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'''Hardcast''' (or '''Paying Retail''') is [[Magic: The Gathering]] jargon used to describe the playing of a spell by paying its [[mana cost]].  It is usually used when a spell has an [[alternative cost]], or a permanent could be put into play by a means other than casting it.  For example, playing <c>Force of Will</c> by paying {{3}}{{U}}{{U}} is hardcasting it, while playing it by paying 1 life and [[exile|exiling]] ([[Pitch spell|pitching]]) a blue card is using the alternate cost.
'''Hardcast''' (or '''Paying Retail''') is ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' [[slang|jargon]] used to describe the playing of a spell by paying its [[mana cost]] instead of using an [[alternative cost]] or other ability.  


In a similar vein, spells that are not intended to ever be cast, but rather have abilities that active from zones other than the battlefield, can also referred to have been hardcast as a sign of an unusual game. Examples here include <c>Simian Spirit Guide</c>, <c>Decree of Justice</c> and <c>Stinkweed Imp</c>.
==Description==
When a spell has an alternative cost, a permanent could be put into play by a means other than casting it, or a card has an ability that can be activated from a zone other than the battlefield, but a player chooses to play the card by paying its mana cost, the player will sometimes state that they are hardcasting it. This is generally done in order to make the play clear to their opponent, particularly when the alternative cost or play is the more common usage of the card.  


See also: [[Free spell]]
== Examples ==
* Playing <c>Force of Will</c> by paying {{3}}{{U}}{{U}} instead of paying 1 life and [[exile|exiling]] ([[Pitch spell|pitching]]) a blue card.
* Casting a creature instead of using {{Card|Aether Vial}} to put the creature into play.
* Casting <c>Simian Spirit Guide</c> instead of exiling it to add {{R}} to your mana pool.
* Casting a {{Card|Decree of Justice}} or {{Card|Street Wraith}} instead of using its [[cycling]] ability.


The inability of some decks to hardcast a portion of their spells ([[Reanimator]], [[Extended Tooth and Nail deck|Tooth and Nail]], [[Extended Hypergenesis deck|Hypergenesis]], or decks based on <c>Sneak Attack</c>) may be an exploitable weakness, as the creatures they want to put into play are [[dead card]]s without the respective enablers.
== Strategy ==
The inability of some decks to hardcast a portion of their spells ([[Reanimator]], [[Extended Tooth and Nail deck|Tooth and Nail]], [[Extended Hypergenesis deck|Hypergenesis]], or decks based on <c>Sneak Attack</c>) can be an exploitable weakness. The creatures they want to put into play, or other spells they want to cast using some sort of free casting effect, are often [[dead card]]s without the enabling spells that accomplish this.


==See also==
* [[Free spell]]
[[Category:Magic slang]]
[[Category:Magic slang]]

Latest revision as of 21:48, 11 March 2022

Hardcast (or Paying Retail) is Magic: The Gathering jargon used to describe the playing of a spell by paying its mana cost instead of using an alternative cost or other ability.

Description

When a spell has an alternative cost, a permanent could be put into play by a means other than casting it, or a card has an ability that can be activated from a zone other than the battlefield, but a player chooses to play the card by paying its mana cost, the player will sometimes state that they are hardcasting it. This is generally done in order to make the play clear to their opponent, particularly when the alternative cost or play is the more common usage of the card.

Examples

Strategy

The inability of some decks to hardcast a portion of their spells (Reanimator, Tooth and Nail, Hypergenesis, or decks based on Sneak Attack) can be an exploitable weakness. The creatures they want to put into play, or other spells they want to cast using some sort of free casting effect, are often dead cards without the enabling spells that accomplish this.

See also