Thanks for your response! So, to clarify, are both explore triggers placed on the stack? Or does the second explore trigger still activate even though the creature is not in play anymore?
I have a friend who refuses to believe that explore triggers can be placed on the stack and responded to, in order to kill the creature before it can receive the +1/+1 counter/s it would receive.
Primarily, I often will do this upon his Jadelight Ranger resolving; as soon as the explore trigger activates, I announce that the explore trigger is on the stack and I respond by playing a removal spell (Harnessed Lightning, Magma Spray, Fatal Push, etc.). I explain that the first explore trigger resolves, but the creature is now in the graveyard and cannot get the +1/+1 counter if a nonland card was revealed and subsequently, the second explore trigger does not occur.
After many times of me trying to explain the rulings how this happens, he does not trust that I am correct. He recently brought up RIX's release notes explaining the explore ruling on how an Explore trigger giving a +1/+1 counter cannot be interrupted after it has resolved, but I tried to explain that in our situation, I am responding to the trigger BEFORE it resolves, not during/after.
Another instance where this is causing confusion outside of explore triggers is, in the same logic where I kill his explore creature before the explore trigger resolves, he responded to my Torrential Gearhulk entering play by casting a removal spell (in this instance, Abrade) to cancel the ETB trigger (me re-casting an instant spell from my graveyard), to which I tried explaining how it still resolves.
I'm hoping that any judges here can break down/clarify the rulings on ETB triggers being placed on the stack and how they resolve when the creature is killed so that my friend does not feel cheated whenever we play, as I am just trying to share what I believe is correct knowledge. I may be just bad at explaining it properly, which is why I am hoping an official judge can do a better job than me. Thanks in advance!
Primarily, I often will do this upon his Jadelight Ranger resolving; as soon as the explore trigger activates, I announce that the explore trigger is on the stack and I respond by playing a removal spell (Harnessed Lightning, Magma Spray, Fatal Push, etc.). I explain that the first explore trigger resolves, but the creature is now in the graveyard and cannot get the +1/+1 counter if a nonland card was revealed and subsequently, the second explore trigger does not occur.
After many times of me trying to explain the rulings how this happens, he does not trust that I am correct. He recently brought up RIX's release notes explaining the explore ruling on how an Explore trigger giving a +1/+1 counter cannot be interrupted after it has resolved, but I tried to explain that in our situation, I am responding to the trigger BEFORE it resolves, not during/after.
Another instance where this is causing confusion outside of explore triggers is, in the same logic where I kill his explore creature before the explore trigger resolves, he responded to my Torrential Gearhulk entering play by casting a removal spell (in this instance, Abrade) to cancel the ETB trigger (me re-casting an instant spell from my graveyard), to which I tried explaining how it still resolves.
I'm hoping that any judges here can break down/clarify the rulings on ETB triggers being placed on the stack and how they resolve when the creature is killed so that my friend does not feel cheated whenever we play, as I am just trying to share what I believe is correct knowledge. I may be just bad at explaining it properly, which is why I am hoping an official judge can do a better job than me. Thanks in advance!