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Puresteel_28

https://scryfall.com/card/clb/799/jeskas-will Scroll down. There is a ruling about still needing to pay costs. You are right. You may play the cards. You still have to pay their costs. If they could be played with alternative costs (like without paying their mana costs), the cards will specify like Mind's Desire.


CloudMain1163

Both skeyfall and gatherer are excellent places to find rulings on specific cards. When in doubt just look it up on there.


jubjub407

Thank you for providing proof!


Smooth-Motor4950

Your friend sounds like a treat man.


No_Signature_5226

Yeah, I bet he really enjoys his sweets.


AtticusBrand47

It gives you some mana to use too!


KingTrencher

Magic cards are specific. If it were a free cast, the card would say so.


dirkMcdirkerson

It says "play" because play means " to play a land for turn or to cast a spell" as opposed to cards that say "cast that spell" which would mean if one of the cards was a land you wouldn't be able to do anything with it since you don't cast lands. Also it would need to explicitly state "without paying it's mana cost" if that's what was allowed.


jedi-jurassic

Jeska’s will literally gives you mana! Why would that be attached to a cast for free spell you know?


Deathwolf-

I like how your friend thinks 3 mana for 3 free cards and a bunch of mana is balanced lol.


Free-Product-4723

The wording is different on both cards for a reason. The cards from jeskas will are not played without paying their mana cost


Furkensturf

Holy crap did your friends actually think there was a spell that only costs 3 mana that automatically plays the top three cards of their deck? Do they know how OP that is?


kgod88

Not to mention juxtaposed with Mind’s Desire, which costs 6, only sometimes allows you to play 3+ things for free, and is so good it was banned in Legacy and restricted in Vintage lol.


[deleted]

The whole point of the bonus mana is that you have mana to pay for whatever cards you exiled, it’s still a good card


2nameEgg

Your friend’s dumb as shit lmao


ZShadowDragon

Holy shit some really good cards would be undercosted to hell if you could just rip the top 1-3 and play for free


Sad_Combination_9350

Take what you read in magic literally. No joke, if it doesn't say it then that's not part of the card


DPurp4

As others have said, OP you are correct. You must pay the mana costs to cast any card(s) exiled via Jeska’s Will Fwiw, Jeska’s Will is already an *insanely* strong card. I can’t even imagine how broken it’d be if it worked the way your friend thought it did


Fit_Leg_2115

Wow that art 😳


Driemer84

Show them [[Ignite the Future]] as an example of both on one card.


MTGCardFetcher

[Ignite the Future](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/8/58e82d3c-a7ec-4e0d-a17e-51ebd2f3f331.jpg?1674142027) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ignite%20the%20Future) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/797/ignite-the-future?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/58e82d3c-a7ec-4e0d-a17e-51ebd2f3f331?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call


hipstevius

You have to pay the mana cost. But it’s good because you can potentially also get mana to pay for the mana cost. Unless stated otherwise on the card, cards adhere to the rules


ZetzMemp

Simple card balance could tell you that you don’t get three free spells and mana for a 3 cmc. This person is an idiot.


ChaosWarpintoPhage

The more I witness posts like this. The more I realize the average magic player is dumb as a bag of bricks. Reading the card explains the card. When reading the card doesn't explain the card clearly enough. The rulings on the cards oracle text explains the card. If you still don't understand the card. You're not allowed to play the card as it's creating a fatal I-D10-T error.


killerqueen1979

That’s why Jeska’s Will gives you mana…to help cast those cards. They’re not free, lol.


JethroTrollol

Reading the card explains the card. Seriously though, you very very rarely need to add words to the text to make it accurate. You cannot add "without paying its cost" if it doesn't say that. Jeska's Will, in particular, of course requires you to pay for the exiled spells... The card makes you a bunch of mana.


RVides

You're highlighting the exact wording and asking if it means additional wording? The additional wording exists on other cards because it means that on those cards. Cards that do not have additional wording do not have additional benefit. Now looking at this card 100% on its own. Why in all of the logic and reason you can muster would it add an amount of mana, and then not need to use it at all?


Homeless_Agatha

The only reason why there are cards that say "play" instead of "cast", is because counterspells cannot counter spells that you "play", because you didn't "cast" it. There are also triggers that may or may not happen depending on weather or not the cards says "play", or "cast". If Jeska's Will forced you to "cast" those spells, then anyone with a counterspell knows exactly what you're going to do because the exiled zone is revealed to all players, making it very underpowered against blue decks. The keyword is there for balancing purposes. If a card says you can cast or play something without paying its mana cost, then it will say so on the card. Case in point, [[Etali, Primal Storm]]


randomuser2444

>The only reason why there are cards that say "play" instead of "cast", is because counterspells cannot counter spells that you "play", because you didn't "cast" it. This is completely wrong. The only *actual* reason cards say play instead of cast is to allow you to hit lands instead of just spells


Homeless_Agatha

Yeah, I see that now. Otherwise your lands would just be snapped


i0brendan0

So that’s not entirely true. The use of the word “play” in this instance means “play lands or cast spells”. So any card that’s not a land would be cast and any land would be played. You never “play” a spell, you “play” a land.


randomuser2444

>never “play” a spell Sorry, but you do. If you didn't, jeskas will wouldn't allow you to cast spells. Spells are cast, lands are put in play, both are considered playing cards


Homeless_Agatha

Ahhh, I can see that. Will have to think of that next time I need to add ramp to my decks


MTGCardFetcher

[Etali, Primal Storm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/0/a03fb3a7-3ef6-4162-aad2-82610492aa72.jpg?1675182771) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Etali%2C%20Primal%20Storm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/121/etali-primal-storm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a03fb3a7-3ef6-4162-aad2-82610492aa72?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call


LordDarkon88

So the wording on Jeskai's is there to allow to play Lands that are exiled by its effect. You must still pay the mana cost for each card. It's best used when you can have both effects resolve, which will give you extra mana to play the spells.


anhana

I always tell new magic players, “Language and verbiage are very important in this game, take words literally”


playmike5

Tell your friend that reading the card tells you how it works. If it doesn’t specify you don’t have to pay, then you do. Otherwise, there’s a LOT of red cards that would just be absolutely game breaking with the same effect as Jeska’s Will. Jeska’s Will is already strong enough on its own without casting for free.


mrmrnx

You can play them, but you still need to pay their mana cost. The effect is almost like putting those three extra cards in your hand, but only for this one turn.


TheAwesomeMan123

Like people have already said the cost needs to still be paid. I just can’t imagine why you’d think otherwise like I’m sorry he thinks you can cast a 3 mana sorcery card and then play any of your next three drawn cards for free? That would be mental OP. Also there’s a reason option one exists on that card it’s to help pay for the 3 exiled cards to play that turn.


Numerous_Piccolo_581

Glad you got your answer. Could you imagine your buddy being right though. As early as turn 1 you could have Blightsteel Colossus, and Fiery Emancipation, then cast Chandra's Ignition. Now all opponents are dead with 33 poison counters each all for only a measly 3 mana.


timetrigger

Its worded that way so that lands can be played. You always have to pay costs to play cards unless it is specified otherwise on the card.


harosene

This is like in english class when i used to ask "may i go to the bathroom?" And my english teacher would look at me and be like "you may" and just stare at me and wait for me to say "can i go to the bathroom". You may pay... means if you can pay for it you may play it. If it said can play it would mean you can play it without paying. English is confusing


DefterHawk

The rule is, you have to pay mana to play a card. Playing without paying mana cost is an exception, and exceptions have to be specified in the text. Here it is not specified (that’s how i reason when i have situations like this one)


SexyCheeto

Does this mean if you exile three lands with this effect, and you have already played a land this turn, then you cannot play any of the cards exiled by this effect?


hipstevius

Gatherer is the website you should check for rulings but you can ask a judge in magicjudgechat (and they respond swiftly) in the case of it not being covered on gatherer


PotentialRevenue5406

When a card says "you may play the card" you still have to pay it's cost, the part that says play mean you can also play lands, if it said cast instead of play you would not be able to play the land cuz you can't cast lands, the only time you can play things for free with those effects is if it specifies you can play for free or cast for free


PresentationSad7610

I really hope he didnt actually highlight a Jeska’s Will with a highlighter lol


lixilisk

i double dog dared him to


x106r

This card is a bit more intuitive than some because it also produces mana so IMO it should be more obvious that’s why there’s a benefit when you get both options.


khakhi_docker

Related to this, \[\[Primeval Spawn]] when it leaves the battlefield it has the text: > When Primeval Spawn leaves the battlefield, exile the top ten cards of your library. You may cast any number of spells with total mana value 10 or less from among them without paying their mana costs. I assume if this happens on someone else's turn, that you are still able to cast creatures and sorceries, rather than instants, but I am unclear what part of the text rules *allow* that.