Card Interactions

[Maleficent]

1. How does Isochron Scepter work with Blood Funnel? When you copy the imprinted card, do you have to sacrifice anything?

2. Does Mycosynth Lattice do anything with Blood Funnel? (example: can you play Grave Pact for free with 2 Blood Funnels in play?)

3. How do kicker cards work with Isochron Scepter? Can you use the kickers or not?

[Einsteinmonkey]

1. Isochron Scepter allows you to *play* the copy, so yes, you have to sacrifice a creature with Blood Funnel.

2. The key text in Mycosynth Lattice is:
'Players may spend mana as though it were mana of any color.'
This does not change the cost of Grave Pact to 4. The cost of Grave Pact is still 1BBB, but you can use any kind of mana to pay for it. So Blood Funnel will make Grave Pact cost BBB, which you can pay for with any kind of mana.

3. Since you play the copy, you can pay the kicker cost to get the kicker effect.

[Maleficent]

1. Bah.

2. What about the colorless part of the lattice?

3. Yay!

[Ultima66]

Actually for #2 it makes Grave Pact cost 2 because Grave Pact is now a colorless spell.

[Einsteinmonkey]

Originally posted by Ultima66
Actually for #2 it makes Grave Pact cost 2 because Grave Pact is now a colorless spell.

Read what I said.

[Aneximines]

Mycosynth Lattice does not change the mana costs of any cards.

A card's mana cost is completely determined by the mana symbols listed under its name in its oracle (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dci/oracle) text (and then copy effects; an in-play Volrath's Shapeshifter, for example, is capable of changing its mana cost by becoming a copy of a different creature). Changing (or removing) the card's color doesn't change its mana cost.

(also, changing the cost you have to pay for a spell, as with Helm of Awakening or Sphere of Resistance, doesn't change the spell's mana cost - it just changes the "total cost" of the spell when you play it)


So, even with the Lattice in play, the mana cost of Grave Pact is still {1}{B}{B}{B}. Blood Funnel will make it so that you only have to pay {B}{B}{B}. The Lattice will makes it so that you can pay that {B}{B}{B} with three mana of any or no color. So with both cards the total cost of the Pact is effectively {3} + sacrifice a creature.

For some outside backup, consider this excerpt from Saturday School #67 (you can find it here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/satschoolarchive&term=mycosynth_lattice), near the bottom):

Q: If I have a Mycosynth Lattice in play and I have 10 or more permanents in play, would I be able to play a card like Broodstar for free? -- Stephen Kovalcik

A: You won't be able to pay it for free. The mana cost for Broodstar is {8}{U}{U}, and affinity can only reduce the colorless portion of the mana cost. Even if you can pay the colored mana with any mana, that part of the cost will not be reduced, so you will still have to pay two mana for your Broodstar.

[Maleficent]

Oky thanks for the help people :D here's a couple more questions:

If you have Nefarious Lich in play and lose life (say, to Greed, not damage), would you still have to remove cards in your graveyard from the game?

Oh and this I'm pretty sure about but it's bugging me. Say you have somethin like Mana Echoes in play, and you play an artifact creature like Phyrexian Walker with another copy of it in play. Nothing happens, right? How about if the two creatures are Shield Spheres (which count as walls)?

Thanks again!

[Einsteinmonkey]

Nefarious Lich specifically says "damage dealt", so any life loss (including Greed) would not force you to remove cards from the game. The life loss would still happen, and if you got to 0 or less life you would lose the game.

With Mana Echoes, if you have a Phyrexian Walker in play and then you play another, you could get no mana. If you have a Shield Sphere, then you play another, you get 1 mana (if you have no other walls).

[Maleficent]

So I assume having Lich instead of Nefarious Lich means you would lose life, you wouldn't have to sacrifice anything, and you wouldn't lose the game.

Alrighty I thought so, thanks!

[Einsteinmonkey]

Yup.

[Aneximines]

Originally posted by Maleficent
... Lich ... Greed ...

Have a care, all who are overly tempted by this combination: you can't pay life you don't have, so even if you can survive with less than one life, you cannot afford to play Greed's ability if you have less than two life.

[Maleficent]

Ack forgot about that :x but if the loss of life was a side-effect you could still do it, right? Like Night's Whisper. Hm I guess Transcendence and Sulfuric Vortex is better then.

[Yawgmoth]

Infernal Contract will work, and other stuff that costs half your life.

[Aneximines]

Dark Confidant and Phyrexian Arena would work with the Lich.

So would Dross Harvester and other life-gain effects like Consume Spirit.