Does "May" equal "May not"?

Asked by CaiusV 6 years ago

If a card like Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge says "you may cast ... without paying it's mana cost", can I CHOOSE to pay it's mana cost instead of playing the spell for no mana cost since it says "MAY"?

pinecone2k3 says... Accepted answer #1

The way it's worded, in this specific case, "may", and the implied choice not to, refer to casting the exiled card, not paying the mana cost. So, if you "choose not to", you don't cast the exiled card at all, and it stays exiled. If you do choose to cast the card, you do not pay the mana cost.

August 19, 2017 7 a.m.