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Alternative Cost is a term for costs that have another cost that can be paid instead of the printed Mana Cost.
Details
Even if the cost exempts you from paying any mana and no cost is actually paid, it is still considered as an alternate cost as you changed the method of payment.
The potential alternate cost of a card is defined by the ability of the card. There are cards that have alternate costs for themselves as well as other cards that give alternative costs for your other cards.
Alternative cost abilities can be divided into the following types:
- 1) Abilities where you pay a different cost than the mana cost.
- Requesting some other form of mana payment.
- Requesting another action other than mana.
- 2) Abilities where pay no cost (For No Cost)
Description of 1.1
| Beetle Moguttan | ||
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| Nature / Creature / Vehicle Bee / 3 / 3000 | ||
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| ■ Mana Reburst 4 (You may summon this creature from your mana zone by paying 4.)
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| Hulcus Draw, Continuous Chant | ||
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| Water / Spell / 2 | ||
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| ■ Draw a card.
■ Recycle | ||
This type of ability covers abilities such as Mana Reburst or Recycle. These alternate costs still require mana, so mana colors are still needed. As it's a mana payment, it is effected by cost reduction cards and cards that change the Mana Number.
- Cards with Mana Reburst allows you to Mana Summon themselves from the mana zone.
- Cards with Recycle allow you to cast them from your graveyard.
A card with a Mana Reburst 0 ability (Mystery Hippo) is also applicable to 2.0, as there is no need to pay mana cost.
Description of 1.2
| Georges Bataille | ||
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| Darkness / Creature / Mafi Gang / 8 / 12000 | ||
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| ■ You may destroy 4 of your creatures instead of paying this creature's cost.
■ Triple breaker ■ When you put this creature into the battle zone, count the number of cards in your graveyard. You may put the same number of cards from the top of your deck into your graveyard. ■ When this creature would leave the battle zone, you may put 6 cards from your graveyard on the bottom of your deck instead. | ||
| The=Deadman, Dragon Edge | ||
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| Nature / Creature / Jurassic Command Dragon / Draguner / 8 / 8000 | ||
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| ■ When you put this creature into the battle zone, you may put a nature dragheart that costs 5 or less from your hyperspatial zone into the battle zone.
■ Whenever you summon a creature or cast a spell, you may tap a light card, a water card, a darkness card, a fire card and a nature card in your mana zone instead of paying it's cost. ■ Double breaker (This creature breaks 2 shields.) | ||
This type of abilities where "instead of paying the cost, do this" is expressed in the text.
Rather than a Keyword or Ability Word, these are expressed individually on each card.
If the payment of the alternative cost is impossible, you can't use it. For example, Georges Bataille requires you to destroy 4 of your creatures for its alternate cost. If you have less than 4 creatures in the battle zone, you must summon it normally.
While the ability of The=Deadman, Dragon Edge requires you to tap cards in your mana zone, this is not considered as mana cost for a payment. Therefore, the number of cards required (even with Cost Reduction cards) is never lowered.
Also, these alternate costs will still trigger the ability of Entertainer of Stealing and Lying, as the regular mana cost on the card was not paid.
Example of cards with an alternate cost other than paying mana
- The=Deadman, Dragon Edge
- Forever Occult, Purgatory Demon Dragon
- Darth Sith K, Dark Armor
- Georges Bataille
- Pittdel, Death Devil
Description of 2.0
| Nine, Zero Zero | ||
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| Fire / Creature / Outrage MAX / 3 / 1000 | ||
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| ■ Gravity Zero―If you have an Outrage in the battle zone, you may summon this creature for no cost. | ||
| Q.E.D., Dragon Elemental King | ||
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| Water / Dragheart Creature / Crystal Command Dragon / 7 / 11000 | ||
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| ■ Whenever your opponent would choose a creature in the battle zone by the effect of a spell, he can't choose this one.
■ Each turn, you may summon your first water creature for no cost. ■ Each turn, you may cast your first water spell for no cost. ■ Double breaker (This creature breaks 2 shields.) | ||
This type of ability is expressed in the text of 〜をコストを支払わずにプレイしてもよい (You may play this card without paying its cost).
- It is represented by keywords such as Gravity Zero.
Unlike the other methods of alternative costs, the above cards are exempt from paying any cost, so they can be played for free, however they have many varying restrictions.
Cross Gear that have an alternate cost of being crossed to a creature for no cost also exist.
Example of cards with the ability to pay no cost.
Example of cards capable of crossing for no cost.
- Bolberg Cross Dragon
- Holy Gear - Nebula Wing
- Hot Spring Sabaki, Fire Water Sword
- Bolberg "Shori" Dragon
Rules
If the regular cost of the card can't be played, you can still use the alternate cost.
- For example, if you have less than 4 cards in your mana zone, you can still summon Pittdel, Death Devil if you can discard 2 water cards fro your hand.
You can't apply multiple alternative costs to the play of a single card.
The ability of choosing whether to reduce costs or not when paying for a mana cost such as Bad Action Dynamite is not considered an alternative cost, but the timing is the same.
It is not considered as an Substitution Effect even though it uses the word instead, as the event of playing a card is not replaced.
