Can You Activate a Mana Ability at Instant Speed

Asked by JonRules12 11 years ago

For example the ability on Scavenging Ooze costs 1 green and it's "Exile a card from your graveyard, if it is a creature card put a +1/+1 counter on Scavenging Ooze. Can that be cast at instant speed?

Devonin says... Accepted answer #1

Mana abilities are a totally different kind of thing.

This is an activated ability that has a mana COST. Mana abilities are abilities which don't target, could add mana to a player's mana pool, and aren't loyalty abilities.

Activated abilities can be activated any time you have priority and enough resources to pay the activation cost.

You can activate the ability of Scavenging Ooze any time you could play an instant.

February 4, 2014 1:05 a.m.

Epochalyptik says... #2

Please link all cards in your question.
Scavenging Ooze

Note that you don't cast abilities. Scavenging Ooze has an activated ability, and you activate activated abilities (hence the name).

Also, a mana ability is an ability that 1) has no targets, 2) isn't a loyalty ability, and 3) adds mana to a player's mana pool.

February 4, 2014 1:32 a.m.