Combat Phase before Main Phase?

[Phasmoid]

I've been aware of Ertai's Meddling for a long time, and wondering if anything interesting
- moreso than just ​ ​ ​ "the other spell does nothing, even though that other spell would normally do something" ​ -
could happen as a result of Ertai's Meddling allowing a spell that can't be cast in an upkeep to nonetheless resolve in an upkeep.

I believe I have now found a card where that is interesting: ​ Illusionist's Gambit


Does the combination result in a turn having a combat phase before its first main phase?


I think yes,

Ertai's Meddling puts the card ​ ​ ​ "onto the stack as a copy of the original spell" ​ , ​ ​ ​ rather than casting anything.
Illusionist's Gambit adds the additional combat phase ​ ​ ​ "After this phase," ​ rather than the ​ ​ ​ "After this main phase" ​ ​ ​ on a bunch of other cards which add combat phases.

but I may be missing something.

[r2m7xd9]

You are correct in your analysis. Since Ertai's Meddling creates a copy of Illusionist's Gambit on the stack and Illusionist's Gambit specifies "After this phase" rather than "After this main phase," this interaction can indeed result in having a combat phase before the first main phase. This unique sequence can create interesting strategic possibilities.

You can also set aside this combination and return to it later. I discovered this trick while reading reviews on this site. Although it's not exactly the same topic, if you look at it broadly, card games generally have strategies and approaches that aren't dependent on the specific game (as long as it's a card game). So, no matter which game you're studying, you're bound to find something useful.