Im playing League with Hassim, Ubu, and Demons Head (f/d) in play. My opponent recruits Ra's Al Ghul - Immortal Villain. I chain to his recruitment (before his ability resolves) by playing Demons Head (exhausting Hassim), getting Mountain Stronghold, and flipping it to get Merlyn. Then after that resolves I flip my locations down after Ra's' recruitment goes through.

My Opponent Z Soul Sucker then disconnected from the game in protest. Was that a legal play?

No. You have to wait for TDH to resolve. You have no location until it does. So you have to wait. Ras ability happens and then you cannot flip it. If you already had the stronghold you were fine but you did not.

I don't see why it isn't.

After an effect resolves, the primary player will get priority, If they pass then you can put another effect on the chain (in this case, you flipped mountain stronghold). Then Ra's comes into play flipping it down.


In short a chain doesn't go all the way through. It checks between resolutions to see if any player wants to do anything.

So If I had Mountain Stronghold then the chain would be

1. Ra's recruit
2. Mountain Stronghold

Resolving

2. Mountain Stronghold
1. Ra's recruit

However, you can add chains between resolutions. Fore example.

1. Ra's Recruit.
2. Demons Head

Resolving

2. Demons Head
- Add chain Mountain Stronghold
1. Ra's Recruit

Finally resolving

2. Demons Head.
1.5 Mountain Stronghold
1. Ra's Recruit


So I believe that would still be a legal play. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

No. First chain is correct, second one is not. You can not interrupt a resolving chain. Sorry. It is just not legal. Other wise you can play an effect you want any where in the chain. What happens if your opponent had Global Domination. Then they cannot counter. So there is no use in using it. You just cannot interrupt the chain.

This is how you resolve an effect.

You "interrupt" the chain after each effect is resolved, the primary player will then get priority.

So does that mean you can't buy back a fizzle with Garth or grab one with Alfred and play it during a fizzle war?

Interrupt is probably not the wording you're looking for here, but shylilpimp and Adam have the above scenario right.

The principle that i find most useful for understanding the chain is that "both players must pass on ONE effect on the chain for that ONE effect to resolve." Following the resolution of that effect, the primary player gets priority (508.3 above), and both players must again pass for the NEXT effect to resolve.

If a player instead (of passing) chooses to put an effect on the chain, that effect will become the newest effect on the chain, and must resolve (as above) before any older effects will resolve.

In the above example, the oldest effect (the first one on the chain) is the recruit of Ra's al Ghul, Immortal Villain.

That is totally cheap. I can interrupt the chain. So if i was playing i can make sub chains. And as long as I can keep on adding on to that chain it will go on forever. So I play a spidey friends deck. I have Ben O' Reilly in my hand. My opponent has the game locked up 2 turns from know and I cannot beat him and we both know it. So I can play Ben O'reilly's ability. Then I chain to it resolving Ben. Then I chain to that resolving ben. i can drag a game on endlessly like this sealing up the game for me. That is way too cheap. I could make a deck like that. Wild pack and Thuggee galore. Wait till turn 1 or 2. Make endless chain, push in extra 1 or 2 damage. Win game. Yeah. I won. This is a cheap and uncalled for tactic. Good thing all it can do for you is win every game except for top 8. You might forget to chain before your opponents give up. That is in no way fair. There is no reason to do it. It is cheap. Tisk tisk. I know you can just make a normal infinite loop but this is a little more subtle. You know. And I have to clearly outline what is happening outloud. Chain resolves. I respond with Ben. No response you say. well then the ben effect resolves. I respond with ben...

Isn't there penalties against stalling?

to crosswell's question, yes, as long as you have enough fizzles.

It actually means just the opposite-- you can do so.

> Player 1's Nasty effect goes on the chain.
> > Player 2 Fizzles.
> > > Player 1 Fizzles Player 2's Fizzle.
> > > > Player 2 sends Alfred for Fizzle.
** Pass - Pass
< < < < Player 2 gets Fizzle in hand.
> > > > Player 2 plays Fizzle, target Player 1's Fizzle
** Pass - Pass
< < < < Player 1's Fizzle is negated.
** Pass - Pass
< < < Player 1's Fizzle resolves without effect
** Pass - Pass
< < Player 1's Nasty effect is fizzled
** Pass - Pass
< Player 1's Nasty effect resolves without effect

There are some single-passes of priority in there as well.

There are penalties against stalling, and revealing Ben Reilly multiple times is definitely stalling.

That strategy litterally is not stalling. At every point in the sequence are you doing something in the game. You are playing an effect. It may be useless but to make it seem less useless why don't you add 2 fns spider man to your deck so you can say this is why I have him in here. So what it does not do anything to the current state of game play. That simply does not matter. I think it is a legal strategy. Stalling is taking a long time to make a decision or dragging out the game in some manner. This is the same idea except done legally. Big diffrence. Unless there is some rule you cannot play the same effect 10 times or more it is fine.

You have an incorrect definition of stalling. Sorry. Not interested in arguing about it.

Sorry Phillies but personally as a judge, if you keep doing the BEn thingy with no obvious advantage other than to keep the game going on and on, I would rule you to be deliberately stalling.

P-33 Unsporting Conduct–Cheating (Penalty: Disqualification without Prize) Cheating is the highest display of unsporting conduct a player may exhibit during a tournament. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, intentionally misrepresenting the game state, rules, and policies; reporting inaccurate
information to tournament officials; and bribery. A statement must be sent to the address given at the beginning of this document outlining the incident leading to this penalty.
Examples:

• A player offers booster packs to his or her opponent to concede the final round.
• A player purposely draws an extra card and attempts to conceal it.
• A player intentionally reports to a tournament official that he or she won a round after losing the round.
• In the Vs. System TCG, a player intentionally marks four of his or her key plot twist cards so that he or she can predict when they will be drawn.
• A player lies to tournament officials.
• A player who won the first game of the match purposely plays slowly in order to stall for time and wait for the round to end.

I would also include playing effects and any other general behavior that have no game purpose other than to take up time. I would have no problem DQing someone who tried to pull the tactic you described.