Vendilion Clique ETB trigger question

[GGoober]

This came up yesterday.

My opponent plays Vendilion Clique. The question I had was:

He plays Clique. It resolves. It ETB, and the ETB trigger is on the stack. Am I able to let him choose which player he is targetting and then burn the Clique? Or is this too late because choosing the target implies that the ability is resolving on the stack by which it is too late to respond?

Because as far as I am away, "When Clique ETB," This is the point where I need to respond, otherwise the following resolves "Look at target player's hand. blah blah blah". I have to respond to the "When Clique ETB" (Trigger) before the clause "Look at target player's hand ...." (resolution of trigger)

Am I right? This is probably very basic MTG rules but sometimes I always never get it or get confused again. It's the same situation as:

1) Play Dreadnought no creatures in play
2) In response to the Dreadnought ETB trigger "When Dreadnought enters the battlefield," I can respond by vialing in another Dreadnought or for arguments sake a vanilla 12/12.
3) then I let the ETB trigger resolve "sacrifice Dreadnought unless you sacrifice ..."

In this situation it's the same right? Because if I don't do it before the clause "sacrifice Dreadnought unless you sacrifice ..." it'll be too late to respond as the ability is resolving.

[Sharpened]

It's a targeted trigger. Once clique resolves, before any player gets priority, the trigger will be placed on the stack. When the trigger is placed on the stack, NOT ON RESOLUTION OF THE TRIGGER, is when the targetted player is chosen. Both players will get priority before the trigger resolves, so you can burn it away.

[GGoober]

I see so he's correct on this then. Basically he was telling me that I should wait until he declares which player he targets before burning the Clique because I had 1 card in hand. If he targetted me and in response I burned the Clique, I could draw a card. But if I burned it before targets are chosen, he will just target himself instead.

I thought the situation was when the trigger is on the stack, the targetting is part of the resolution of the trigger so it'll be too late for me to respond if he announced targets.

[luma]

Right, targets are chosen when the trigger goes on the stack, before any player can respond. Just one thing about the ability: if he targets you, and in response you cast your last card, then you will not get to draw a card from Clique's ability. Because you don't have any cards in your hand, your opponent can't choose a nonland card from your hand, and you don't get to draw a card (Clique says "You may choose a nonland card from it. If you do, that player reveals the chosen card, puts it on the bottom of his or her library, then draws a card.")


Vialing in another Dreadnought in response to your first Nought's ETB trigger is perfectly fine. You can sacc the vial'd in Nought to prevent the first one from eating himself.

Actually, you can't. What you can do is to sacrifice the first Dreadnought to the Vial'd one. When the first Nought enters the battlefield and its ability triggers, and you vial in another, the vial'd Dreadnought's ETB trigger resolves before the first one's. Then you can sac the first Nought to the second, and then choose to sacrifice the first one (which is already dead, so it won't matter).

Just a minor technicality, the end result is the same (you get to keep one Dreadnought).

[Blitzbold]

I guess it was a little late and a glass of red wine too much when I typed my answer. Sorry. :-/