Aloha Magic dudes and dudettes! Today we’re covering abilities that trigger as a creature spell is cast. Bearer of Silence and Eldrazi Obligator both have effects that fall under this category. The biggest question could be, “How many times can I pay the cost?” It is a reasonable question, and you don’t need to be a Judge to find the answer — It’s right on the card. For example, Bearer of Silence says, “When you cast Bearer of Silence you may pay 1C…” So the question is, how many times did you cast this Bearer of Silence? Since the answer is always going to be once, the ability only triggers once. When it resolves you may pay 1C; if you do, your opponent gets to sacrifice a creature (lucky them). Here is a further breakdown:

• You cast an Eldrazi Obligator (it’s on the stack)
• Obligator’s triggered ability goes on the stack and you choose a target
• The opponent can respond here, not knowing if you will pay for the trigger
• The triggered ability resolves, and you pay 1C (or don’t)
• If you pay, you gain control of the targeted creature
• Finally, Eldrazi Obligator resolves and enters the battlefield

It gets better! Even if these cards are countered, you still met the minimum requirement to put the triggered ability on the stack: you cast the spell. So even if the Bearer does not resolve, you still can pay the cost as the triggered ability resolves to get the effect. Players CAN respond to the triggered ability while it is on the stack, but once it starts to resolve and you pay the 1C; it is locked in and there is nothing your opponent can do about it. And if you try to pay too soon, but the opponent wants to respond, you back up so they can respond, then you might not want to actually pay as the trigger resolves!

Today’s Rules Tip written by Daniel Clarke