The new Miracle mechanic causes a replacement effect for the casting cost of the card, which must be revealed and played immediately. How does this interact with flashback? If a player plays a card for its Miracle cost, what is the flashback cost of the card if it's flashed back with something like Snapcaster Mage?
2 Answers
Snapcaster Mage: Bold for emphasis.
Flash
When Snapcaster Mage enters the battlefield, target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard gains flashback until end of turn. The flashback cost is equal to its mana cost. (You may cast that card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
The flashback cost will be the mana cost of the card, shown on the top right corner of the card. Alternative costs such as the Miracle cost are irrelevant.
But what if you had a Bösium Strip in play?
Miracle {cost} (You may cast this card for its miracle cost when you draw it if it's the first card you drew this turn.)
The Miracle cost may only be payed if that card is the first card drawn from your library in a turn, and only when you draw the card. Clearly if the card is in your graveyard, it cannot be drawn, so the replacement effect for the casting cost will never apply.
As an aside, note the implications for a card like Future Sight. If you play the top card in your library that's revealed, you won't be drawing it, so you must pay full cost.
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"The Miracle cost may only be payed if that card is the first card drawn from your library in a turn. Clearly if it is in your graveyard, it cannot be drawn, so the replacement effect for the casting cost will never apply."... it's still "this card" in the graveyard for the turn you drew it and played it. The question relates to playing it that turn you drew it and flashing it back that same turn. It's still "that card"... Apr 11, 2012 at 17:20
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5@Hupperware but the Miracle reminder text contains the condition "when you draw it". You cannot pay to cast the card for its miracle cost at any other time.– ghoppeApr 11, 2012 at 17:28
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1Furthermore, even if you could "draw it" from your graveyard, at that point it would have no memory of its previous life (see 400.7) and therefore it would no longer be the first card you drew this turn. It would be the second.– ghoppeApr 11, 2012 at 17:37
Miracle is an ability that only applies as you draw the card. This has no interaction with casting from the graveyard. (I can't speak for future MTR, but I'm assuming judges won't let you pay the miracle cost if you've already let the card touch your other hand cards, period.)
Furthermore, the general rule is that alternative costs don't mix.
117.9a Only one alternative cost can be applied to any one spell as it's being cast.
It's only by paying the alternative cost for flashback that you are allowed to play the spell from your graveyard in the first place; normal cost modifiers (like Thorn of Amethyst) and additional costs (like kicker) still apply, but the base cost is the flashback cost and only the flashback cost, not the miracle cost or madness cost or any other alternative cost. A Mindbreak Trap you've given flashback with Snapcaster Mage, for example, will still cost 2UU to play even in circumstances where it would cost 0 to play from your hand (due to its trap ability).
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Wouldn't it be simpler to cover the Snapcaster Mage case by noting that the Miracle Cost is an alternative cost, and not the Mana Cost (i.e. the one covered by Comprehensive Rules 202.1), so it's completely irrelevant to Snapcaster Mage in the first place (and AFAICT all similar cards, which all make the Flashback cost equal to the Mana Cost).– CirceusApr 11, 2012 at 20:10
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@Circeus It's the most real-world-relevant example of cards with flashback and other alternative and additional costs, since you can apply flashback to any sort of weird card, and Snapcaster is a staple across all tournament formats.– Alex PApr 11, 2012 at 20:12
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1I mean that invoking that "alternative costs don't mix." seems unnecessary since Snapcaster and co. won't "look up" for the presence of any such cost in the first place (as far as I can tell).– CirceusApr 11, 2012 at 20:17
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@Circeus Good point. That's clearly the most straightforward "NO" answer to Snapcaster Mage. There are truly many roadblocks stopping the Snapcaster Mage from abusing Miracles. :)– ghoppeApr 11, 2012 at 20:23
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1@Circeus But "alternative costs don't mix" is the main reason you don't get to reference a card's other costs when flashing it back. Lots of players make the mistake of think that a card's other alternative costs (particularly ones that are phrased like Traps rather than like Miracles, using "instead" or "rather than" to modify its normal mana cost) will also apply to casting it with flashback. And additional costs in the body text -- like Fireball's -- do apply to its total cost when it is cast via flashback.– Alex PApr 11, 2012 at 20:45