything. While not directly stopping a trigger, it’s a way to profit from an opponent’s mistake.

Ward and Protection

Ward only protects against spells and abilities that target a permanent with ward. It can be affected by triggered abilities. Protection also protects against the things it specifies (e.g., from a color or card type). Protection does not stop triggered abilities unless the ability targets the creature with protection, and therefore is stopped by the protection.

Hexproof

Similarly, Hexproof also only protects against things that target, so a non-targetting triggered ability will go through hexproof.

Triggered Abilities: A Quick Primer

To effectively counter or mitigate triggered abilities, it’s important to understand how they work:

• Trigger Conditions: Triggered abilities are defined by the use of trigger words like “whenever,” “when,” and “at“. The phrase containing one of those words defines the condition where the ability will trigger.

• The Stack: Once triggered, these abilities go on the stack (similar to a spell). The stack is the zone where cards and abilities are placed before resolving.

• Response: Once on the stack, the triggered ability can be responded to with counter abilities and other spells or activated abilities.

• Resolution: If the triggered ability isn’t countered, it will resolve and its effect will occur.

Understanding this cycle is crucial to choosing when and how to respond to triggered abilities, allowing you to effectively stop them and turn the tides of a match.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you counter a triggered ability with a normal counterspell?

No, you cannot counter a triggered ability with a standard counterspell like Counterspell. Normal counterspells target spells, not abilities. You need to use specific counter abilities such as Stifle, Disallow, Trickbind, and Voidslime.

What happens when you counter a triggered ability?

When you counter a triggered ability, it is removed from the stack and does not resolve. None of its effects occur, and the game continues without that ability affecting the game state.

Can you respond to a triggered ability?

Yes, you can respond to a triggered ability after it has been placed on the stack. When it goes on the stack, you have a chance to play your own spells or abilities before that triggered ability resolves.

Does Ward protect against triggered abilities?

Ward does protect against triggered abilities if the triggered ability targets the permanent with ward. Ward only stops triggered abilities that target and does not stop non-targetted triggers.

Does Hexproof stop triggered abilities?

Hexproof does not stop triggered abilities unless that ability targets the creature with hexproof. Hexproof only prevents targeting so a trigger that does not target will not be stopped.

Does countering a spell stop “when you cast” triggers?

No, countering a spell does not stop “when you cast” triggered abilities from happening. These triggers go off when the spell is cast, not when it resolves. Countering the spell will only stop the actual spell from resolving.

Is “at the beginning of upkeep” a triggered ability?

Yes, an ability that triggers “at the beginning of your upkeep” is a triggered ability. Triggers occurring during upkeep are common in MTG.

Who is responsible for remembering triggered abilities?

A player is responsible for remembering their own triggered abilities. If a player forgets a trigger, their opponent may choose whether or not it happens.

Are triggered abilities affected by summoning sickness?

Summoning sickness does not affect triggered abilities. It only affects creatures’ abilities to attack, and tap abilities.

Can you ignore your own triggered abilities?

No, it is not legal to intentionally ignore your own triggered abilities. However, your opponent can choose not to point out a missed trigger to you to take advantage of a missed trigger.

Does Shroud prevent triggered abilities?

Shroud does not prevent triggered abilities. Shroud only prevents being targeted, and triggered abilities can still affect a permanent that has shroud.

Are upkeep abilities triggered abilities?

Yes, upkeep abilities are a common form of triggered abilities and are identified by the keywords “at the beginning of your upkeep”.

Can you counter an evoked spell?

Yes, you can counter an evoked spell. You can counter the spell itself through regular means, or you can use effects that counter triggered abilities like Trickbind and Stifle.

Does Deathtouch cancel Deathtouch?

“Any two instances of the Deathtouch ability against one another cancel out the Deathtouch ability.”

Can you respond to a trigger that was missed but is now being put on the stack due to missed trigger rules?

Yes. You can respond to a trigger that was missed but is now being put on the stack due to missed trigger rules, just as with any other trigger that was placed on the stack. This means that you can respond to an opponent placing a missed trigger on the stack with your own spells and abilities before it resolves.

Understanding how to effectively stop or mitigate triggered abilities is an essential skill for any MTG player. By combining direct counter strategies with careful planning and strategic thinking, you can significantly improve your gameplay and come out on top.