Can you hold priority to chain a reaction after an action to prevent the action from being denied or countered?

Ruling: No, holding priority does not protect your action from being countered. Counter spells like Defy can target any spell on the chain, not just the most recent one.

Sequence:

• You can add multiple spells to the chain before passing priority
• Opponent can target any spell on the chain with a counter, not just the most recent
• Alternatively, you can let the chain partially resolve, allowing the reaction to resolve first, then counter the action afterward

Nuances:

• There is no way to truly "block" an opponent from countering your spell by chaining reactions after it
• Even if you let your reaction resolve first, the opponent can still counter the action once it's the only spell remaining on the chain