Does Encore Count as Casting in Magic: The Gathering?
The short, direct answer is no, Encore does not count as casting in Magic: The Gathering (MTG). Encore is an activated ability of a creature card in your graveyard, and activating it is distinctly different from casting a spell. Understanding this distinction is crucial for grasping how Encore interacts with other mechanics and card effects within the game. While both casting and activating abilities involve putting something onto the stack, the process and implications are different enough to be considered separate actions.
Encore: An Activated Ability, Not a Cast
To understand why Encore isn’t casting, we need to first define both terms. Casting a spell means taking a card from where it is (usually your hand), putting it onto the stack, paying its costs, and allowing it to eventually resolve and have its effect. Activated abilities, on the other hand, are abilities that you can activate by paying a cost, which may involve tapping a permanent, spending mana, or other resources.
Encore falls squarely in the latter category. The Encore ability is formatted as “[Encore cost]: Exile this card from your graveyard. For each opponent, create a token that’s a copy of this card. Those tokens gain haste. At the beginning of the next end step, sacrifice them.” This phrasing clearly demonstrates that it’s an ability to be activated, not a spell to be cast. You’re not taking the card from your hand and putting it onto the stack as a spell, but rather activating its ability while the card sits in your graveyard.
Why This Distinction Matters
The difference between casting and activating is vital because it directly affects how cards and abilities interact within MTG. For example:
- Cards that Counter Spells: Cards like “Counterspell” or “Negate” can stop a spell from resolving, but they cannot stop an activated ability. Thus, a player can’t counter an Encore activation with those types of cards.
- Effects that Trigger on Casting: Effects that trigger when a spell is cast (like “Whenever you cast a creature spell…”) won’t trigger when an Encore ability is used, because you’re not casting a spell.
- Effects that Interact with Graveyards: Since Encore involves exiling the card from your graveyard, cards that care about the number of cards in your graveyard may be affected. Additionally, cards that prevent cards from leaving the graveyard can interfere with Encore.
Encore in Action
Encore lets you reanimate a creature card from your graveyard for a short but impactful moment. By paying the Encore cost, you exile the chosen card and generate a number of token copies equal to the number of opponents you have. These token copies gain haste, compelling them to attack each opponent that turn. This design makes Encore a very strong mechanic in multiplayer formats like Commander, where it provides a quick burst of offensive power.
Key Takeaways About Encore
- Sorcery Speed: Encore can only be activated at sorcery speed – during your main phase, when the stack is empty.
- Activated, Not Cast: Remember, Encore is an activated ability, not a spell, so it cannot be countered by counterspells or trigger abilities related to casting spells.
- Token Creation: It creates tokens, not the actual card. The original card is exiled, and the tokens are sacrificed at the end of the turn.
- Attack Requirement: The tokens must attack an opponent each turn if able, ensuring they are used aggressively.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Encore in MTG
Here are some frequently asked questions that further clarify how Encore functions within Magic: The Gathering:
1. Is Encore a triggered ability?
No. Encore is an activated ability, not a triggered one. Activated abilities are identifiable by the format [cost]: [effect], while triggered abilities use words like “when,” “whenever,” or “at.” Encore requires you to pay its cost and choose to activate it, unlike triggers that activate automatically when their condition is met.
2. Can you use Encore at instant speed?
No, Encore can only be activated at sorcery speed. This means it can only be used during your main phase when the stack is empty and you could normally cast sorceries.
3. What is the difference between casting and playing in Magic?
Casting refers to putting a spell onto the stack, such as instants, sorceries, and creatures, while playing usually refers to putting lands onto the battlefield. However, when a card allows you to “play” cards from a zone other than your hand, such as the top of your library, this “playing” a spell is functionally equivalent to casting it.
4. Does Encore work if you go first in a multiplayer game?
Yes, Encore works regardless of who goes first, but the Encore tokens will only remain until the end of your turn.
5. How does Encore work in Commander?
Encore is particularly effective in Commander due to its scaling with the number of opponents. For each opponent, you get a token copy of the creature. If you have three opponents, one activation of Encore gets you three copies of the creature.
6. Does Encore hit through substitute effects?
Yes, in certain games such as Pokémon, Encore can hit through a substitute. However, it does not work with some specific protection effects such as Aroma Veil, or against Shell Trap in waiting.
7. What’s the difference between Encore and Goad?
Goad forces a creature to attack if able, and if possible, to attack a player other than the controller of the goading effect. Encore only requires the tokens to attack any opponent if able. They are not required to attack players who did not activate the ability, and they cannot attack you.
8. Does Training Grounds work with Encore?
No, Training Grounds will not reduce the cost of Encore. Training Grounds only affects creatures you control on the battlefield, and the Encore ability is activated when the creature card is in the graveyard.
9. What happens if you Encore a creature while the opponent disables the move?
In certain games such as Pokémon, if a creature is locked into a move by Encore and then that move is disabled, the creature would use the Struggle attack instead.
10. Is playing a Commander from the Command Zone casting it?
Yes, playing a Commander from the command zone is considered casting it, and each time it’s been cast from the command zone previously will add two to the total mana cost.
11. Does Encore work if the last move failed?
In certain games such as Pokémon, if the last move the target used before Encore failed because it was a move that cannot be Encored, like Mimic or Transform, the Encore will also fail.
12. Does Encore work on protected Pokémon?
In certain games such as Pokémon, yes, Encore does work on protect, as long as the protect is not a move that Encore does not affect such as Sketch, Sleep Talk, or Transform.
13. Does copying an instant count as casting?
No, copying an instant spell does not count as casting it. Copying puts the copy on the stack directly without casting a new spell.
14. Is playing considered casting?
Playing is not considered casting. “Playing” usually refers to lands or other permanents put onto the battlefield directly without using the stack. Casting refers to any spell that uses the stack before resolving.
15. Why is it important to know that Encore isn’t casting?
Understanding this is vital because it clarifies how Encore interacts with other cards that respond to casting or activated abilities. Knowing that Encore is an activated ability and not a spell cast is essential to understanding how it can be interacted with in MTG. This distinction impacts strategy and deck building significantly.
By grasping these nuances, players can effectively utilize the Encore mechanic and navigate the complex rules of Magic: The Gathering.