Can I react to Wages of Pain with Moving to Base?

Yes, you can react to Wages of Pain by using an ability or spell that moves the targeted unit to your base.

When you do this, the movement acts as a reaction, which is placed on the chain on top of the Wages of Pain spell. Because the chain resolves in Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) order, your move resolves first, relocating your unit to safety. When the Wages of Pain subsequently attempts to resolve, its target is no longer at the battlefield, making the target illegal and causing the damage effect to fail.

The Sequence

1. Playing the Spell: Your opponent plays Wages of Pain and chooses your unit at a battlefield as the target. The spell is placed on the chain, and the target is locked.
2. State becomes CLOSED: Because an item is on the chain, you now have the opportunity to play a [Reaction].
3. Reacting: You play a spell or activate an ability that moves your unit to your base. This reaction is placed on top of the chain (above Wages of Pain).
4. Chain resolves (LIFO):
   • Your Reaction: The move resolves first, successfully relocating your unit from the battlefield to your base.
   • Wages of Pain: The spell then attempts to resolve. Because its target is no longer at a battlefield, it is an illegal target. As per RiftJudge FAQ #10170, the damage cannot be dealt, and the spell is ignored regarding that instruction.

Important Notes

• Gold Token: Even though the damage effect fails, you should note that Wages of Pain will still create the Gold gear token. According to RiftJudge FAQ #9344, the Gold token generation is a separate instruction that does not reference the target, so it executes regardless of whether the target remains legal.
• Targeting: Once Wages of Pain is on the chain, the opponent cannot choose a new target if the original becomes illegal; the spell simply fails to deal damage.

This is my interpretation based on the standard LIFO chain resolution and the cited FAQ regarding targeted damage spells.