Return To The Ranks Rules Discussion
Asked by Camper116 9 years ago
I have a question that pertains to my Abzan Ranks Modern Deck. And It applies specifically to Return To The Ranks.
Say I have 4 lands (color is not a concern) and 5 creatures on field with two in the graveyard. Say I cast Ranks from my hand, tapping my lands and all my creatures to convoke cast it making X=7.
My question now is, can I sacrifice the rest of my creatures to my Viscera Seer that was on the board while Ranks is on the stack (or at any point after convoke is paid for) and get lots of value?
Ranks returns X target creatures, so the only problem I see is that I must declare the targets when I cast it. Can I sequence this in any particular order to get the most value out of it? Also, I apologize if this is in the wrong thread, I wasn't sure exactly where to ask this
TheRedMage says... #2
Pleas link the cards involved in the discussion.
Viscera Seer
Return to the Ranks
The answer to your question is sadly no. You can only activate Viscera Seer when you get priority again after you finish casting Return to the Ranks. However, Return to the Ranks targets the cards you are trying to bring back, and targets must be chosen as you cast the spell. In order for your creatures to be eligible targets, they need to be already in the graveyard, so you would need to sacrifice them before you cast Return to the Ranks, but then you cannot convoke with them.
You actually cannot even cast a spell unless you can make legal choices for all its targets. So if only two cards are in the yard when you cast Return to the Ranks, you can't cast the card unless X is 2 or less.
October 26, 2015 11:46 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #3
Two additional notes:
You declare the value of X as one of the very first steps in the casting process. You then declare targets and calculate costs based on that declaration. The value of X is not determined by what you pay; rather, what you pay is determined by the value of X.
Secondly, you can activate Viscera Seer after casting Return to the Ranks, but you can't do it during the casting process. It wouldn't benefit you anyway because targets are declared before costs are calculated and paid, so you would never be able to target and convoke the same creature.
October 26, 2015 12:27 p.m.
Thanks guys. Appreciate all your answers. My mistake not linking the cards or seeing the Rules Q&A; above. Changes I'll make on future posts. Thanks!
Boza says... #1
Viscera Seer, Return to the Ranks. Link your cards so that everyone viewing this knows what you are asking about.
It would be good to put Rules Questions in the "Rules Q&A;" section, located in the header.
"the only problem I see is that I must declare the targets when I cast it."
That is the only problem you need for it to not work. After putting the spell on the stack, the next thing you do is declare targets. Only after that do you get to use convoke and actually pay for the spell.
Not only that, but you cannot activate any abilities during the casting process - nobody has any priority then, so you cannot use Viscera Seer and also be paying for the spell.
Essentially, you are asking, "Can I pay for two items worth $1 each with $1?". The answer to both questions is no.
October 26, 2015 11:25 a.m.