Discussion Forum

[QUOTE=Zanmor]Take the card Sprout Swarm (cost is 1 and G) for instance, it reads as follows:

"Convoke (Each creature you tap while playing this spell reduces its total cost by {1} or by one mana of that creature's color.)

Buyback {3} (You may pay an additional {3} as you play this spell. If you do, put this card into your hand as it resolves.) Put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token into play."

If you pay the Buyback cost, is that considered part of the cost of that spell? That is, could I tap 4 creatures and 1 green creature and cast it for free with the Buyback?[/QUOTE]

Yes, convoke and buyback play well together. For exmaple, if you had 10 untapped creatures (like if you're playing a token deck or something) and were willing to tap them all, you could play Sprout Swarm twice and end up with it still in your hand without spending any mana.


Rules 601.2a-h lay out the steps for casting a spell. Declaring your intention to use the buyback and convoke abilities happens relatively early. Later:

601.2e The player determines the total cost of the spell. Usually this is just the mana cost. Some spells have additional or alternative costs. Some effects may increase or reduce the cost to pay, or may provide other alternative costs. Costs may include paying mana, tapping permanents, sacrificing permanents, discarding cards, and so on. The total cost is the mana cost or alternative cost (as determined in rule 601.2b), plus all additional costs and cost increases, and minus all cost reductions. If the mana component of the total cost is reduced to nothing by cost reduction effects, it is considered to be {0}. It can’t be reduced to less than {0}. Once the total cost is determined, any effects that directly affect the total cost are applied. Then the resulting total cost becomes “locked in.” If effects would change the total cost after this time, they have no effect.

Buyback is an additional cost:

702.24. Buyback

702.24a Buyback appears on some instants and sorceries. It represents two static abilities that function while the spell is on the stack. “Buyback [cost]” means “You may pay an additional [cost] as you cast this spell” and “If the buyback cost was paid, put this spell into its owner’s hand instead of into that player’s graveyard as it resolves.” Paying a spell’s buyback cost follows the rules for paying additional costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2e–g.

Convoke is both an additional cost and a cost reduction:

702.48. Convoke

702.48a Convoke is a static ability that functions while the spell with convoke is on the stack. “Convoke” means “As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may tap any number of untapped creatures you control. Each creature tapped this way reduces the cost to cast this spell by {1} or by one mana of any of that creature’s colors.” Using the convoke ability follows the rules for paying additional costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2e–g.

So choosing to pay the buyback cost increases the cost of Sprout Swarm by {3}, and choosing to tap five creatures (at least one of them green) as part of its convoke ability reduces the cost by {4}{G}.

So the total cost of the spell, given how you've announced that you're going use its buyback and convoke abilities, is {1}{G} + {3} + tap five creatures - {4}{G} = tap five creatures.

Awesome, thanks for the quick and excellent reply. Seems some Doubling Seasons and this sort of spell could be a good way to get infinite creatures.s

Intruder Alarm with Sprout Swarm will give you infinite tokens as well, it's cheaper then doubling season and easier to do.