When can you cast instant spells?
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You can cast instant spells at any time you have priority, including during other players’ turns and while another spell or ability is waiting to resolve, making them a highly versatile and powerful tool in Magic: The Gathering. The ability to cast instants at any time, as long as you have priority, sets them apart from sorceries, which can only be cast during a player’s own main phase when the stack is empty.
Understanding Instants and Priority
To fully grasp when you can cast instant spells, it’s essential to understand the concept of priority and how instants differ from other card types like sorceries and enchantments. Instants are unique because they can be played at any time, giving players a wide range of strategic options during the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can you cast an instant without priority?
No, a player can only cast an instant spell when they have priority.
2. Can you cast a sorcery on an instant?
You may cast sorcery spells as though they had flash, allowing you to cast them any time you could cast an instant.
3. Can you only cast instants in response?
No, you can cast instants at any time you have priority, not just in response to another spell or ability.
4. Can you cast an instant in response to a triggered ability?
Yes, triggered abilities go on the stack until they resolve, and each player has an opportunity to cast an instant spell or activate an activated ability in response.
5. Does Deathtouch cancel Deathtouch?
Any two instances of the Deathtouch ability against one another cancel out the Deathtouch ability.
6. When can you not cast an instant MTG?
You cannot cast an instant during any player’s untap step or when a spell or ability explicitly forbids you.
7. Can you cast sorceries in response to instants?
Yes, you may cast sorcery spells as though they had flash, allowing them to be cast in response to instants.
8. Does copying an instant or sorcery count as casting?
No, copying a spell or ability does not count as casting it; it merely puts a copy onto the stack.
9. Can you cast an instant on an empty stack?
Yes, you can cast an instant on an empty stack, but it will be after the active player has passed priority to you.
10. Does tapping a land pass priority?
Tapping a land is an activated ability and follows the rules for activating any other activated ability, which means it will force another round of priority.
11. Can I channel as an instant?
Channel is an ability that can be activated at instant speed.
12. Can you cast instants during opponents’ turn?
Yes, one of the key advantages of instants is that they can be played at any time, including during other players’ turns.
13. Can you cast a foretold spell at instant speed?
If you foretell an instant card, you can cast it as soon as the next player’s turn, but foretold non-instant cards usually have to wait until your next turn.
14. How many instants can I cast?
As long as you hold priority, you can play as many instants as you want, with the spells resolving in a “last in, first out” order.
15. Is an enchantment an instant?
No, an enchantment is a different card type from instants and sorceries, providing triggered or static effects, and does not have the same casting rules as instants.