If an illegal spell is cast, will the tapped lands used to cast it remain tapped?
Asked by RobinSong 10 years ago
I tap 2 lands to cast Shock on Sylvan Caryatid , the game recognizes this as an illegal action and returns Shock to my hand. Do my lands remain tapped for 2 floating mana, or do they untap as well?
FALLEN-X-ANGEL says... #2
LOL Gidgetimer, if this website had a like button I'd like your comment.
If you are competing against a complete ass, then you either take the spell back or the complete ass will want that spell to resolve negatively on one of your own creatures.
July 23, 2014 4:13 a.m.
Absinthman says... #3
@X_Kawaii-Extremist_X: It's actually better that there's no "like" button. This way, if you like something, you actually have to take some time to write a response, like you just did. "Likes" like these really tell you something and can be appreciated much more than simple clicks which many people throw around without thinking twice.
July 23, 2014 5:43 a.m.
GJTanner87 says... #5
"if you are competing against a complete ass, then you either take the spell back or the complete ass will want that spell to resolve negatively on one of your own creatures."
X_Kawaii-Extremist_X if your opponent is ever doing this they are seriously wrong as this is 100% not what should happen (ever)
July 23, 2014 7 a.m.
filledelanuit says... #6
The game does not recognize the illegal action. It is a fix that has been designated by the people who write the judge stuff.
The appropriate fix would depend on where you were playing. If you were playing at FNM or a casual game you could just untap your mana and put the spell back in your hand. If you were playing at a competitive or professional event then the game state would rewind back to right before you declared targets for your spell and proceed from there.
July 23, 2014 9:17 a.m.
filledelanuit says... #7
I missed something.
If you were at Comp of Pro REL you would also get a warning for: "Game Play Error-Game Rules Violation"
The situation would rewind back to directly before you cast the spell although if you floated mana that wouldn't untap.
July 23, 2014 9:20 a.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #8
The fix for an illegal action that's noticed before too much else has happened is to rewind to right before it was taken. In the case of spells, the game is rewound all the way back to right before the spell was announced.
Whether your lands stay tapped depends on what Rules Enforcement Level (REL) you're playing at and exactly when you tapped them. In Regular REL (FNM, Prereleases, Launches Game Day, most Drafts, etc.) a judge would probably let you untap them. In Competitive REL or higher, it depends on whether you tapped your lands before announcing the spell (no untap) or during the mana-ability step of the casting process (yes untap).
July 23, 2014 10:12 a.m.
GJTanner87 says... #9
lordoftheshadows the game does recognise illegal actions and cover how to handle them (it's covered in Comp Rule 717)
The fix will likely be the same no matter when you tapped your land (we don't expect players to have absolute perfect technical play so will cut them some slack) and will allow the land to be untapped if it was tapped just before the illegal spell was cast as well as if you tapped them during the casting
Gidgetimer says... Accepted answer #1
Technically, it depends on when you tapped the mana. As long as you aren't playing against a complete ass, you can untap your mana.
Ok about the technically part: The game state rolls back to just before you started casting a spell if any part of the casting process (such as choosing targets) fails. This means If you announced the spell and then tapped your lands for the mana to pay for it the lands untap. If you floated the mana and then announced the spell technically the lands don't untap.
July 23, 2014 2:11 a.m.