Can You Kick a Cascaded Card? Unpacking the Complexities of Cascade and Kicker in Magic: The Gathering
Yes, you absolutely can kick a cascaded card. This interaction, while seemingly complex, is a crucial part of understanding the intricacies of Magic: The Gathering (MTG). When a spell with cascade resolves, it allows you to cast another spell for free. However, “free” only refers to the spell’s mana cost; additional costs, such as kicker, are still fair game. Therefore, when you cascade into a card with kicker, you have the option to pay the kicker cost in addition to playing the spell. This combination can lead to powerful plays and strategic advantages, showcasing why understanding these mechanics is vital for any MTG player. Let’s delve deeper into how this works and answer some common questions around these mechanics.
Understanding Cascade and Kicker
How Cascade Works
The cascade ability is a triggered ability that occurs when a spell with the cascade keyword is cast. When cascade triggers, you exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a spell with a lower mana value than the original spell with cascade. You can then choose to cast this exiled spell without paying its mana cost. If you choose not to cast it, the exiled card goes to the bottom of your library in a random order along with all other exiled cards from the cascade trigger. It’s important to note that the cascade ability allows you to cast the spell for free, skipping paying its mana cost.
How Kicker Works
Kicker is an optional additional cost that you can pay when you cast a spell. If you do pay this cost, it triggers additional effects described on the card. It is a very flexible ability, allowing players to choose whether to pay it or not, depending on their need. The important thing to remember is that kicker is separate from the mana cost of the spell.
The Interaction
So, when you cascade into a card with kicker, you are casting that card without paying its mana cost, thanks to cascade. However, the kicker cost is still something you may choose to pay when you cast the spell, as kicker is an additional cost, not a casting cost. You are essentially replacing the mana cost of the card being cast, but any additional cost can still be applied. The choice of whether to kick the spell rests entirely with you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I use Kicker on a Cascade Spell?
Yes, you can use the kicker. Cascade lets you cast a spell without paying its mana cost. However, it doesn’t stop you from paying additional costs, like kicker. Thus, you are welcome to pay for any kicker costs when you cast the spell you cascaded into.
2. Can I Cascade Off a Cascaded Card?
Yes, absolutely. If you cascade into a spell that also has cascade, then that second spell will also trigger its cascade ability. This is because cascade triggers whenever a spell is cast, regardless of how it was cast. This can create chain reactions of cascade triggers.
3. Can You Kick a Card Multiple Times?
Generally, no. Unless the card specifically has “multikicker”, you can only pay a specific kicker cost once. You cannot pay the same kicker cost multiple times to increase its effect. Some cards do have multiple kicker costs that can be paid, but only one time each.
4. What Happens If I Choose Not To Cast A Cascaded Card?
If you choose not to cast the card you find with cascade, that card along with the other exiled cards are all placed on the bottom of your library in a random order. Choosing to not cast a cascaded card is a strategic choice.
5. Can Counterspells Stop Cascade?
Counterspells do not stop the cascade ability itself. Cascade is a triggered ability, and countering the original spell with cascade will not stop the cascade ability from resolving. Countering a spell will prevent that spell from resolving, but it will not affect the triggered ability that had already resolved on casting that spell.
6. How Many Times Can You Kick a Card?
Most cards with kicker can be kicked only once. However, some cards have multiple distinct kicker costs, and can therefore be kicked more than once. Cards with multikicker can have their kicker cost paid multiple times, as many as the controller chooses.
7. What is the Multikicker Rule?
Multikicker is an ability introduced in Worldwake. It allows you to pay the kicker cost as many times as you want. Each time you pay it, you get an additional effect as specified on the card. This allows for greater flexibility and power.
8. Is Kicker a Casting Cost?
No, kicker is not a casting cost; it is an additional cost. When you cast a spell with kicker, you must pay the mana cost for the spell (unless you are casting it without paying its mana cost), and then you have the option to also pay the additional cost for kicker.
9. Can You Copy a Kicked Card?
If you copy a kicked spell, the copy is also considered to be kicked. However, if you put a permanent with kicker onto the battlefield without casting it, or if a token or card enters the battlefield as a copy of a permanent, it will not be kicked, even if the original was.
10. Can You Kick a Free Spell?
Yes, even if you’re casting a spell for free, you can still pay any additional costs, such as kicker. Casting a spell for free only bypasses the mana cost; additional costs must still be paid if you choose to pay them.
11. How Many Times Can You Cascade?
A spell can have multiple instances of cascade. Each instance of cascade triggers separately when the spell is cast. Therefore, it is entirely possible to cascade multiple times from a single spell, by either having multiple instances of cascade on that card, or using cards that give your cards cascade.
12. Does Multikicker Count as Kicker?
Yes, multikicker is considered a variation of the kicker ability. Multikicker is still a kicker ability that allows you to pay its kicker cost one or more times.
13. Can you Cascade into Suspend Cards?
You can’t cascade into a card using its suspend cost. The suspend ability specifies that the card is cast from exile rather than the hand. If a suspend card is revealed, it can be cast using its normal cost, but not its suspend cost.
14. Is Kicker an Ability?
Yes, kicker is a keyword ability that represents an optional additional cost. A spell is considered “kicked” if its controller declares the intention to pay any of its kicker costs. It is a static ability that functions while the spell is on the stack.
15. Does Hexproof Prevent Counterspells?
No, hexproof does not stop a counterspell. Hexproof only applies to permanents that are on the battlefield. A spell on the stack is not a permanent on the battlefield; it is considered a spell. Therefore, hexproof will not prevent your spell from being counterspelled.
Understanding the interactions between cascade and kicker, and indeed all the rules of MTG, will ultimately lead to a better gameplay experience, and more strategic plays.