Last updated: 02 August 2017
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- How many steps must be followed to cast a spell? Which are those steps?
1) Announce and place the spell in the stack
2) Choose modes and/or additional/alternative costs (evoke, splice, kicker, buyback)
3) Choose targets
4) Choose the way that effects will be distributed (damage, counters, etc.)
5) Check the target legality
6) Calculate the total cost
7) Activate mana abilities to pay costs
8) Pay all the cost in any order
- In what order are the costs paid?
In any order you want to.
- If I want to cast a spell with Flashback, what steps are affected by Flashback?
The second step, choose alternative costs.
- If I cast a Wild Swing, can I choose the same creature three times?
No, since for every single instance of the word “target” in a spell or ability the same target cannot be chosen more than one time.
5 If I cast Rain of Thorns, can I choose an artifact land two times as target?
Yes, since we can target once for each instance of the word target on it text.
- When I choose if I Kicker or not a Goblin Ruinblaster?
During the goblin second cast step: additional costs.
- If I cast an Arc Lightning making target two Phantasmal Bear and my opponent, how much damage my opponent receive? And why?
One point, since although target the bears their ability will trigger and they will be sacrificed, losing that target, as the Lightning resolves it will have at least one valid target.
- If I cast a Common bond, can I put the two counters to the same creature? Can I put a counter to an opponent creature?
Yes we can, since those are two instances of the word target in card text. And of course we can put one on an opponent creature; there’s nothing that prevent us from doing it: the target has to be a creature, without any other characteristic or additional restriction.
- There is any difference between casting a Hail of Arrows and a Fireball?
Hail of Arrows damage is divided in fourth cast step, because ask us for a choice, meanwhile the Fireball damage is divided during resolution in equitable form, without being able to distribute it as we want.
- Alberto activate his Temporal Aperture and reveals from the top of his library a Mulldrifter. Can he Evoke the Mulldrifter? And if he does, does he have to pay the evoke cost?
He can’t evoke it. Both “cast without paying its mana cost” and Evoke are alternative costs, and only one can be chosen when is cast. The only alternative cost that allow us Temporal Aperture is cast without paying its mana cost, so if we want to cast the card, we may only choose that option.
- Adelaida controls a Maro in the battlefield and in her hand has a Momentous Fall. Does she can cast her Fall and sacrifice her Maro? If she can do it, how many cards would she draw and how many lives would she win?
Yes, she can do it, she will gain 0 life and draw 0 cards due the power and toughness of Maro are determined by a Characteristic-Defining-Ability, and as Momentous Fall is in the stack Angie will have no cards in hand.
- Arnold controls a Bloodshot Cyclops equipped with a Sword of the Paruns. If he activates the ability of the Cyclops sacrificing itself and targeting Nancy, how much damage will she receive?
She will receive 6. There’s two costs for Cyclops ability: tap the Cyclops and sacrifice a creature. Cost can be paid in any order, but Arnold cannot tap the Cyclops if sacrifice it first, so he must tap it first, and sacrifice it then, and the last known information about creature when the ability resolves will be a 6/4.
- Andrea only have a Mountain in the battlefield. Does she can cast a Raze to destroy his/her opponent Mutavault?
Yes, she can do it. During the 7 step mana abilities can be activated. Then, in the 8 step she will have to pay R and sacrifice the Mountain.
- I cast Fling, sacrificing a Tarmogoyf (with only sorcery and land in the graveyards), on an opponent Nessian Courser. Will the creature die? What will happen if Tarmogoyf has a Basilisk Collar equipped?
When Fling resolves we will use the last known information about Tarmogoyf, in this case will be a 2 power, so no, it will not destroy the Hunter. If it had been equipped with the Collar neither destroy it nor gain any life since although Tarmo had Deathtouch and Lifelink when was sacrificed, the source of damage is Fling, not the sacrificed creature.
- Artemisa controls a Molten-Tail Masticore and an Ashnod’s Altar. Does Artemisa can sacrifice her Masticore to help the first ability payment? If she can, does she can exile the Masticore from her graveyard to pay the activated ability?
Yes, and also yes. In order to activate an ability, you announce that you going to use it, then you choose targets, after that when you activate mana abilities you can sacrifice Masticore in the Altar to produce mana, then when you have to pay costs in any order, Masticore is already in the graveyard and can be exiled.
- Antonio controls a Chromatic Star, a Great Furnace, and a Tree of Tales. Does he can cast a Thoughtcast? Why? Or why not?
Yes he can. In the sixth step, spell cost is locked: with affinity we determine that required cost to pay Thoughtcast is 1U. This cost is already locked and will not change even the battlefield conditions change.
Once is determined, when mana abilities activates at the seven step, Antonio may filter a mana with his Chromatic Star to get the blue mana that he needs to cast Thoughtcast. Although Chromatic Star is sacrificed, the cost is already locked in the sixth step and doesn’t change.
- I have in the battlefield a Wall of Roots with 4 counters and four Forests. What is the maximum value of the X when I cast a Chord of Calling with these resources?
Three, during casting the spell I may use the Wall ability to obtain mana, and even if I put a fifth counter on it, until the cast is complete, we will not check the state-based actions, and therefore it will be alive enough to be able to be used to pay using Convoke.
- How many creatures or players as target can choose a player who cast a Violent Eruption?
From one up to four, much as damage the spell does, and none more, because I have to be able to assign at least a point to a target to consider it as target.
- How is the total cost of a spell determined? This affect the Converted Mana Cost of the Spell?
The total cost is determined first starting with the spell cost that is the mana cost printed at the card superior right, then we replace this cost by an alternative cost if it’s necessary, then we apply the increases (if an opponent controls an Grand Arbiter Augustin IV), then decreases (for instance a Nightscape Familiar), and finally any effect that set a value for cost (like Trinisphere).
This doesn’t change the converted mana cost, which is the value obtained from the spell cost printed in the card superior right corner.