Pyromancer's Goggles + spells with multiple optional targets

Asked by somsoc 8 years ago

I'm wondering about the interaction between Pyromancer's Goggles and spells like Arc Lightning which allow you to choose upto x targets and give them however much damage you like individually.

I think the relevant ruling on Gatherer is:"The copy will have the same targets as the spell its copying unless you choose new ones."

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=398427

I've played with these cards some months ago in paper and my understanding was that if I choose 3 targets for the original Arc Lightning then I can distribute those 3x1 damage however I like with the copy, so essentially I can use it just like the original ("1 on these three, and 3 on this one"). However if I cast the original with only two targets, for 2 and 1 damage respectively, then I believe that I only get to rearrange those two targets on the copy (and not split it three ways). Is this correct?

Today I was playing with these cards on MTGO and after casting the arc lightning with 3x1 damage targets, I could not actually combine all three of the 1 damage instances onto a single target with the copy. Or maybe I could, but the interface is really confusing when it comes to resolving this spell like this!

Am I interpreting this interaction correctly? And if I am, has anyone successfully used Pyromancer's goggles on MTGO with spells like this? I'll report it as an issue if not.

Any help appreciated!

Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #1

The copy has the same number of targets and the same division of damage amongst them. All you get to change is what the targets are.

If you cast Arc Lightning with three targets, each being distributed 1 damage, then the copy will also have three targets with 1 damage distributed to each. If instead you declare one target to receive 3 damage, then the copy must also have a single target to receive 3 damage.

February 29, 2016 7:14 p.m.

somsoc says... #2

So just to be clear, if I chose three targets, I can't change those targets to all be the same with the copy?

I guess this part of the ruling is also relevant:

"If, for one of the targets, you cant choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal)."

So when it says 'new legal target' it means a different unique target?

I understand that when I resolve the first Arc Lightning it's incorrect for me to say that I want 3 instances of damage on one single target (targeting the same creature/player three times). However.. I did think that the Goggles allow me to re-distribute the targets, including changing the targets to be on the same creature three times.

February 29, 2016 7:24 p.m.

Rhadamanthus says... #3

The key thing is that Pyromancer's Goggles and other copy effects let you change the targets, but not the number of targets. A copy of an Arc Lightning with 3 targets will also have 3 targets. Trying to put all the damage from the copy onto one target means you're trying to make the spell have only one target. That won't work.

February 29, 2016 7:38 p.m.

somsoc says... #4

Okay, thanks for the answers :)

February 29, 2016 8:22 p.m.

This discussion has been closed