I cast a Hidden Wages of Pain and my opponent responds with a Hidden Tideturner, does Wages still resolve?
Yes, your Wages of Pain will still resolve.
Here is the breakdown of the timing and chain resolution:
1. The Sequence
- Your Play: You play your hidden Wages of Pain. It is a spell, so it is placed on the chain. You choose your target at this time.
- Opponent's Reaction: Your opponent reacts by playing their hidden Tideturner. Per RiftJudge FAQ #6244, playing a unit (even from hidden) finalizes immediately and does not use the chain in a way that allows further reactions to the unit entering play. Tideturner enters the battlefield.
- The Trigger: Because Tideturner has a "When you play me" ability, that ability triggers and is placed on the chain, on top of your Wages of Pain.
2. Resolution (LIFO)
The chain resolves in LIFO (Last-In, First-Out) order:
- Tideturner's ability resolves: The opponent may choose a unit they control at another location to swap places with Tideturner.
- Wages of Pain resolves: After the Tideturner trigger finishes, your Wages of Pain spell is the next item on the chain and will resolve.
Key Rules
- Targeting: As long as the unit you targeted with Wages of Pain is still a legal target when it resolves (i.e., it hasn't left the battlefield or gained protection like Spellshield), your spell will deal its 3 damage and complete its instructions.
- Independent Resolution: Per Rule 359.3.e.12, even if the Tideturner's movement somehow caused your target to become illegal, your spell still resolves; it simply ignores the instruction that cannot be performed. The Tideturner entering play does not "counter" or stop your spell from attempting to resolve.
This is my interpretation based on the chain rules and the Tideturner FAQ. No official FAQ exists for this specific combination of cards, but the LIFO resolution order is standard for all Riftbound showdowns.