Bolt, Counterspell, Dispel
BeginnerThe classic: three spells stacked up. Whoever wins the counter war is decided by the order.
Cards involved
Your opponent opens
You are at 20 life. Your opponent casts Lightning Bolt targeting you — the spell goes on the stack. It does not resolve immediately: all players first get a chance to respond.
601.2To cast a spell is to take it from where it is (usually the hand), put it on the stack, and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect. Casting a spell includes proposal of the spell (rules 601.2a–d) and determination and payment of costs (rules 601.2f–h). To cast a spell, a player follows the steps listed below, in order. A player must be legally allowed to cast the spell to begin this process (see rule 601.3). If a player is unable to comply with the requirements of a step listed below while performing that step, the casting of the spell is illegal; the game returns to the moment before the casting of that spell was proposed (see rule 733, “Handling Illegal Actions”).
You respond
You cast Counterspell targeting the Bolt. Your Counterspell now sits on top of the stack — above the Bolt.
Your opponent responds again
Your opponent casts Dispel targeting your Counterspell. The stack is now three spells deep: Dispel on top, Counterspell below it, the Bolt at the bottom.
What happens?
All players pass.
Nobody wants to respond anymore. What happens now?
Pick an answer to continue.
The stack resolves from top to bottom (last in, first out) — one spell at a time, with a round of priority between resolutions. Dispel counters Counterspell; after that the Bolt sits alone on the stack, and nothing stops it anymore.
117.4If all players pass in succession (that is, if all players pass without taking any actions in between passing), the spell or ability on top of the stack resolves or, if the stack is empty, the phase or step ends.
405.5When all players pass in succession, the top (last-added) spell or ability on the stack resolves. If the stack is empty when all players pass, the current step or phase ends and the next begins.
Dispel resolves
Dispel counters your Counterspell: it is removed from the stack and goes to the graveyard without any effect.
608.1Each time all players pass in succession, the spell or ability on top of the stack resolves. (See rule 609, “Effects.”)
701.6aTo counter a spell or ability means to cancel it, removing it from the stack. It doesn’t resolve and none of its effects occur. A countered spell is put into its owner’s graveyard.
The Bolt hits
The Bolt resolves and deals 3 damage to you. Rule of thumb: whoever gets the last word in a counter war wins it.
Stack
Your life:
Lightning Bolt
3 damage to any target
Counterspell
Target: the Bolt
Dispel
Target: the Counterspell
The stack is empty.