One of the most common situations regarding simultaneous triggers that comes up is two players controlling Mimic Vats, and who gets to imprint the creature when it dies.

When two triggers go on the stack simultaneously, they are often controlled by one player, and it is fairly simple to handle. That player decides the order they go on the stack, and effectively chooses which resolves first.

When two triggers go on the stack simultaneously that are controlled by different players, they are placed on the stack in Active Player (“AP”), Non-Active Player (“NAP”) order (this is commonly referred to as “APNAP”). The active player is the player whose turn it is right now. This means the player whose turn it isn’t will put their trigger on top of the stack, and will get to choose whether to exile the creature with his or her trigger first, and if he or she doesn’t imprint the creature, then the AP will get a chance to choose.

For example, both players control a Mimic Vat, and the AP casts Day of Judgment. It destroys a creature, and both Mimic Vats trigger. The AP must put his trigger on the stack first, followed by the NAP. The NAP’s trigger resolves first, and she chooses to exile the creature with her Mimic Vat. The AP then resolves his trigger, but it does nothing, because the creature that triggered the ability is no longer in the graveyard.

Today’s Rules Tip written by
Peter Golightly, Level 1 Judge from Austin, TX