In EDH, do I need to pay the commander tax for Sephara, Sky's Blade ability?
Asked by pedroedmarcos 1 year ago
Hey there,
At least from what I understand, sephara ability is an alternative cost, so you still have to pay the tax. But some guys on my lgs are saying that it works like derevi, only puting her on the field.
dragonstryke58 says... #2
As Delphen7 stated, you will have to pay the commander tax to cast Sephara, Sky's Blade. Commander tax is applied every time you cast your commander from the command zone.
903.8. A player may cast a commander they own from the command zone. A commander cast from the command zone costs an additional {2} for each previous time the player casting it has cast it from the command zone that game. This additional cost is informally known as the “commander tax.”
The difference between Sephara, Sky's Blade and Derevi, Empyrial Tactician is that Sephara, Sky's Blade has an alternate casting cost to play her as a spell. Even if you use the alternate casting cost, you are still casting her from the command zone, so commander tax is applied.
On the other hand, Derevi, Empyrial Tactician has an activated ability that puts Derevi directly onto the battlefield. Since it was not cast from the command zone, there is no commander tax applied.
Delphen7 says... Accepted answer #1
Yes, you will need to pay the commander cost.
Since the relevant rules are long, I'll just quote part of them.
601.2b: "...If the spell has alternative or additional costs that will be paid as it’s being cast such as buyback or kicker costs (see rules 118.8 and 118.9), the player announces their intentions to pay any or all of those costs (see rule 601.2f). A player can’t apply two alternative methods of casting or two alternative costs to a single spell" ... "Previously made choices (such as choosing to cast a spell with flashback from a graveyard or choosing to cast a creature with morph face down) may restrict the player’s options when making these choices."
601.2f: "The player determines the total cost of the spell. Usually this is just the mana cost. Some spells have additional or alternative costs. Some effects may increase or reduce the cost to pay, or may provide other alternative costs." ... "The total cost is the mana cost or alternative cost (as determined in rule 601.2b), plus all additional costs and cost increases, and minus all cost reductions. ..."
October 19, 2022 5:35 p.m.