#harnessed lightning

[magicjudge]

Hi there, i have a question regarding energy use and how it works with spells on the stack. For instance at Game Day, i played against a mono green energy deck and Harnessed Lightning'd a Longtusk Cub using 2 energy to kill it. In response they said "Ill use 6 energy to put 3 counters on long tusk cub" Would i be able to stop them at the first and cast a Galvanic Bombardment to finish the job? Or can they continue to respond with energy uses for counters to save it?

Your opponent’s last chance to pump their Longtusk Cub in this scenario is before Harnessed Lightning starts to resolve, which is before you choose how much energy you’re going to pay.

If your opponent asks how much energy you’re paying, then they’re letting Harnessed Lightning resolve and they can’t then respond to your choice of how much energy to pay.

Similarly, if they respond before Harnessed Lightning resolves to pump their Longtusk Cub, you’re not committed to any specific choice for how much energy to pay into Harnessed Lightning, meaning you can pay no energy or more than you initially thought you would have to pay.

TL;DR: You make the choice of how much energy you’re paying into Harnessed Lightning immediately before the damage is dealt. Your opponent can’t respond to that choice.

[googlyeyesonmagiccards]

Harnessed lightning?

I HAVE THE POWER!

[stoketheflavor]

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[magicjudge]

Hey Charlotte, am I correct in thinking that Harnessed Lightning doesn't need a declared target to be cast (obs as long as there's a creature it can target to resolve)? The wording is a little strange.

Incorrect. You choose a target for Harnessed Lightning or Die Young when you cast them, just like any other targeted spell.

What you don’t have to choose until the spell resolves is how much energy you’re going to pay for the spell’s effect.

Yes, the template of these cards is a bit awkward, but that’s just because you get energy and then choose how much to spend for the effect. The targeting requirement is put first so that it’s easier to see that the spell requires a target to cast instead of burying it in the middle of the spell’s text.

For example, isn’t this template a lot more confusing as to the fact that the spell has a target? “You get EEE, then you may pay any amount of E. Harnessed Lightning deals that much damage to target creature.”