What is the Kicker Rule in Magic: The Gathering?
The kicker rule in Magic: The Gathering (MTG) introduces an exciting layer of flexibility and strategic depth to spellcasting. Simply put, a kicker is an optional, additional cost that you can pay when casting a spell. If you choose to pay the kicker cost, the spell gains an additional effect or benefit, as specified on the card. This allows you to customize the impact of your spells based on the current state of the game and available resources.
It’s crucial to understand that you are not obligated to pay the kicker. You can always cast the spell for its base mana cost without paying the kicker cost and still achieve the card’s basic effect. However, strategically using the kicker option provides powerful opportunities to gain an advantage.
Understanding the Nuances of Kicker
Basic Kicker Mechanics
When you encounter a card with a kicker ability, you’ll see a line of text that specifies the kicker cost and its associated effect. This cost can be any combination of colored or colorless mana, and sometimes other conditions. The text will also describe the additional effect you get if you pay that kicker.
For example, a card might have a base casting cost of {2}{G} and a kicker cost of {1}{G}. If you pay only the base {2}{G}, you get the standard effect of the card. However, if you pay {2}{G} plus the {1}{G} kicker cost (for a total of {3}{G}), you’ll also get the kicker’s added benefit.
Kicker vs. Multikicker
It’s important to differentiate between a standard kicker and multikicker. A standard kicker can be paid only once, providing the added effect once. A card with multikicker, however, allows you to pay the kicker cost multiple times, with the additional effect applied each time you pay. This creates potential for significant scaling of the card’s impact, often making it a powerful late-game play.
For example, a card with multikicker for {2} might enter with a +1/+1 counter for every time you pay that additional {2}. This means you can pay an extra {2} once for one +1/+1 counter, pay it twice for two counters and so forth, as many times as you have mana.
“And/Or” Kicker Costs
Some kicker costs include the term “and/or,” which signifies that you can choose to pay either or both options. For instance, a card might say “kicker {R} and/or {B}”. This means you can pay just the {R}, just the {B}, or both {R} and {B}, with a corresponding effect for each kicker paid. Each kicker is considered a separate payment, so, unlike multikicker, you cannot pay the same cost more than once.
Kicker and Converted Mana Cost (CMC)
Notably, a kicker does NOT increase a card’s converted mana cost (CMC). The CMC is solely determined by the mana symbols printed in the top-right corner of the card. Whether you pay the kicker cost or not, the CMC of a card remains the same. This is a crucial distinction for mechanics like cascade or effects that care about CMC.
Kicker and Other Game Mechanics
Kicker plays well with many other MTG mechanics. For example, if you use a spell with cascade, and you have a choice of paying an optional kicker cost, you still have that option to pay the kicker cost as you cast the spell. Kicker costs are still costs that must be paid, whether you cast the spell from your hand normally, or from other locations by other game mechanics.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Kicker
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify and deepen your understanding of the kicker rule in MTG:
1. Can you pay a kicker cost multiple times?
No, you can only pay a standard kicker cost once. If you want to pay a kicker multiple times, the card must have multikicker.
2. Does kicker increase the converted mana cost (CMC) of a spell?
No, kicker does not affect the CMC of a card. The CMC is determined only by the mana symbols in the card’s upper right corner.
3. What happens if a card has a kicker cost of {R} and/or {B}?
You can choose to pay just the {R} kicker, just the {B} kicker, or both {R} and {B} kickers, and you get the corresponding effects from each kicker.
4. If I cascade into a spell with kicker, can I pay the kicker cost?
Yes, you can pay the kicker cost of a spell cast using cascade, you have that option as you cast the card.
5. Does a card with multikicker have a limit to how many times it can be kicked?
You can pay a multikicker cost as many times as you have the mana to pay for it, unless a limit is stated on the card itself.
6. Is kicker an alternative cost?
No, kicker is an additional cost. It is added to the base mana cost, unlike an alternative cost that replaces the base cost.
7. Does kicker count towards the mana spent on a spell when looking at cards that care about how much mana you paid?
Yes, mana spent on kicker costs is considered mana spent on the spell.
8. Can a card be countered, if you pay its kicker cost?
Yes, paying a kicker cost does not change the fact that the spell can be countered in the same ways it could without the kicker.
9. If a card has an “enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter for each time it was kicked” ability and you pay no kicker cost, does it have a +1/+1 counter?
No, it would enter the battlefield with no counters unless a kicker was paid for.
10. If a card has a kicker cost of {1}, and the effect is to draw one card. If I pay it do I draw one card or two since I’ve played the base card?
You would draw one card only, since the kicker effect specifies that it is an additional effect that only occurs if you pay the kicker cost. You would still get the base effect of the card, but if that effect does not involve card draw, you only get one card from the kicker.
11. Does the kicker ability resolve separately?
No, the kicker cost is paid and the kicker effect is applied when the spell itself is resolving. There are no triggered abilities associated with the payment of the kicker.
12. If a card says “if this was kicked”, and I cascade into it, then pay the kicker cost, does the effect activate?
Yes, effects that look for the kicker cost being paid will activate if the kicker cost was paid, even if the card was not cast from your hand normally.
13. Is kicker considered part of the mana value of the spell when I cascade into it?
No, kicker does not increase the mana value of a spell. When cascading, the mana value is determined only by the mana symbols in the top-right corner.
14. If I copy a spell with a kicker, does the copied spell get the kicker benefits?
Yes, if the original spell had its kicker cost paid, the copied spell will also have those effects, the kicker has already been paid, and the effect carries through to the copy.
15. Can you use a mana reducing effect to pay for the kicker cost?
Yes, mana reduction effects can be used to pay for kicker costs. If an effect reduces the cost of a spell, it can apply to both the base cost and the additional kicker costs.
Conclusion
The kicker rule adds a compelling layer of decision-making to Magic: The Gathering. Mastering the nuances of when and how to use kicker costs can significantly improve your strategic gameplay and win rate. It allows for flexibility, scaling, and a deeper engagement with individual cards, making every match a dynamic and exciting experience. Whether you’re a new player or a seasoned veteran, understanding the power of kicker is essential to reaching your full potential in MTG.