You can activate a mana ability any time you have priority, or any time something is asking for a mana payment. For example, you can activate them while in the process of casting a spell or activating an ability, while a spell or ability is resolving that's asking for a mana payment (e.g. Mana Leak , Nihil Spellbomb ), or when some action requires a mana payment to complete (e.g. Ghostly Prison ).
That makes means mana abilities can be activated at a lot more different times than non-mana abilities, but it's not just "whenever you want".
I did know that, but that statement would seem misleading to me if I were a new player. Just reading the way that sentence is worded I would be under the impression that I can only tap mana abilities to pay for something and that is not true. As long as I have priority I can tap my Elvish Archdruid even if the only reason is because I felt like tapping my elf to float mana and prevent it from having to attack .
The concept of "speed" is terribly outdated in Magic now that we have the stack. It comes with a lot of baggage from the pre-6th-edition rules that simply doesn't apply any more. (All that stuff about interrupts, mana sources, instants, batches etc).
All that you need to know about "speed" is the following:
Non-instant spells can only be played when it is your own main phase AND the stack is empty. Instant spells and activated abilities can be added to the stack (empty or non-empty) at any time.
Note that all these is expressable without any reference to the "speed" of one thing being "faster" than another! Much easier!
strike the word "only" and it's fine (other than it omits the impact of the flash keyword)
MtG Rules Advisor & Goth/Industrial/EBM/Indie/Alternative/80's-Wave DJ DJ Vortex
DCI Certified Rules Advisor from July 14, 2009 to July 14, 2012 DCI #5209514320
Wit found in Rules Q&A
RPJesus: "Man, screw the rules, I'll play a game of 2HG Archenemy Planechase Emperor EDH draft yet. Once I figure out the rules for it..." Chaikov: "Of course, casual Magic may be played any way your Pokemon group agrees on..." and "It's not logic. It's Magic!" GainsBanding: "I only play online. The Magic Online shuffler is AWESOME!" Ikegami: "one might think [adult cats] would make excellent tokens. The issue, though, is that they are very hard to exile. They return to the battlefield more often than an undying creature." Astarael7: "Does 121.1 imply that players are supposed to wear their poison counters?" Bimmerbot: "If you move the wrong way and [the poison counters] fall, it's a game rule violation" Helluminatus: "Just remember, if it looks like a duck, smells like a duck, and quacks like a duck, but the oracle text says creature - Bunny , then by god, it's a bunny." MadCow21: "Who are you and what have you done with the real Chaikov?"
strike the word "only" and it's fine (other than it omits the impact of the flash keyword)
No, the proper fix is to add "unless otherwise instructed by an effect" at the end of the sentence. But that's presumed to be present already.
Weird that you picked on only one of the two sentences missing that clause, because plenty of effects render the second false too (not to mention Split Second and priority).
the rules follow the principle that to do something... 1) you need permission and 2) there mustn't be a restriction against that permission
his second sentence is true because it gives permission (and the rules agree) the fact that there may be a restriction in place may invalidate the actual act, but the sentence is true itself in a vacuum
the same can not be said of the first sentence his first sentence is false because it gives a restriction that doesn't exist there is no rule that says you can't cast non-instants at times other than sorcery timing
MtG Rules Advisor & Goth/Industrial/EBM/Indie/Alternative/80's-Wave DJ DJ Vortex
DCI Certified Rules Advisor from July 14, 2009 to July 14, 2012 DCI #5209514320
Wit found in Rules Q&A
RPJesus: "Man, screw the rules, I'll play a game of 2HG Archenemy Planechase Emperor EDH draft yet. Once I figure out the rules for it..." Chaikov: "Of course, casual Magic may be played any way your Pokemon group agrees on..." and "It's not logic. It's Magic!" GainsBanding: "I only play online. The Magic Online shuffler is AWESOME!" Ikegami: "one might think [adult cats] would make excellent tokens. The issue, though, is that they are very hard to exile. They return to the battlefield more often than an undying creature." Astarael7: "Does 121.1 imply that players are supposed to wear their poison counters?" Bimmerbot: "If you move the wrong way and [the poison counters] fall, it's a game rule violation" Helluminatus: "Just remember, if it looks like a duck, smells like a duck, and quacks like a duck, but the oracle text says creature - Bunny , then by god, it's a bunny." MadCow21: "Who are you and what have you done with the real Chaikov?"
I was trying to highlight differences between the old rules and new. Both systems are of course wrapped in a huge banner that says "unless a card or effect tells you otherwise...".
I did know that, but that statement would seem misleading to me if I were a new player. Just reading the way that sentence is worded I would be under the impression that I can only tap mana abilities to pay for something and that is not true. As long as I have priority I can tap my Elvish Archdruid even if the only reason is because I felt like tapping my elf to float mana and prevent it from having to attack .
Sorry for that, I forgot to add a "also" there. :P
Rules question? Have you read the Basic rulebook already? No? Why not take some time to do that?
How to autocard (do this to specify a card in your posts): Type [c]Black Lotus[/c] to get Black Lotus . Type [c=Black Lotus]The Overpowered One[/c] to get The Overpowered One .
