What kind of mana abilities can be targeted?
Asked by RedUndead40 5 years ago
The main interaction I am curious about is Grand Warlord Radha + Strionic Resonator . Can I use the resonator to double up Radha's mana generation?
Mana abilities are one aspect of the game that I'm not fully sure as to how / what can target or affect them. Does the old "Mana abilities can't be targeted" reminder text only apply to Stifle -like effects?
No mana abilities ever use the stack and therefore none can be targeted at all ever in general. When Rahda's ability triggers, you get the mana immediately. You don't get a chance to double it up with Strionic Resonator as you would with non-mana abilities that trigger. The reminder text for Stifle is always true, but just put there as a reminder for characters who many be unfamiliar with this honestly unintuitive ruling.
For some clarity and also maybe an extra layer of confusion, mana abilities are defined as activated or triggered abilities - that aren't Planeswalker abilities - that produce mana. Planeswalkers are the only way you can respond to an ability that adds mana to a mana pool.
August 28, 2019 5:50 p.m.
(One of the few things worse than being ninjad is having it done by someone who also did a better and more accurate job of answering the question than you in the first place.)
August 28, 2019 5:56 p.m.
For an example of an activated ability that produces mana but isn't a mana ability, see Deathrite Shaman 's first ability. Because it requires a target (a land card in a graveyard), it's not a mana ability even though it produces mana. It fails 605.1a on its first criteria.
August 28, 2019 6:27 p.m.
So to clarify actually, despite my first comment getting marked up, it's incorrect.
As Gidgetimer quoted, the only triggered mana abilities that exist are ones that trigger from resolving an activated mana ability, or mana being added to your pool (like with Overgrowth ). Radha and, say, Bounty of the Luxa are triggered abilities that add mana to your mana pool but aren't mana abilities, so they can be targeted by Strionic Resonator or Stifle as normal.
Gidgetimer says... Accepted answer #1
Mana abilities can't be targeted by anything. This is because they do not use the stack and can not be responded to. Therefore are never legal targets. Just because an ability adds mana, doesn't make it a mana ability though. I have quoted the section of the comprehensive rules that explains what a mana ability is below.
Grand Warlord Radha has a triggered ability, therefore we will be using 605.1 b to determine if it is a mana ability. The ability must pass all three requirements to be a mana ability. It does not require a target so it passes the first criteria. It doesn't trigger off of an activated mana ability resolving, so we fail the first half of the second criteria, but there is an "or" in this criteria so we keep checking. It doesn't trigger off of mana being added to a player's mana pool, so we fail the second half of the second criteria too. The second criteria is not met and Radha's ability is not a mana ability. This means that you can target it and double the mana created by using strionic resonator. This also means that it can be Stifle d.
605.1. Some activated abilities and some triggered abilities are mana abilities, which are subject to special rules. Only abilities that meet either of the following two sets of criteria are mana abilities, regardless of what other effects they may generate or what timing restrictions (such as “Activate this ability only any time you could cast an instant”) they may have.
605.1a An activated ability is a mana ability if it meets all of the following criteria: it doesn’t require a target (see rule 115.6), it could add mana to a player’s mana pool when it resolves, and it’s not a loyalty ability. (See rule 606, “Loyalty Abilities.”)
605.1b A triggered ability is a mana ability if it meets all of the following criteria: it doesn’t require a target (see rule 115.6), it triggers from the resolution of an activated mana ability (see rule 605.1a) or from mana being added to a player’s mana pool, and it could add mana to a player’s mana pool when it resolves.
August 28, 2019 5:41 p.m.