The Playback Rule and Paying Costs

[exodus]

Hi guys,

It has come to my attention that not everyone knows about the Playback Rule or how exactly Paying a Cost for a card works. Existence Games has added these rulings clearly to the official rules and talked about them on their card rulings page. These are important rules that can drastically change the outcome of a game, so please take a moment to read these over.

The Playback Rule
When a symmetry card or effect is played in response to your symmetry card, the card played most recently (card on top of the stack) happens first. Then, any remaining cards that must resolve experience Playback and may change targets if the owner chooses.
Playback also happens when a creature is attacking and some other card effect causes a target to change or the state of the field to change. In this instance, Playback takes place and the attacking creature may change targets or stop attacking all together!

Paying a Cost
- You don't pay a cost until the card triggers or begins resolving;

- This means you can nullify or cancel out a symmetry or Ability that has a cost by playing cards in response that destroy their energy source;

- i.e. If your opponent plays Vortex and they only have 1 energy on their field (which they are going to use to pay the cost), and you play a Cataclysm in response and destroy that energy, their Vortex will go straight to the graveyard without happening since there would be no energy to pay the cost.

- Likewise, if your opponent plays Unsummon on your only creature on the field, you may stack/play Reversion on your own creature to send it back to your hand. The opponent's Unsummon would then have no available targets and go straight to the graveyard without happening, and your opponent would not have to pay its cost.

Hopefully this clears up your questions on paying card costs and what happens when the state of the field changes! If you have other questions, just ask. Let the dueling commence!