I would greatly appreciate some clarification on how triggered/activated abilities, especially those that involve a cost, can be copied. Thank you for your help with this. - eviltoast

Could you please clarify for me? If I activate an ability that has a cost and then copy it, do I need to pay the cost again for the copy to resolve?

For example, the ability of [[Isareth, the Awakener]]. If I decide to attack and pay X mana to reanimate a creature, do I also have to pay again if I copy the ability? And if so, am I able to pay a different amount, considering that the source of the copying states, “You can choose new targets for the copy”?

A second question is for a card like [[Drana, Liberator of Malakir]]. If she deals direct damage and her ability triggers, would the +1/+1 counter be placed on each attacking creature, including herself, twice, were I to copy it?

I’m not sure if it’s necessary to mention, but I am new to this, I am using [[The Peregrine Dynamo]] to copy those abilities.

Thank you for your help in clarifying this!

  • HumanBehaviorByBjork [any, undecided]@hexbear.netEnglish
    2·
    8 months ago

    From the Comprehensive Rules:

    707.10. To copy a spell, activated ability, or triggered ability means to put a copy of it onto the stack; a copy of a spell isn’t cast and a copy of an activated ability isn’t activated. A copy of a spell or ability copies both the characteristics of the spell or ability and all decisions made for it, including modes, targets, the value of X, and additional or alternative costs. (See rule 601, “Casting Spells.”) Choices that are normally made on resolution are not copied. If an effect of the copy refers to objects used to pay its costs, it uses the objects used to pay the costs of the original spell or ability. A copy of a spell is owned by the player under whose control it was put on the stack. A copy of a spell or ability is controlled by the player under whose control it was put on the stack. A copy of a spell is itself a spell, even though it has no spell card associated with it. A copy of an ability is itself an ability.

    This means that you don’t pay the activation cost again.

    In your first example, X would remain the same for the copy and you can’t change it. If a copy effect says that you may choose new targets, that specifically refers to choosing game objects specified by the word target in the text of the ability, so in Isareth’s case, you could reanimate another creature with the same mana value.

    In your second example, yes, you’d place counters on each attack creature twice

    • HumanBehaviorByBjork [any, undecided]@hexbear.netEnglish
      2·
      8 months ago

      also note that these are the rules for spells or abilities on the stack. some effects have you copying cards in exile, in which case you do play those, and you do pay the associated casting costs unless the effect states otherwise.

    • さようなら@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      1·
      8 months ago

      Yeah, you’re totally right about being able to copy the ability after I already paid the mana cost and choose new targets. So I can target a different creature with the same mana value to bring back now. Makes sense!

      I checked out Isareth’s Gatherer page and it seems like the first ability, the one triggered by attacking, doesn’t actually target anything when it goes on the stack. So I can either copy the ability after I paid mana like we talked about earlier, or I can copy the first one right after the trigger. This means I can pay mana twice and bring back two creatures with different mana values! It’s a pretty cool trick that can be really handy depending on what’s going on with the board and graveyard.