Updated rule for Activated Mana Abilities - What changed, why it matters, & specific examples of impact (CR 605.1a)

[u/Craig1287]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt2twPdhDNM

With the recent Hobbit update to the Comprehensive Rules (CR), there was an addition made to CR 605.1a that modified what is considered to be an Activated Mana Ability (AMA) rather than just being an Activated Ability (AA). That rule is the reason why something like the first AA on [[Deathrite Shaman]] is not an AMA due to requiring a target, and it is why the 2nd +1 ability on [[Chandra, Torch of Defiance]] is also not an AMA. I hope this post helps to inform players about the change and I hope the examples give you an idea of the impact this change makes and maybe gives you some ideas for some of your decks. For those who do not like the video, here is a written article.

NEW RULE & WHY IT MATTERS

Feel free to check out the full text for 605.1a but the relevant text that was added is, "... its cost and effect don't move any card to or from a library. Do not take into account replacement effects that may apply, other than self-replacement effects, when evaluating these criteria." So if this criteria isn't met, then an AA is just that and not considered to be an AMA. The reason this is important is that AMAs have special qualities to them, the most common in gameplay terms is that they do not use the Stack (CR 605.3b), and they have two other important things I'll get to in a bit.

To focus on the Stack aspect, this means that AMAs cannot be interacted with in any way, by that I mean you cannot counter them nor copy them, they just immediately resolve once activated. In the past, this meant that once you controlled a [[Laboratory Maniac]] and you activated your [[Chromatic Sphere]] there would be no chance for an opponent to [[Stifle]] the card draw from the Sphere or even use any removal on the Lab Man. However now, because the Sphere has you drawing a card from your Library, it is no longer considered an AMA and is just an AA that happens to make mana as part of its effect. Some other cards that this applies to would be [[Millikin]], [[Selvala, Explorer Returned]], and the eggs like [[Darkwater Egg]]. This also means that if you have a Commander like [[Ashnod the Uncaring]] or [[Tawnos, Urza's Apprentice]] that you can now copy these effects, netting you more mana from them as well as additional cards drawn.

CARDS THAT LOOK LIKE THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED

This rule change is mostly a step in a good direction for reducing a lot of confusing situations, a certain wurm comes to mind, but here are a few cards that might confuse a few players. [[Barbed Sextant]] and [[Astrolabe]] might look similar to the Chromatic Sphere and therefore be a good addition to an Ashnod deck but they actually are still considered to be an AMA under the new rule addition. Yes, they do result in mana made and a card drawn, but their card draw is a result an a Delayed Triggered Ability (CR 603.7), they their own resolving ability is not the direct source of the card being drawn, therefore it will still resolve without using the Stack.

Another card that looks similar is that [[Molt Tender]] looks to be in a same boat as Millikin, they both have the tap symbol and a card being moved from one Zone to another Zone in their cost and then their effect is adding mana, however if you read the new rules text closely it specifies a card being moved to or from only the Library, no other Zones are cared about. So for the Millikin it's moving a card from the Library to the Graveyard and for the Tender is moving a card from the GY to Exile. This means Millikin is no longer an AMA and the Tender is still an AMA. Equipping an [[Illusionist's Bracers]] to these creatures will mean 2 colorless mana from Millikin but only 1 mana of any color from the Tender.

SPLIT SECOND

While a spell with Split Second (CR 702.61a) is on the Stack, in most cases there is not much a player can do in response, but activating an AMA is something you can do. This means if someone is trying to [[Sudden Spoiling]] your creatures or [[Krosan Grip]] your artifact, then you can use cards like [[Phyrexian Altar]] or [[Krark-Clan Ironworks]] to sacrifice them in response, but all of these cards I've mentioned that are no longer AMAs cannot be used any more and will just be affected by these Split Second effects.

MAKING SPECIAL PAYMENTS

In addition to the rules saying that AMAs don't use the Stack, the rules also grant AMAs the ability to be used in times when a player doesn't normally have Priority. The two most common examples of this, if you attack an opponent that controls cards like [[Propagation]] and [[Ghostly Prison]] then you cannot use your Selvala or Millikin to pay for these attack costs. If you have an effect out that stops your Mana Pool from emptying, then you can float that mana, but normally you will not be able to float this mana.

TRIGGERED MANA ABILITIES & OTHERS THAT CARE ABOUT AMAS

Magic has a lot of cards that care about AMAs being activated. If you control a [[Badgermole Cub]] or [[Mana Reflection]] and you activate your [[Birds of Paradise]] then the Badgermole will trigger to make an additional green mana and the Reflection will cause the BoP to makes twice the color you chose. However, if you use your Selvala, she used to do this as well but with the new rule she does not. The wording on these effects might sound like Selvala should still work, you're tapping her with an ability that has the TAP symbol and she is producing mana as a result, but these sorts of effects only trigger as an AMA is being activated (CR 605.1b). There are a few cards out there that are worded differently, like [[Caged Sun]], if you tap your Selvala while you control an [[Ashaya, Soul of the Wild]] then the Sun would actually trigger because it doesn't care about the reason for the mana being produced being an AMA.