Heroic and the stack - wall game argument

[MuggyWuggy]

I have a creature with heroic {favored hoplite}
I assign as blocker
I gods  willing hoplite before damage is dealt
Heroic ability goes off for targeting creature
Opponent wants to magma jet my creature in response to gods willing

He says my creature is dead

I say heroic triggered when I cast the spell and the spell doesn't have to resolve for heroic to trigger

What say you imtg

[Wally]

Remember the stack of pancakes?

[gtfotis]

No, you build from the bottom up, and the top of the stack resolves first.  But the point is the same.  Heroic is a trigger, and it just depends on if you let the heroic trigger resolve.

My b! I read from top to bottom so I was looking at the stack wrong haha

[Presentjackson]

So the {magma jet} kills heroic because it's an instant and resolves before heroic?

[Kaworu, the Fifth Child]

Yes. The heroic enters the stack, then the magma jet enters, then resolves first.

[Presentjackson]

Wouldnt {god's willing} protect the hoplite from being targeted?

[Sardok]

Wouldnt {god's willing} protect the hoplite from being targeted?

Only if it resolves, which is why {Magma Jet} is cast in response.

[Presentjackson]

So would i have to cast another instant or {god's willing} after the {magma jet} to keep my instant resolving first?

[Sardok]

So would i have to cast another instant or {god's willing} after the {magma jet} to keep my instant resolving first?

That is correct.

[particle]

alright so seems like this thread needs an explanation of the stack because intants aren't going at different speeds. the stack works first in last out, so whatever the last spell was played, that spell is on top of the stack and should resolve first, barring no other spells are beingg played. i cast {god's willing} targeting my creature {favored hoplite} for example. i respond to my own casting of {god's willing} by putting the heroic trigger on the stack. note nothing has resolved since i havent passed priority. now i pass priority to see if my stuff resolves.
stack looks like this:
top, heroic trigger, bottom god's willing,
if they respond by {magma jet}ting my hoplite,
stack will look like
top: magma jet, heroic trigger, bottom: go/ willing.
now since no spells have yet resolved, magma jet would kill hoplite if first player has no response. in response, however, first player could play another {god's willing} and trigger heroic, so stack would look like from top to bottom
top: heroic trigger, {god's willing} , {magma jet}, heroic trigger {god's willing}.
the stack always resolves top to bottom so hoplite would life if you cast a 2nd {god's willing}.

[Presentjackson]

Thanks man, big help.