Can you use the land which is activating Seer's Sundial to pay it's landfall ability cost?

Asked by Kalani 13 years ago

Just what it says. I am pretty sure you can't, since the ability activates AS the land drops, but it came up in a game and i promised my girlfriend i would ask for a second opinion.

muffludwig says... Accepted answer #1

Yes because the land comes into play, and card:Seer's Sundial's ability goes on the stack. The land had to come into play for the ability to trigger, therefore it is usable.

January 19, 2011 12:44 p.m.

mafteechr says... #2

I believe so.

305.1. A player who has priority may play a land card from his or her hand during a main phase of his or her turn when the stack is empty. Playing a land is a special action; it doesnt use the stack (see rule 115). Rather, the player simply puts the land onto the battlefield. Since the land doesnt go on the stack, it is never a spell, and players cant respond to it with instants or activated abilities.

card:Seer's Sundial's triggered ability would then go on the stack, if you choose to pay it's cost.

Need confirmation.

January 19, 2011 12:45 p.m.

theemptyquiver says... #3

The card reads whenever a land Enters the Battlefield, which means into play, which for land (as long as it comes into play untapped) can be tapped for mana right away.

So yes. The land you play triggers the landfall, which since it entered the battlefield to trigger the sundial cam now be used to activate the second cost ability of the card to draw.

January 19, 2011 12:48 p.m.

Wah6313 says... #4

I would say you can. card:Seer's Sundial's ability states "whenever a land ENTERS the battlefield under your control." Example. You play a Plains card that enters the battlefield untapped. When it enters the battlefield it triggers card:Seer's Sundial's landfall ability and you can pay 2 generic to complete the ability. Since that Plains is on the battlefield as a permanent you may use that Plains as part of the ability cost.

January 19, 2011 12:48 p.m.

theemptyquiver says... #5

Yes. Damn, too slow!! Lol.

The first poster is correct. I concur.

January 19, 2011 12:49 p.m.

muffludwig says... #6

I was 99% sure you could, I'm just on my lunch break and couldn't find the official ruling for it. But in short, a land drop doesn't use the stack, and nothing can be played in response to the land drop. The land etb, the sundial triggers, use the land lol

January 19, 2011 1:01 p.m.

Kalani says... #7

Well that makes the card:Seer's Sundial better than I thought it was. The best part about all this is that now my girlfriend, who I taught to play magic exactly two days ago, now gets to gloat at me that she was right about this particular rule, and that I, (I've been playing on and off since '94) was wrong!

January 19, 2011 1:11 p.m.

theemptyquiver says... #8

Lol!

I love it when that happens. It's part of the magic of magic!

January 19, 2011 1:20 p.m.

You probably just didn't wan't her to beat you. I hope she did. Funny...

January 19, 2011 1:42 p.m.

This discussion has been closed