Kopala, Warden of Waves interaction with free or zero cast cards
Asked by Supersaulty 5 years ago
Kopala, Warden of Waves on the board, my opponent plays Oracle of Bones , tribute is not paid for Oracle of Bones , opponent has 1 untapped land and wants to cast Shock on a merfolk... I feel as though free or zero cast spell or not, if my merfolk is being targeted he has to pay the 2... Am i wrong? Please cite rulings.
Sorry, 601.2f, not e. Sometimes rules get slightly shuffled around and numbers change a bit.
And here is rule 117.9d, which also addresses this:
117.9d If an alternative cost is being paid to cast a spell, any additional costs, cost increases, and cost reductions that affect that spell are applied to that alternative cost. (See rule 601.2f.)
March 17, 2019 1:04 p.m.
As this question has been resolved for a couple days, I have gone ahead and chosen an accepted answer. In the future, please remember to hit the "Mark as Answer" button on a responsive post once you have no further follow-up questions.
Kogarashi says... Accepted answer #1
Oracle of Bones ' ability to cast a spell without paying its mana cost is an alternative cost. Kopala, Warden of Waves ' ability is a cost increase.
When determining the total cost of a spell in order to cast it, rule 601.2e says (just the relevant portion):
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.
Your opponent would need to pay the additional for the Shock , even though they get the alternative cost of "without paying its mana cost."
March 17, 2019 12:59 p.m.