Illusionary Mask and Morph

[Dave]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

Hi all,

A friend wanted me to check this out for him.

He's wondering if there's any way to put a Morph creature into play
with Illusionary Mask, face down, but pay the {3} to cast the Morph
instead of the {X} that Illusionary Mask asks for.

Obviously he's looking for a way to get big morph creatures into
play on the cheap, and then flip them for free with the mask, but I
don't think this can be done. Still, I thought I'd ask the experts.
TIA!

Illusionary Mask
{2}
Artifact
{X}: Put a creature card with converted mana cost X or less from your
hand into play face down as a 0/1 creature. Put X mask counters on
that creature. Play this ability only any time you could play a
sorcery. You may turn the creature face up any time you could play an
instant by removing all mask counters from it.

- Dave

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

On Fri, 30 Apr 2004 12:53:22 -0500, Dave <im@not.telling> wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>A friend wanted me to check this out for him.
>
>He's wondering if there's any way to put a Morph creature into play
>with Illusionary Mask, face down, but pay the {3} to cast the Morph
>instead of the {X} that Illusionary Mask asks for.

No.

You can only use the Morph ability when casting a creature spell. You cannot
use it at any other time; this includes "during the resolution of Illusionary
Mask's effect when it tells you to PUT a creature CARD from your HAND into
play". No creature spell is involved there, so you can't do anything related
to Morph at that time.

Earlier when you pay the activation cost of the Mask's ability, you haven't
even picked any creature card yet, so all you're doing there is paying an
amount of mana, unrelated to what any card in your hand then might say
anywhere on it. [If later on resolution you don't _have_ a creature card
with converted mana cost that much or less in hand, you Do Nothing.]

If you pay 3 to use the Mask, in other words, you look at the converted
mana cost of the creature cards in your hand on resolution, NOT at their
Morph costs, alternate costs, additional costs, or anything else.

>Obviously he's looking for a way to get big morph creatures into
>play on the cheap, and then flip them for free with the mask, but I
>don't think this can be done. Still, I thought I'd ask the experts.

This can't be done; the Mask doesn't care about anything printed in the text
box of the card, only about the mana cost in the upper right-hand corner and
the amount of mana contained therein.

Dave
--
\/David DeLaney posting from dbd@vic.com "It's not the pot that grows the flower
It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
Love is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>
http://www.vic.com/~dbd/ - net.legends FAQ & Magic / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.

 

[Dave]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

"David DeLaney" <dbd@gatekeeper.vic.com> wrote in message
news:slrnc95atq.ht.dbd@gatekeeper.vic.com...
> On Fri, 30 Apr 2004 12:53:22 -0500, Dave <im@not.telling> wrote:
> >Hi all,
> >
> >A friend wanted me to check this out for him.
> >
> >He's wondering if there's any way to put a Morph creature into play
> >with Illusionary Mask, face down, but pay the {3} to cast the Morph
> >instead of the {X} that Illusionary Mask asks for.
>
> No.
>
> You can only use the Morph ability when casting a creature spell. You cannot
> use it at any other time; this includes "during the resolution of Illusionary
> Mask's effect when it tells you to PUT a creature CARD from your HAND into
> play". No creature spell is involved there, so you can't do anything related
> to Morph at that time.
>
> Earlier when you pay the activation cost of the Mask's ability, you haven't
> even picked any creature card yet, so all you're doing there is paying an
> amount of mana, unrelated to what any card in your hand then might say
> anywhere on it. [If later on resolution you don't _have_ a creature card
> with converted mana cost that much or less in hand, you Do Nothing.]
>
> If you pay 3 to use the Mask, in other words, you look at the converted
> mana cost of the creature cards in your hand on resolution, NOT at their
> Morph costs, alternate costs, additional costs, or anything else.

(snip)

Thanks everyone!

- Dave

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

Dave, worshipped by llamas the world over, wrote...
> Hi all,
>
> A friend wanted me to check this out for him.
>
> He's wondering if there's any way to put a Morph creature into play
> with Illusionary Mask, face down, but pay the {3} to cast the Morph
> instead of the {X} that Illusionary Mask asks for.
>
> Obviously he's looking for a way to get big morph creatures into
> play on the cheap, and then flip them for free with the mask, but I
> don't think this can be done. Still, I thought I'd ask the experts.
> TIA!

There's no reason you couldn't play a creature with Morph with
Illusionary Mask, but you would have to pay the X rather than the usual
{3}. The creature's converted mana cost is not 3 for any purpose
(unless that happens to be what its mana symbols add up to), it's always
whatever the mana symbols on the card face would suggest.

> Illusionary Mask
> {2}
> Artifact
> {X}: Put a creature card with converted mana cost X or less from your
> hand into play face down as a 0/1 creature. Put X mask counters on
> that creature. Play this ability only any time you could play a
> sorcery. You may turn the creature face up any time you could play an
> instant by removing all mask counters from it.