In a showdown, are all actions and reactions played before anything resolves, or can actions be played, then something resolves, then more actions?

Question

Accepted Answer

Both. During a Showdown players alternate playing cards into a Chain (an Open State window) and multiple cards can be placed on the chain before anything resolves. However, once there are no Pending Items to finalize, the newest item on the chain gains Priority and can resolve; after that resolution players can gain Priority again and play more items. In short: you can stack actions before resolution, but resolutions occur whenever the chain advances to Resolve and there are no Pending Items to finalize first [342] [347] [337] [340] [419].

During a Showdown players may repeatedly play cards in alternating fashion, creating a Chain; those played items become Pending and must be finalized before resolving [342] [347] [337]. Once the Chain has no Pending Items, the controller of the newest item gains Priority and the chain proceeds toward resolution, at which point the newest item resolves. After a resolution, players can gain Priority again and add more items, so actions can be played, then something can resolve, then additional actions can be played afterward [337] [340] [419].

A Showdown opens and players have an Open State where the player with Focus may Play cards or Activate abilities in alternating fashion; each played spell creates a Chain as normal [342] [347]. When a player Plays a card it is placed on the Chain and queued to be finalized (it becomes a Pending Item) [419] [337]. If any Items are Pending, their controllers must complete the steps of Playing those Pending Items until they are Finalized or removed; this finalization process does not pass Priority, and items finalize in the order they were appended [337]. Once there are no Pending Items on the Chain, the controller of the newest item on the Chain gains Priority and becomes the Active Player; play proceeds toward Execute/Resolve steps [337] [340]. The newest item on the Chain resolves when the Resolve step occurs; after resolution, if the Chain is not empty players follow Priority rules and may play additional items between resolutions [340] [337]. If all players pass in sequence during the Showdown window, the Showdown ends and cleanup occurs [347].

Units, Gear, and abilities that Add resources resolve immediately when Finalized and do not progress to Step 2: Execute, which can affect whether something resolves immediately upon finalization during a Showdown [337.1.c]. A card or ability that is Countered does nothing and is cleared from the Chain and is not considered to have been played, which matters for triggers that look for a card being played or resolved [425]. The word “play” can mean placing on the Chain, finalizing, or resolving depending on context; be careful reading card templating because different abilities use different meanings [FAQ:unleashed#10].

Showdowns are Open State windows that let players alternate playing spells, and each spell played this way creates a Chain [342]. When a player Plays a card they place it on the Chain and queue it to be finalized (it becomes a Pending Item) [419] [337]. Pending Items must be finalized (their Play steps completed) before the game proceeds to resolving items on the Chain; finalization happens in the order items were appended and does not pass Priority [337]. Some effects (Units/Gear/abilities that Add resources) resolve immediately on finalization and never go to Execute [337.1.c].

When the Chain has no Pending Items, the controller of the newest item gains Priority and the game proceeds toward Execute and Resolve steps; the newest item will then resolve during Step 4 if priority and the chain state allow it [340] [337]. After an item resolves, the Chain and Priority flow can allow players to Play more items before the next resolution. That means you can stack multiple actions before any resolve, but you can also have actions resolve and then add more actions afterward—both behaviors occur depending on whether players continue to add Pending Items or let the Chain advance to Resolve [342] [340] [419].

Also note that if an item is Countered it does nothing, is removed from the Chain, and is not considered to have been played for trigger purposes [425]. Finally, be mindful of the different technical meanings of “play”: card templating may refer to placing on the Chain, finalizing, or resolving, so read effects carefully to know which timing they mean [FAQ:unleashed#10].