E.1 - Alternate Cost Spells


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E.1.1- Alternate cost spells provide a way to cast them without paying the mana cost. This is typically worded "You may do rather than paying this card's mana cost." [CompRules 1999/04/23]

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E.1.2- The non-mana cost is paid at the time you announce the spell or ability and is considered to be paying the mana cost (see Rule K.18) for you. [Duelist Magazine #11, Page 55, 1996/07/01]

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E.1.3- If there is a condition in the alternate cost, such as "if you control a plains, you may...", then this condition is tested only at the time you would pay the cost. If the condition stops being true later, the spell or ability still resolves as normal. [Nemesis FAQ 2000/02/07]

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E.1.Ruling.1- These are sometimes called 'Pitch spells' because the first alternate cost spells used discarding a card from your hand or removing a card in your hand from the game as the alternate cost. [D'Angelo 1998/02/03]

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E.1.Ruling.2- It does not actually change the mana cost of the spell for any reasons, including spells or abilities like Spell Blast. [Duelist Magazine #12, Page 32, 1996/09/01]

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E.1.Ruling.3- If there is a penalty on the play cost of the spell, such as Gloom on a Scars of the Veteran, you must pay the penalty even if you use the alternate cost to avoid the mana cost (see Rule K.18) portion of the play cost (see Rule K.20). [CompRules 1999/04/23]

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E.1.Ruling.4- You cannot use Sleight of Mind to stop an alternate cost spell which requires a card of a certain color to be discarded. This is because the costs are paid prior to the Sleight being usable. See Rule T.3.1. [Duelist Magazine #12, Page 32, 1996/09/01]

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E.1.Ruling.5- You cannot discard a spell card to pay for itself. [D'Angelo 1998/05/28] See Rule T.4.2.

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