X spells (and other) on Isochron Scepter with Convoke/Connive
Asked by Temporal_Inept 5 years ago
Pretty sure this doesn't work but let's say you have an X-spell imprinted on Isochron Scepter and you have a card like Inspiring Statuary in play. Is and alternate cost? i.e. could you tap artifacts while casting the spell to pay for X?
Likewise, say you have Gather Courage on Isochron Scepter - can you tap your creatures as you cast it because you want to exploit Inspired or when this creatures becomes tapped effects for example Night Market Lookout.
Going into detail on convoke and inspire being alternate methods of payment, if you have Isochron Scepter exiling Gather Courage and you're opponent controls Thalia, Guardian of Thraben when you use the Isochron Scepter you'll be given the option to cast Gather Courage for , as without paying the mana cost still requires you to pay additional costs. To pay this you'll be allowed to use convoke to tap that Night Market Lookout.
Kogarashi says... #1
No to both.
Isochron Scepter acts as an alternative cost for the spell you're copying. You can't pay a different alternative cost, but you can pay additional costs.
However, convoke and improvise are neither alternative costs nor additional costs. They are an alternate method of payment, and thus function like tapping Llanowar Elves for green mana, though tapping them doesn't actually generate mana and thus isn't done when you activate mana abilities. Instead it's done during the step of casting a spell where you pay the cost of the spell...which you're not doing if you're using Isochron Scepter to cast the spell.
Add to this that if you're casting a spell "without paying its mana cost," X in the cost must be 0. Unless there's an additional cost somewhere in the spell (like kicker, or something phrased "as an additional cost"), you probably aren't going to be able to change the value of X from a spell imprinted on the Scepter.
September 14, 2018 12:25 p.m.