Does Gaddock Teeg block alternate costs <4 cmc?
Asked by Bombhunter12 7 years ago
If Gaddock Teeg is in play, could I still cast Norn's Annex, for example, by paying 3 mana and 4 life?
Raging_Squiggle says... #2
No, Norn's Annex's CMC will always be 5. There's no getting around that, regardless of if you pay life or not. You cannot cast that with Teeg in play.
August 31, 2016 5:25 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #3
I should also point out that phyrexian mana is not an alternate cost. You just decide how you want to pay the mana. Alternate costs are like overload, flashback, or casting something without paying its mana cost.
August 31, 2016 5:43 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #4
To clarify, CMC is always derived from the mana cost, which is printed in the upper right of the card. Alternate costs don't change CMC; a spell's CMC is always based on the mana cost regardless of how you're casting it.
August 31, 2016 5:51 p.m.
The CMC of a spell on the stack is the total mana in the mana cost of the spell, which is what's printed in the upper right corner of the card.
Phyrexian mana symbols each count as 1.
It does not count alternative costs (like Overload), additional costs (like, Kicker), or effects that lower or increase the cost of the spell like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben does.
Bombhunter12 says... #1
The primary reason I ask is because Gaddock Teeg says "spells", which only exist on the stack.
August 31, 2016 5:17 p.m.