I'm trying to make an ability word for cards that have abilities which trigger on the payment of specific mana costs, but they care about the cost and not what you actually spend to pay them. The simplest but I fear misleading wording I've been using is in this random example:
"Whenever you pay a cost of exactly 1G, you may put a +1/+1 counter on this creature."
The goal is for this ability to trigger from all of the following:
A spell with mana cost 1G
An ability with a mana activation cost of 1G but that could also have other nonmana costs
Something like "whenever this happens, you may pay 1G. If you do..."
I'm worried that the use of "exactly" rules out the middle one and I'm not sure the word "cost" extends to those triggered abilities.
"Whenever you pay a cost, if the only mana spent to pay that cost was 1G, [effect]."
Elvish Warrior? This fails because GG was spent instead of 1G. Alpine Grizzly? This fails because you didn't only have to spend 1G to cast it; you had to pay an extra 1, and so 1G is not "the only mana spent to pay the cost of casting the spell. Rip-Clan Crasher? This fails because RG was spent instead of 1G. Manamorphose? This works if 1G is spent to cast it, but otherwise it will fail.
How to use card tags (please use them for everybody's sanity)
[c]Lightning Bolt[/c] -> Lightning Bolt
[c=Lightning Bolt]Apple Pie[/c] -> Apple Pie
Vowels-Only Format Minimum deck size: 60 Maximum number of identical cards: 4 Ban list: Cards whose English names begin with a consonant, Unglued and Unhinged cards, cards involving ante, Ancestral Recall
"Whenever you pay a cost, if the only mana spent to pay that cost was 1G, [effect]."
But this would fail if I tapped two forests to play Runeclaw Bear because the mana spent to pay the cost was GG. I'd need to use a Forest and something like a Ghost Quarter because you specifically asked for 1 to be paid. If I pay 1, I paid one colorless mana. If a cost asks me for 1, it wants one generic mana.
"Whenever you pay a cost, if the only mana spent to pay that cost was 1G, [effect]."
But this would fail if I tapped two forests to play Runeclaw Bear because the mana spent to pay the cost was GG. I'd need to use a Forest and something like a Ghost Quarter because you specifically asked for 1 to be paid. If I pay 1, I paid one colorless mana. If a cost asks me for 1, it wants one generic mana.
Very true. I'll edit my above post to avoid confusion.
Maybe the following:
"Whenever you pay a cost that has a mana component of exactly 1G, [effect]."
The term "mana component" is also referenced in CR 117.7, and so it can also be used in rules text.
One question arises, though. Say you have an Alpine Grizzly in your hand and an effect that says "Creature spells you cast cost 1 less to cast." You cast Alpine Grizzly. Does this trigger the ability?
How to use card tags (please use them for everybody's sanity)
[c]Lightning Bolt[/c] -> Lightning Bolt
[c=Lightning Bolt]Apple Pie[/c] -> Apple Pie
Vowels-Only Format Minimum deck size: 60 Maximum number of identical cards: 4 Ban list: Cards whose English names begin with a consonant, Unglued and Unhinged cards, cards involving ante, Ancestral Recall
Yes silvercut gets it in that basically if we were allowed to use such wording it would be "whenever you pay a cost that includes a mana cost printed as "1G," effect" and all his examples were right. But are we thinking there's really just no way to do that effectively?
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"Whenever you pay a cost of exactly 1G, you may put a +1/+1 counter on this creature."
The goal is for this ability to trigger from all of the following:
A spell with mana cost 1G
An ability with a mana activation cost of 1G but that could also have other nonmana costs
Something like "whenever this happens, you may pay 1G. If you do..."
I'm worried that the use of "exactly" rules out the middle one and I'm not sure the word "cost" extends to those triggered abilities.
Thoughts?
"Whenever you pay a cost, if the only mana spent to pay that cost was 1G, [effect]."
Elvish Warrior? This fails because GG was spent instead of 1G.
Alpine Grizzly? This fails because you didn't only have to spend 1G to cast it; you had to pay an extra 1, and so 1G is not "the only mana spent to pay the cost of casting the spell.
Rip-Clan Crasher? This fails because RG was spent instead of 1G.
Manamorphose? This works if 1G is spent to cast it, but otherwise it will fail.
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EDIT: Disregard this post. It is incorrect.
[c]Lightning Bolt[/c] -> Lightning Bolt
[c=Lightning Bolt]Apple Pie[/c] -> Apple Pie
Vowels-Only Format
Minimum deck size: 60
Maximum number of identical cards: 4
Ban list: Cards whose English names begin with a consonant, Unglued and Unhinged cards, cards involving ante, Ancestral Recall
Very true. I'll edit my above post to avoid confusion.
Maybe the following:
"Whenever you pay a cost that has a mana component of exactly 1G, [effect]."
The term "mana component" is also referenced in CR 117.7, and so it can also be used in rules text.
One question arises, though. Say you have an Alpine Grizzly in your hand and an effect that says "Creature spells you cast cost 1 less to cast." You cast Alpine Grizzly. Does this trigger the ability?
[c]Lightning Bolt[/c] -> Lightning Bolt
[c=Lightning Bolt]Apple Pie[/c] -> Apple Pie
Vowels-Only Format
Minimum deck size: 60
Maximum number of identical cards: 4
Ban list: Cards whose English names begin with a consonant, Unglued and Unhinged cards, cards involving ante, Ancestral Recall