Can you activate Tortured Existence's ability without any creatures in your graveyard?

Asked by Wormple12 9 years ago

So just pay 1 black mana to discard a card of your own?

TheHroth says... #1

Please link all cards in question

Tortured Existence

From Gatherer:

You can't return the same card you are discarding. This is because you pick the target before paying the costs.

You can't activate the ability when you have no creature cards in your graveyard.

October 21, 2014 11:13 a.m.

Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #2

For a spell or ability with targets, you have to be able to choose enough legal targets for it in order to cast/activate it at all. Targets have to be chosen before costs are paid, so in your example you're not allowed to activate Tortured Existence .

October 21, 2014 11:14 a.m.

Wormple12 says... #3

Thanks, I just had to be sure about it.

October 21, 2014 11:21 a.m.