Cascade is a fun and brawny mechanic in Magic : The Gathering that lets you chain together spell for adult value . But what happens when you cascade into an hug drug spell with a varying mana monetary value ? Can you pay for X or does it automatically become 0 ?
In this guide we ’ll cover up the atomic number 49 and outs of playing hug drug spells off cascade so you could control this fundamental interaction like a professional .
What is Cascade in MTG?
First , a quick refresher on what the cascade ability does . Cascade is a keyword that seem on cards like Bloodbraid Elf Maelstrom Wanderer and other bighearted magical spell . When you cast a tour with cascade , here ’s what happen
So cascade have you chain into another spell for costless if it meets the CMC requirements . This offers keen value and flexibility .
Casting X Spells off Cascade
decade patch have a mana price like { X}{R } where you get to take the time value of ex as you chuck it . This entail their CMC is variable .
Here are some examples of disco biscuit spells you might cascade into :
These supply a lot of options to hit with cascade . But what bechance if you actually cascade down into one of them ?
The Default CMC is 0
The primal rule is thatthe CMC of an X spell on the stack is what you actually devote for it . However , in every other zona besides the stack , X is considered to be 0 by default .
So if you cascade down into an X spell , its CMC is 0 for meeting the cascade necessity . This have in mind :
You essentially get to shower into and cast the 10 while , but X will mechanically be 0 when resolving since you did n’t pay for it .
Examples of Cascading into X Spells
Let ’s look at some examples to see how this plays out when you cascade down into an X turn :
You roam Bloodbraid Elf and hit Banefire off shower . you could cast Banefire for free but must opt X as 0 , portion out 0 hurt .
You cascade down into a Walking Ballista with CMC 0 . you may cast it for free but it will embark with 0 counters .
You cast Maelstrom Wanderer and cascade into a Hydroid Krasis . you could cast it but X will be 0 , so it ’s just a 0/0 with no card drawing card .
You cascade into an Earthquake . you may swan it for X=0 , doing no damage .
As you could see , you get to cast the X spells but without paying any mana for X , severely limiting their impact . Still , it ’s secure than nothing !
Special Exceptions
There are a brace especial cases where X spell out work differently with shower :
If the disco biscuit charm has additional modes or abilities beyond just X , you may use those . For example , you could put riposte on a walk Ballista even if X is 0 .
If the spell has an additional mana cost like kicker , you may pay that cost severally . So you could cast a Banefire with X=0 and yield its kicker for 5 hurt .
If the spell has an alternative mana monetary value like flashback , you’re able to cast it for the alternative cost alternatively .
So in some pillowcase , decade spells cascaded into are n’t totally useless . But you always get X = 0 unless you could pay the X cost normally .
Casting X Spells Later for Actual Value
While it may be disappointing to hit an awesome decade spell off cascade just to have hug drug be 0 , appear at the burnished side : you get to cast it for free and it ’s now in your burial ground !
That means you could often honk the ten magic spell again later on and actually pay off the X cost for full value .
For lesson , you might cascade down into a Pull from Tomorrow , wander it to draw and quarter 0 cards , but flash it back later with X=4 for huge batting order draw play . Or shower into a Banefire for 0 damage then remold it for lethal price .
So do n’t scratch when X spells fizzle off cascade . Just bide your prison term and recast them to take over the secret plan down the road .
Other Rules and Interactions with Cascade
Here are some other key rule about cascade worth knowing :
You must cast the spell off shower right away or not at all . You ca n’t bring through it for later .
you may cast cards with higher CMC than the card with cascade . The cascade trigger just encounter first .
Any “ when you cast ” power of the cascade card trigger when cast off shower .
Cascade only happens once , it does n’t keep chaining .
Cascade check the CMC anywhere on a modal DFC , not just the front face .
So while cascade into hug drug spells may be limiting , the mechanic provides tons of reward overall . You essentially get two while for the Leontyne Price of one !
With the intricacies of casting tenner spell for free off cascade now vindicated , you could leverage this interaction to maximize value from your shower spells . shower on my friend !
History[ | ]
From the gloss of theComprehensive Rules(June 7 , 2024 — Modern Horizons 3 )
[ | ]
In February 2021 , Cascade receive a linguistic rule update to alter the fundamental interaction with MDFCs and Adventure cards . From then on , the spell that is mold when the ability is actuate must also have less mana than the spell that fell . [ 6 ] .
The rule antecedently say “ You may vagabond that while without pay its mana cost . participant can cast a spell with a high mana monetary value while holding a card with a depressed mana cost . you may cast that spell without pay its mana cost if its mana time value is less than this turn ’s mana economic value . This rule alteration makes that clear . “ , form this no longer potential .
