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I am looking to write a homebrew creature that, for a steep price, gives indestructible until End of Turn to itself, then destroys all creatures, but also destroys all enchantments (at the same time as it destroys creatures) if some extra mana cost is paid.

I have tried clunky ways to do that suche as writing two separate abilities where one destroys "all creatures and enchantments" and costs more than the other, or using "You can pay an additional WWWW as you activate this ability. If you do, destroy all creatures and enchantments instead", which I feel might be construed as destroying enchantments instead of making itself invulnerable...

Has something like that ever been done in official cards?

(Yes, I know the card feels OP: it's a joke card, it's not meant for play.)

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  • Jacob Hauken, Inspector is an example of an official card that does something similar to what you propose; an activated ability with an additional cost
    – Matthew Jensen
    Commented Mar 25 at 0:44

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There is no kicker equivalent for activated abilities, but don't let that stop you from making one.

Kicker is a "wrapper" around the additional cost rules.

702.33a Kicker is a static ability that functions while the spell with kicker is on the stack. “Kicker [cost]” means “You may pay an additional [cost] as you cast this spell.” Paying a spell’s kicker cost(s) follows the rules for paying additional costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h.

If you want an equivalent ability on an activated ability, you can either invent your own keyword, or use the "additional cost" template directly and apply a self-replacement effect if that cost was paid, so your second proposal would be my choice.

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  • A keyword ability wouldn't make sense. Kicker is an ability on a card that modifies how you can cast that card, and the "if you kicked this" part is a separate ability on the same card. But activated abilities themselves don't have abilities, so it wouldn't be able to work the same.
    – murgatroid99 ♦
    Commented Mar 23 at 20:34
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    @Murgatroid99 I can see it working like this. "[abilityname] [cost] (You may pay an additional [cost] as you activate any ability of this permanent)." - And then some abilities have specific extra effects if you paid the [abilityname] cost.
    – Zachiel
    Commented Mar 24 at 16:14
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I cannot recall any cards with an activated ability with a rider that requires the spending of extra mana. However, many magic cards have triggered abilities that come with additional costs.

Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, you may pay {1}. If you do, draw a card.

The rules that cover such costs are found in rule 603.12, and aren't specific to triggered abilities:

603.12. A resolving spell or ability may allow or instruct a player to take an action and create a triggered ability that triggers “when [a player] [does or doesn’t]” take that action or “when [something happens] this way.” These reflexive triggered abilities follow the rules for delayed triggered abilities (see rule 603.7), except that they’re checked immediately after being created and trigger based on whether the trigger event or events occurred earlier during the resolution of the spell or ability that created them.
Example: Heart-Piercer Manticore has an ability that reads “When Heart-Piercer Manticore enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice another creature. When you do, Heart-Piercer Manticore deals damage equal to that creature’s power to any target.” The reflexive triggered ability triggers only when you sacrifice another creature due to the original triggered ability, and not if you sacrifice a creature for any other reason.

There's no reason the same template couldn't be applied to an activated ability

[cost]: gains indestructible until end of turn. Destroy all creatures. You may pay [cost]. If you do, destroy all enchantments.

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  • Just want to point out that templating does close to but not exactly what OP was looking for. The way it's written the creatures and enchantments are destroyed at two separate times, rather than the same time, this means the creatures wouldn't see the enchantments die, and that any enchantment creatures with a shield counter or regeneration would die, since they get hit by two separate wrath effects during the same ability and use up the replacement effect in the first one.
    – Andrew
    Commented Mar 25 at 13:56
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    I think the "you may pay" phrasing is the right way to go, lots of cards use that template. You can avoid the problem Andrew mentions by simply adding "instead": [cost]: gains indestructible until end of turn. Destroy all creatures. You may pay [cost]. If you do, destroy all creatures and enchantments instead.
    – BradC
    Commented Mar 25 at 14:08

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