Can you use Baited Hook, then stack Altar of Souls on the trigger so that Altar resolves first before Baited Hook finishes resolving?

Ruling: No, you cannot interrupt Baited Hook's resolution with Altar of Souls. When Baited Hook kills a unit, Altar triggers as pending on the chain but must wait until Baited Hook completely finishes resolving before Altar can resolve.

Sequence:

  • Activate Baited Hook (pay costs), the ability goes onto the chain and finalizes (choose which unit to kill but don't kill it yet)
  • Reaction opportunity
  • Baited Hook resolves: kill the unit
  • Altar triggers and goes onto the chain as pending
  • Baited Hook continues resolving: look at top 5 cards, choose a unit, banish it, then play that unit
  • The unit goes onto the chain as pending, on top of Altar
  • Finish resolving Baited Hook by recycling the other cards
  • Finalize Altar on the chain
  • Finalize the chosen unit on the chain (choose location, potentially pay additional costs)
  • The unit immediately resolves
  • Reaction opportunity on Altar's effect
  • Altar resolves: choose whether to exhaust it to do its effect or not

Nuances:

  • Altar is only exhausted when it resolves, not when it triggers
  • The unit from Baited Hook is banished due to Baited Hook errata