Bargain

Bargain
[[File:{{#setmainimage:MTGA Bargain.png}}|70x70px]]
Keyword Ability
Type	Static
Introduced	Wilds of Eldraine
Last used	Alchemy: Eldraine
Reminder Text	Bargain (You may sacrifice an artifact, enchantment, or token as you cast this spell.)
Statistics	22 cards 9.1% 27.3% 27.3% 13.6% 22.7%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Bargain"

Bargain is a keyword ability introduced in Wilds of Eldraine that allows you to sacrifice an artifact, enchantment, or token as you cast the spell for an additional effect.

Description

Bargain is a variant of Kicker, with a fairytale flavor. A spell has been bargained if its controller declared the intention to pay any or all of its bargain costs. Like Kicker, Bargain uses an additional cost to enable a linked ability, so its actual effect is completely open-ended.

One effect that is usually left off kicker is cost reduction, even though the rules can handle such a result. Bargain has this in cases like Ice Out and Hamlet Glutton.

Lich-Knight's Conquest and Malevolent Witchkite have the Multikicker equivalent of Bargain. Devouring Sugarmaw asks for a Bargain every upkeep.

Rules

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

Bargain

Bargain is a keyword ability that represents an optional additional cost of sacrificing an artifact, enchantment, or token. A spell has been bargained if its controller declared the intention to pay that cost. See rule 702.166, “Bargain.”

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

• 702.166. Bargain
  • 702.166a Bargain is a static ability that functions while the spell with bargain is on the stack. “Bargain” means “As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may sacrifice an artifact, enchantment, or token.” Paying a spell’s bargain cost follows the rules for paying additional costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h.
  • 702.166b If a spell’s controller declares the intention to pay that spell’s bargain cost, that spell has been “bargained.” See rule 601.2b.
  • 702.166c Objects with bargain have additional abilities that specify what happens if they were bargained. These abilities are linked to the bargain ability printed on that object: they can refer only to that specific bargain ability. See rule 607, “Linked Abilities.”
  • 702.166d If part of a spell’s ability has its effect only if that spell was bargained and that part of the ability includes any targets, the spell’s controller chooses those targets only if that spell was bargained. Otherwise, the spell is cast as if it did not have those targets. See rule 601.2c.

Rulings

• Bargain represents an optional additional cost. A spell cast with that additional cost paid is "bargained."
• If you copy a bargained spell, the copy is also bargained.
  • If a card or token enters the battlefield as a copy of a permanent that's already on the battlefield, the new permanent isn't bargained, even if the original was.
• Some instant and sorcery spells require additional targets if they're bargained. You ignore those targeting requirements if those spells aren't bargained, and you can't bargain those spells unless you can choose the appropriate targets.
  • On the other hand, you can bargain a permanent spell even if you won't be able to choose targets for an enters-the-battlefield ability of that permanent once the spell resolves.

Examples

Example

Torch the Tower
Instant
Bargain (You may sacrifice an artifact, enchantment, or token as you cast this spell.)
Torch the Tower deals 2 damage to target creature or planeswalker. If this spell was bargained, instead it deals 3 damage to that permanent and you scry 1.
If a permanent dealt damage by Torch the Tower would die this turn, exile it instead.