Rhystic Study Vs. Animar, Soul of Elements
Asked by fatboyaj 9 years ago
My friend and I play a lot of casual commander/EDH. Recently he's been playing a deck with Animar, Soul of Elements . A few times I have put out Rhystic Study . He claims that the reduction in cost of his creatures from Animar's ability can go toward the extra cost from Rhystic Study (i.e he has one counter on animar, he plays a creature that costs one blue, and the colorless from animar goes toward rhystic study). I don't think it works this way.
I can't find a definite ruling anywhere, but here is my understanding. Animar reduces the cost of a creature, but Rhystic Study doesn't add to the cost, rather it is a separate trigger that infers a cost (separate to casting cost) after the creature's cost has been payed and the creature spell has been placed on the stack.
If anyone can provide insight, that would be great. I'd also really appreciate an answer backed by a rule from the rule book. Thanks!
Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #2
You don't really need a "ruling" or a quotation from the CR, because the cards do what they say, no more and no less. Your thoughts about the interaction are correct. Rhystic Study doesn't increase the cost of anything, it just has a triggered ability that asks for some mana when a spell is cast. Animar, Soul of Elements only works on creature spells, not abilities.
Compare the text of Rhystic Study to a card like Sphere of Resistance for a counter-example of something that actually does increase the cost to cast a spell, and that Animar could actually interact with.
July 17, 2014 9:24 a.m.
Thanks! I had also thought of cards like Sphere of Resistance and Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
nobu_the_bard says... #1
Rhystic Study has a triggered ability. Let's say you control Animar, Soul of Elements and he has one counter, and you cast Grizzly Bears.
Here's how I understand it would happen. You cast Grizzly Bears for G (as its cost is reduced by 1), two events trigger; Animar wants to put a counter on himself, and Rhystic Study triggers. You're the active player, so your trigger goes onto the stack first, and then Rhystic Study's trigger, so ->
STACK (bottom->top): Grizzly Bears -> Animar, Soul of Elements trigger -> Rhystic Study trigger
Rhystic Study demands pay 1 or its controller draws a card. This isn't casting a creature spell, so Animar doesn't interact with it. You don't pay the 1 until the trigger attempts to resolve.
You can tell this is a triggered ability because it starts with "whenever" instead of describing Rhystic Study's ability as a cost modifier (which is what Animar's last ability is).
July 17, 2014 9:09 a.m.