Omen Machine's second ability
Asked by Tetsuo 14 years ago
At the beginning of each player's draw step, that player exiles the top card of his or her library. If it's a land card, the player puts it onto the battlefield. Otherwise, the player casts it without paying its mana cost if able.
does the "if able" mean that only spells that could be case at your upkeep step be cast? aka does Omen Machine mean that only instants would be able to be played from draws since they are the only spells that you are able to play at the draw step?
Jarrod_0067 says... #2
Lets look at Wild Evocation . That works with all cards, otherwise it would be stupid. I assume Omen Machine would be the same
May 8, 2011 5:27 a.m.
wow omen machine is so dick in a counter deck. if they top deck a counter they cant draw it. and it gets exiled. they will never get it back. FUCK YOU COUNTER DECKS!!!
May 8, 2011 7:52 a.m.
See, the thing that I understand with Omen Machine saying "if able" means that you would only be able to play instants...
You can only play creatures and sorceries during your main phase...
I will try to find a ruling to justify this argument and post it when I do...
May 8, 2011 9:07 a.m.
It appears that I was wrong... Here is the exact rulling that I found for the Upkeep Phase...
[503. Upkeep Step
503.1. First, any abilities that trigger at the beginning of the upkeep step and any abilities that triggered during the turns untap step go on the stack. (See rule 603, Handling Triggered Abilities.)
503.2. Second, the active player gets priority. Players may cast spells and activate abilities.]
So, with this being said, it does look like you can play spells and abilities during the upkeep step, "if able" meaning as long as there is a legal target for the spell...
May 8, 2011 9:21 a.m.
MagnorCriol says... #6
Yeah, Omen Machine allows a card to be cast ignoring its timing restrictions like sorcery or instant speed, because of the way it's worded. That's basically its entire purpose - it screws a blue draw-go deck (because they can't draw) but it does give them a free card every turn
May 8, 2011 9:37 a.m.
Well, it's a nice answer to Jace, the Mind Sculptor 's +0 Brainstorm effect... :)
Or Preordain , Or any other little cantrip draw card thing... Pity though about the casting cost... Oh hold on... 6 is perfect for a Treasure Mage target
Mono blue artifact Control Just got a new Best friend...
May 8, 2011 9:42 a.m.
I'm pretty sure that you can't cast anything that's not an instant/has flash, actually. It says if able, and you're not by game rules able to cast Preordain during your upkeep (barring Vedalken Orrery or Leyline of Anticipation ).
May 8, 2011 7:06 p.m.
101.1. Whenever a cards text directly contradicts these rules, the card takes precedence. The card overrides only the rule that applies to that specific situation.
I believe the "if able" is only if something is specifically prohibiting you from casting a spell, such as Silence or Exclusion Ritual .
May 8, 2011 7:29 p.m.
Additionally, as Jarrod_0067 pointed out, look at Wild Evocation 's Oracle ruling:
If a player reveals a nonland card, that player must cast that card if it's possible to do so, even if he or she doesn't want to. The player casts it as part of the resolution of Wild Evocation's ability. Timing restrictions based on the card's type (such as creature or sorcery) are ignored. Other play restrictions are not (such as "Cast [this card] only during combat").
May 8, 2011 7:31 p.m.
GLBoxingGlove says... #11
I think the "if able" refers to things that wouldn't have targets.
A counter spell would be pointless, since theres no other spells on the stack at the time.
Same would go for 'destroy target creature' if there are no creatures on the field. or other targets with no target of that kind in play.
Some cards just need other cards in play for it to be "able" to play.
May 8, 2011 7:43 p.m.
Huh. Interesting. Well, it's definitely better that way, if not as fun.
Siegfried says... #1
I don't believe that's the case. Not being "able" to cast a spell usually refers to a Silence type effect, rather than the normal timing restrictions based on a card's type. This is just my guess though, I can't really see anything in the rules or the New Phyrexia FAQ that supports my argument.
May 8, 2011 3:26 a.m.