Magic the Gathering: Rules Primer I: The Stack

So recently I've taken up Magic the Gathering again, as has my girlfriend, and most of our mutual friends. I've noticed when playing with them that while they have the basics down really well some of the more intricate parts of the magic rules are very confusing to them. While I won't profess to know everything there is to know about Magic as I am not a certified judge yet... I plan to write a series of articles on the rules of the game in the hope of improving my friends game and perhaps making magic more fun for all of them. After all how much can you enjoy a game when your frequently puzzled about how somethings interact, or miss the potential of a mechanic because you don't understand it.

The first thing that I've noticed that most of the casual players I've played seem not to understand is the use of the stack. Some of them probably don't even know what the stack is, and most of the time this is not a problem at all. The stack is arguably one of the most important game zones, as important as the battlefield (in play zone prior to the newest rules changes) more important then exile (removed from the game zone prior to the newest rules changes) way more important than the library and depending on how you use your graveyard more important or at least equally important graveyard.

So what is the Stack?

The Stack is where all spells and abilities you play go before they come into play. Note mana producing abilities and playing lands do not use the Stack, and with the next rules change on the 11th of July damage won't use the stack either. When something is on the stack you or your opponent can play another spell or ability and place it on the stack above your spell. When no one decides to respond the spells and abilities start to resolve with the top spell or ability resolving first, then the next spell or ability, so on and so forth. Basically first on the stack is last off the stack.

What does this mean /why does the stack exist?
The stack exists to give your opponents the chance to respond to spells and abilities you play, be it creatures, instants, equipment, sorceries, enchaments, or plainswalkers, your opponent gets a chance to respond before the spell or ability you play resolves and you carry out the effects.

Perhaps walking though an example will make this more clear.

It's my turn and I decide to play Flameblast dragon, I play it by playing the mana to play it then putting it on the stack, I retain stack priority (meaning I can put something else on the stack too) then when I decide I pass priority to my opponent and they play a counter spell (targeting flameblast dragon) and then Wrath of God (Destroy all creatures) and pass priority, I decide to play a counter spell targeting their counter spell, and pass priority then they also pass.

Ok here is the order of the stack, Flameblast Dragon, Coutnerspell (flameblast dragon), Wrath of God, Coutnerspell( other Counterspell)

We start by resolving the counter spell targeting the counterspell, it resolves and the other counterspell is countered and removed from the stack. Then Wrath of God resolves and destroys all creatures. Flameblast dragon isn't a creature while it is on the stack so it's not destroyed, then flameblast dragon resolves and comes into play.

The stack is why a counterspell can counter a creature with shroud, because until the spell resolves it's not a creature and thus can be countered because it doesn't have shroud yet.

Also this work with abilities also, this is why you can sacrifice mogg fanatic before it dies to lethal damage or spells that would kill it.

The stack is also the way to keep track of what actually happens when multiple happen at the same time.

Suppose you sacrifice sprouting thinax to a devour creature, you can't also devour at the same time the 1/1 tokens it makes because thinax doesn't go to the graveyard until the devour resolves.

Ok I think I've rambled quite enough, hopefully this helps. If not feel free to ask questions I'll gladly answer them if I can.