non-miracle bonfire/other "XX" spells in their mana cost
Asked by Nightstlkr 11 years ago
stupid question but i just wanted to make sure; do you have to have an equal amount in both of the X's? if for some reason you didnt and say you have x=3 and x=2, what would happen?
Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #2
Yes. When you make a choice for a variable in a cost, all instances of it have the same value. If you choose X=2 then Bonfire costs 4R. If you choose X=3 then Bonfire costs 6R. There's no way to make a choice that lets the two Xs have different values.
July 27, 2013 6:16 p.m.
"409.1b When a player casts a spell, if the spell or ability has a variable mana cost (indicated by X) or some other variable cost, the player announces the value of that variable at this time...You cant apply two alternative methods of playing or two alternative costs to a single spell or ability."
Basically, X is a variable and all instances of X on the card are treated as if they are the same number. In this instance, X is defined by how much you pay for Bonfire of the Damned (ie. you pay 2R if X=1, you pay 4R if X=2, etc.).
July 27, 2013 6:31 p.m.
Think of it like this, you pick X as you announce the spell - before you pay any costs, before you do anything else. "Bonfire, X is 3". Then you read the spell as if all instances of X were replaced by 3. It costs (3)(3)(r)(r). It deals 3 damage.
There's no longer any X to worry about (although the spell does still count as an X spell).
Nightstlkr says... #1
Bonfire of the Damned for reference
July 27, 2013 6:12 p.m.