Aluren with an Emerald Medallion, does this mean I can put Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma in play for free?
Asked by Spook9MM 5 years ago
Since the medallion drops the cost by 1, bringing it to cc3, then in turn, using Goreclaw's ability, drop things such as Thunderfoot Baloth or Essence of the Wild for free??
In short: Emerald Medallion represents a discount on the CMC, but the CMC hasn't changed.
Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma has a CMC of 4 even if you have three Medallions on the battlefield, just as it's CMC is still 4 even if it's your commander and you've cast it for the fourth time in a game (meaning you've spent 10 total mana casting it this time).
ClockworkSwordfish says... Accepted answer #1
I'm afraid not! A creature's converted mana cost is an invariable number - that is, the amount of mana their mana cost requires regardless of colour. So no matter what - no matter what! - Goreclaw will always have a converted mana cost of four. Now, that doesn't mean you always have to pay four mana to play her - Emerald Medallion allows you to pay less, but that doesn't mean her mana cost is one less. It means you can pay three mana to play a four mana creature. After all, if you used one mana to pay for Unearth and brought back a three-mana creature, your opponent couldn't use Isolate to remove it.
Ergo, Goreclaw allowing you to pay less for another creature doesn't lower its converted mana cost, either. Aluren will only let you drop creatures whose printed mana cost adds up to 3 or less, no ifs, ands or buts. Because again, their mana cost can never change: only what you might have to pay to play them.
January 12, 2019 1:29 p.m.