Reducing Commander costs (Rooftop Storm)
Asked by Polaris 13 years ago
If you have Rooftop Storm in play, will it always reduce the costs of a Zombie commander, like Grimgrin, Corpse-Born (are there any other blue legendary zombies? Don't answer that.) to zero? Anyway, would Grimgrin cost 0, then 2, then 4, then 6, etc. for each consective casting, or would he cost 0 each time?
Zombie Creature spells, in case someone decides to nitpick, is what i meant. Another example that i believe illustrates this is if someone had a Lodestone Golem out. Your zombie creature spells would be reduced to 0 then you would have to pay an additional 1 in order to cast them, making the total cost 1.
November 3, 2011 3 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #3
601.2e The player determines the total cost of the spell. Usually this is just the mana cost. Some spells have additional or alternative costs. Some effects may increase or reduce the cost to pay, or may provide other alternative costs. Costs may include paying mana, tapping permanents, sacrificing permanents, discarding cards, and so on. 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. If the mana component of the total cost is reduced to nothing by cost reduction effects, it is considered to be 0. It cant be reduced to less than 0. Once the total cost is determined, any effects that directly affect the total cost are applied. Then the resulting total cost becomes "locked in." If effects would change the total cost after this time, they have no effect.
117.9. Some spells have alternative costs. An alternative cost is a cost listed in a spell's text, or applied to it from another effect, that its controller may pay rather than paying the spell's mana cost. Alternative costs are usually phrased, "You may [action] rather than pay [this object's] mana cost," or "You may cast [this object] without paying its mana cost." Note that some alternative costs are listed in keywords; see rule 702.
903.10. A player may cast a commander he or she owns from the command zone. Doing so costs that player an additional 2 for each previous time he or she cast that commander from the command zone that game.
Rooftop Storm allows you to pay an alternative cost for the Zombie creature spells you cast, that cost being 0. The alternative cost does not overwrite any additional costs, which you will still have to pay. Therefore, you will pay (0 + 2C), where C is the number of times your general has been returned to the command zone. The additional 2 for recasting a general is exactly that, an additional cost, and as such is added to the alternative cost.
November 3, 2011 3:13 p.m.
Oh well, it's still a pretty nice thing to have out in Grimgrin EDH. I suppose I shouldn't be complaining about paying 6 the fourth time I cast him.
November 3, 2011 3:31 p.m.
Hello All,
adding some more mischief to this topic: I can cast my Oona, Queen of Fae for 0 the first time I cast it, if I have a Conspiracy (choose zombie as creature type) and Rooftop Storm, correct?
Thanks and regards
May 16, 2016 2:30 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #6
@XDS: This question is from 2011. Next time, please check the post dates before commenting. It's better to start a new question than reply to an old one.
Also, link all cards in your question.
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Conspiracy
Yes. Conspiracy makes Oona, Queen of the Fae a zombie. Therefore, you pay choose to pay the alternate cost created by Rooftop Storm instead of the normal casting cost. As stated above, you still have to pay the additional costs on subsequent castings.
Penumbra says... #1
He would cost 0 then 2 then 4 ect. Because the rooftop storm only reduces the printed mana cost to 0 for zombie spells, any additional costs would have to be paid on top of that.
November 3, 2011 2:58 p.m.