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jackApropos a conversation last night:
Vitenka suggested a magic card with "tap" twice in the cost, and I immediately conceived of the card above[1]. It's so difficult to achieve, I think it ought to win the game. The idea is, the only thing you can do while paying costs for an ability is play mana abilities. However, mana abilities can have side effects. Thus, might you be able to use a mana ability which, as a side effect, untaps the card so you can tap it again while paying the same cost?
ETA: Added the corresponding untap card. This is a lot easier (if more hastily designed), since there actually are a fair number of cards that ask you to tap another card as a cost to produce mana.
The rules refers to the comp rules which describe all the necessary interactions.
Of course, this card wouldn't actually work because:
(a) You can only play mana abilities if the total cost includes a mana payment.
(b) You can use mana abilities during the playing of a spell, but only in step 409.1g, explicitly after (f) where total cost is determined and before (h) where the total cost is actually paid. Thus it doesn't work at all.
[1] Being "tapped" refers to turning a card sideways. This is often used as a cost for an ability that can normally only be used once each turn. The idea of needing two "taps" to use a single ability is funny.[2] Because there's few ways to untap cards, and inherently no way to use any effect whilst paying costs for another.
[2] Originally the sentence carried straight on "is funny because..." but I felt non-magic players might need a separate assertion that it was funny before entertaining questions about why it was funny :)
Vitenka suggested a magic card with "tap" twice in the cost, and I immediately conceived of the card above[1]. It's so difficult to achieve, I think it ought to win the game. The idea is, the only thing you can do while paying costs for an ability is play mana abilities. However, mana abilities can have side effects. Thus, might you be able to use a mana ability which, as a side effect, untaps the card so you can tap it again while paying the same cost?
ETA: Added the corresponding untap card. This is a lot easier (if more hastily designed), since there actually are a fair number of cards that ask you to tap another card as a cost to produce mana.
The rules refers to the comp rules which describe all the necessary interactions.
Of course, this card wouldn't actually work because:
(a) You can only play mana abilities if the total cost includes a mana payment.
(b) You can use mana abilities during the playing of a spell, but only in step 409.1g, explicitly after (f) where total cost is determined and before (h) where the total cost is actually paid. Thus it doesn't work at all.
[1] Being "tapped" refers to turning a card sideways. This is often used as a cost for an ability that can normally only be used once each turn. The idea of needing two "taps" to use a single ability is funny.[2] Because there's few ways to untap cards, and inherently no way to use any effect whilst paying costs for another.
[2] Originally the sentence carried straight on "is funny because..." but I felt non-magic players might need a separate assertion that it was funny before entertaining questions about why it was funny :)