Plot

Plot
[[File:{{#setmainimage:MTGA Plot.png}}|70x70px]]
Keyword Ability
Type	Static
Introduced	Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Last used	Thunder Junction Commander
Reminder Text	Plot [cost] (You may pay [cost] and exile this card from your hand. Cast it as a sorcery on a later turn without paying its mana cost. Plot only as a sorcery.)
Statistics	33 cards 9.1% 24.2% 12.1% 27.3% 24.2% 3%
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keyword:"Plot"

For other uses, see Plot (disambiguation).

Plot is an alternative cost mechanic introduced in Outlaws of Thunder Junction. The word “plot” is used as in “plot and scheme” (secret, cunning, and often unscrupulous planning to gain one's ends) to mechanically represent the various plans set forth by the villains and outlaws in the set.

Description

Plot helper card.

Plot is a keyword that allows you to pay a cost up front and exile a card from your hand. The card then becomes plotted. On a future turn, you may cast a plotted card from exile without paying its mana cost. Both the special action to plot the card from your hand and casting a plotted card from exile are done as a sorcery — meaning during your main phase while the stack is empty.

Plot is a way to set up future turns, knowing that your spell is available for no further mana investment. Some plot cards offer cheaper plot costs, letting you save on mana if you're willing to wait for a future turn to finally cast the spell. Some are creatures with triggered abilities that you may want to time more strategically.

Plot can be used in several ways:

• As a mini-suspend mechanic where you are able to pay less for a card but have the added cost of time.
• As a mechanic that requires combining with some other element, and you can pay now but wait until the other component happens (with things like Auras).
• With mechanics that want to combo with mana; you can pay now, so all my mana will be free on the turn the spell is cast.
• On combo pieces so that you can pay for them over time and have them all happen on one big turn.
• It can be used to be more efficient with your mana as you can spend unspent mana, especially on early turns, for use later in the game.

Other ways to become plotted

The plot keyword isn't the only way to have cards become plotted. The same timing rules apply to any card that becomes plotted, no matter how that happens. It can't be cast on the same turn it became plotted. When you finally cast the spell, you do so as a sorcery.

Cards that cause cards to be plotted include:

• Aven Interrupter
• Fblthp, Lost on the Range
• Jace Reawakened
• Kellan Joins Up
• Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot
• Make Your Own Luck

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Plot

A keyword ability that lets a player exile cards from their hand and cast them without paying their mana cost on future turns. See rule 702.170, “Plot.”

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Plotted

A card exiled using the plot special action becomes plotted. Other effects can also make an exiled card plotted. See rule 702.170, “Plot.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 116.2k A player who has a card with plot in their hand may exile that card. This is a special action. A player can take this action any time they have priority during their own turn while the stack is empty. See rule 702.170, “Plot.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 702.170. Plot
  • 702.170a Plot is a keyword ability that functions while the card with plot is in a player’s hand. “Plot [cost]” means “Any time you have priority during your main phase while the stack is empty, you may exile this card from your hand and pay [cost]. It becomes a plotted card.”
  • 702.170b Exiling a card using its plot ability is a special action, which doesn’t use the stack. See rule 116, “Special Actions.”
  • 702.170c In addition to the plot special action, some spells and abilities cause a card in exile to become plotted.
  • 702.170d A plotted card’s owner may cast it from exile without paying its mana cost during their main phase while the stack is empty during any turn after the turn in which it became plotted. Casting a spell this way follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h. A plotted card may be cast this way even if it doesn’t have the plot ability while in exile.
  • 702.170e If an effect refers to plotting a card, it means performing the special action associated with a plot ability.
  • 702.170f An effect may allow the plot ability of a card to function in a zone other than a player’s hand. In that case, the card is exiled from the zone it is in as the action is taken rather than from its owner’s hand.

Rulings

• Plot abilities are written "Plot [cost]," which means "Any time you have priority during your main phase while the stack is empty, you may pay [cost] and exile this card from your hand. It becomes plotted."
• Exiling a card using its plot ability is a special action. Once you announce you're taking that action, no other player can respond by trying to remove that card from your hand.
• You can't cast a plotted card on the same turn it became plotted. On any future turn, you may cast that card from exile without paying its mana cost during your main phase while the stack is empty.
• If you're casting a plotted card from exile without paying its mana cost, you can't choose to cast it for any other alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker *costs. If the plotted card has any mandatory additional costs, those must still be paid to cast the spell.
• If a plotted card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.

Examples

Example 1

Irascible Wolverine
Creature — Wolverine
3/2
When Irascible Wolverine enters the battlefield, exile the top card of your library. Until end of turn, you may play that card.
Plot (You may pay and exile this card from your hand. Cast it as a sorcery on a later turn without paying its mana cost. Plot only as a sorcery.)

Example 2

Fblthp, Lost on the Range
Legendary Creature — Homunculus
1/1
Ward
You may look at the top card of your library any time. The top card of your library has plot. The plot cost is equal to its mana cost.
You may plot nonland cards from the top of your library.

Trivia

• A plot-mechanic was earlier considered for Amonkhet. It was to be a suspend variant representing you planning ahead.