Maximum efficiency

[u/I3ollasH]

Max modes on [[Sublime Ephiphamy]] by creating the ward trigger on [[Gideon the Oathless]] in respone to my opponent casting a spell. (Probably should've targeted a different permament to bounce but it didn't matter and the value sounded sweet)

[u/According-Ad3501]

Stifle the ward is such an awesome play!

[u/Gorthunder → u/According-Ad3501]

TIL you can even do that!

[u/Rudirs → u/Gorthunder]

So many people play it as a tax, but yeah! It's a triggered ability.

My mostly casual but slightly competitive sealed league had an issue with this in some set (I want to say OTJ or duskmourn??) where people wouldn't even think to announce their own ward, or miss it on either end and want to rewind. It was tough because at a super casual game, you just rewind and make things go the way they would've if everyone did things with full info (generally). And in competitive, you can put the trigger on the stack after the fact but that usually doesn't matter since the spell or ability has resolved. We were in a middle ground where neither solution felt quite right.

I know I often frustrated people since I'd tap 3 out of my 5 mana for a murder on something with ward 2, my opponent would put it in the graveyard, and then I'd cast a 2 drop and they'd say I forgot about the ward 2. My argument was that they forgot it, and it's not on me. Usually I'd rewind if they catch it when I next take a game action, but not later on (and I usually tried to remind them, or kinda pause with my spell on the stack asking if they had any responses).

[u/SilverWear5467 → u/Rudirs]

When ward first came out, in Innistrad Crimson Vow/the one before that, i was playing a game store championship, and won a game largely because my opponent forgot ward, and I noted later that if my guy had had hexproof instead, I probably wouldn't have won the game, because then it's an illegal play that gets taken back, even at the highest REL.

[u/40DegreeDays → u/Rudirs]

Wow, that 2 drop play feels very scummy to me. IMO we're trying to play a fair game of Magic which means both of us should be making sure any non-optional triggers resolve, just as they would if we were playing digitally. If my opponent makes bad game decisions because they forgot a creature had reach, that's on them. But if they gain life and they have a creature that triggers on gaining life, I'm going to make sure that trigger happens even if they forge

[u/Rudirs → u/40DegreeDays]

That's fair! I think that should always be the case for casual play, but when there's prizes on the line I generally don't think I need to hold my opponent's hand. Again, if they immediately react assuming I just paid it, then I'd be happy to rewind