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If I have a card like Lightning Strike (that costs 2 mana) and I have 6 mana, can I use the card 3 times?

In an online Magic game I played, I had this specific card also. When I casted it, it asked me how many times I wanted to use it. To be honest, it sounds like this would make the card too overpowered so I wanted to know for sure.

If the answer is yes, please explain me exactly how it works. E.g. which spells can do it and which can't? Can the effects be divided with each cast?

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    As spell casting is a core mechanic of the Magic game, it appears that you haven't read any rules.
    – tsuma534
    Jan 26, 2016 at 8:08
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    What was the spell? Was it by any chance something with X in the cost?
    – Cascabel
    Jan 26, 2016 at 8:37
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    "it asked me how many times i wanted to use it" - It may be that you had some other effect that allowed you to copy the spell being cast.
    – tsuma534
    Jan 26, 2016 at 9:23
  • To do what you want you could use Djinn Illuminatus
    – Ivo
    Jan 26, 2016 at 10:13
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    screen shot or it didn't happen
    – Hogan
    Jan 26, 2016 at 15:37

3 Answers 3

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If it doesn't say somewhere you can, then you can't.

Unless either the card itself or something else in play says "...you can cast this/that multiple times..." then you can't.

Either you're misinterpreting what happened in that game, or that game is not made to play with the same rules as Magic.

Seriously - best rule to go by - Unless it says you can, you can't.

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    While correct, this answer doesn't really answer the fundamental misunderstanding the question shows. OP doesn't seem to know what the rules say about spell casting in general.
    – Hackworth
    Jan 26, 2016 at 15:05
  • @Hackworth That's the point. The rules of MTG are permissive rather than restrictive. The rules of MTG do not allow you to cast a spell twice. Therefore, you can't.
    – Rainbolt
    Jan 26, 2016 at 23:52
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    @Rainbolt That doesn't address the issue. If the OP doesn't appear to be someone who read the rules and then is asking about something he couldn't find in the rules. He doesn't appear to have knowledge of things like the rules saying you can cast a spell or how you do that.
    – GendoIkari
    Jan 27, 2016 at 0:50
  • @Gendolkari Since none of the answers thus far actually quote any rules, I recommend you (or Hackworth) write your own answer with rules quotes and some kind of explanation as to how those rules specifically forbid you from casting a spell twice. I would be happy to be proven wrong here, because it would benefit the site to have an answer with rules.
    – Rainbolt
    Jan 27, 2016 at 14:14
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    @Rainbolt I think you misunderstood me (and Hackworth)... I never said that the rules specifically forbid casting a spell twice, or that you are wrong for saying that the rules are permissive, not restrictive. What I was saying is that this particular answer isn't helpful to the OP, who appears to be not familiar with the basic rules.
    – GendoIkari
    Jan 27, 2016 at 16:42
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No, you can't cast it multiple times.

After the spell is resolved it is put into your graveyard (the discard pile).

There are some spells that, for example, return to your hand so you can cast them again. But all such exceptions are written on the spell card itself.

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    I'm not sure it's a good idea to say "discard" here. Discard specifically means hand to graveyard, so spells definitely don't get discarded when they resolve.
    – Cascabel
    Jan 26, 2016 at 15:54
  • @Jefromi You're propably right. My vocabulary got a little rusty. I changed that.
    – tsuma534
    Jan 27, 2016 at 8:14
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The rules only give you permission to cast a spell when you have priority and to cast spells from your hand.

One of the first steps in casting a spell is to take the spell from you hand and to put it on the stack.

Once you start casting a spell you can't do anything else until you finish casting the spell (that is putting the spell on the stack, which is different to having the spell resolve).

Then the spell is on the stack, it is no longer in your hand for you to cast again.

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