10 Things I Love About You, Stifle

The first in a 10 part countdown to my 100th blog entry. Enjoy!

Stifle has quickly become one of my favorite cards. As far as blue disruption goes, it’s one of the better forms—cheap, versatile and potentially devastating.

Stifle
U
Instant
Counter target activated or triggered ability. (Mana abilities can’t be countered.)

Activated abilities are preceded by a colon (:)—so something like Prodigal Sorcerer’s ability (T: Prodigal Sorcerer deals one damage to target creature or player) or Brown Ouphe (1G, T: Counter target activated ability from an artifact source). Triggered abilities are preceded by “at,” “when,” or “whenever.” This includes most comes-into-play abilities and upkeep abilities.

Of course all of this depends on having the modern rules templating, so you can’t Stifle the search on a Visions Vampiric Tutor (Pay 2 Life: Search your library…) because it’s not written that way any more.

1. The mana granting ability of Mana Drain – I’m not sure why this isn’t a mana ability, but it’s hilarious and completely legal to tag one of these.
2. The upkeep triggers on Stax pieces – This is kind of like playing Time Walk, and can be like playing multiple destruction spells when used on a Smokestack.
3. The “animate” parts of Animate Dead and similar cards – All of these are worded, “When [this] comes into play, if it’s in play….” Since it only triggers once upon entering play, Stifling the ability makes it just stay in play as a non-aura Enchantment.
4. The damage trigger of Phyrexian Negator – I never realized this, and it makes me want to try Negator. All non-first strike combat damage is dealt at once, for example, and only needs to be stifled once.
5. The pump trigger of Goblin Piledriver – Even though the ‘Driver has protection from blue, his abilities on the stack do not.
6. Cycling or a cycling trigger (like on Decree of Justice) – You can’t do both without two Stifles, though. Cycling is an activated ability; stuff tacked onto it is a triggered ability.
7. Madness – The rules (and reminder) text for Madness ends with “…at the time you discard it from your hand.” That’s a triggered ability and the Madness card will be removed from the game.
8. Imprint – This is more useful in some cases (Chrome Mox won’t produce mana) than others (Duplicant will still be 2/4).
9. NOT Meddling Mage or Pithing Needle – Sigh. Unfortunately. The “As this comes into play…” text is part of resolving the spell and not a triggered ability. You’ll have to counter these guys with Force of Will like the rest of us schmucks.
10. NOT Standstill – Standstill does not go away until one of its triggers resolves, so the stack looks like this (last-in is on top, just like real life):

• Standstill trigger 2 from playing Stifle
• Stifle targeting Standstill trigger 1
  
• Standstill trigger 1 from, say, Lightning Bolt
• Lightning Bolt

What this means is that playing Stifle will cause everyone else to draw cards, Standstill will go away, its other trigger will get countered by Stifle, and Lightning Bolt will resolve as normal (barring any other tricks).