<p>You cannot pay life that you don't have, even if you wouldn't lose the game. So, Lich's Mastery doesn't help you cast cards using Bolas's Citadel, and using them together is probably a bad idea because of the "Whenever you lose life..." trigger on Lich's Mastery.</p>

<p>The most important rule here is <a href="https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Life" rel="nofollow noreferrer">rule 119.4</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>If a cost or effect allows a player to pay an amount of life greater than 0, the player may do so only if their life total is greater than or equal to the amount of the payment. If a player pays life, the payment is subtracted from their life total; in other words, the player loses that much life. (Players can always pay 0 life.)</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-02T22:56:54.020Z
2019-12-02T22:56:54.020Z
murgatroid99
<p>Could I possibly use <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bLich%27s%5d%2b%5bMastery%5d">Lich&#39;s Mastery</a> with <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bBolas%27s%5d%2b%5bCitadel%5d">Bolas&#39;s Citadel</a>? Since I have the condition "you cannot lose the game", theoretically couldn't I go negative with my health by using BC to play cards from my library?</p>

<magic-the-gathering>
Does Lich's Mastery let me spend down to negative life with Bolas's Citadel?
Richtofen
# Does Lich's Mastery let me spend down to negative life with Bolas's Citadel?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-12-02)

Could I possibly use [Lich's Mastery](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bLich%27s%5d%2b%5bMastery%5d) with [Bolas's Citadel](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bBolas%27s%5d%2b%5bCitadel%5d)? Since I have the condition "you cannot lose the game", theoretically couldn't I go negative with my health by using BC to play cards from my library?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-12-02. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

You cannot pay life that you don't have, even if you wouldn't lose the game. So, Lich's Mastery doesn't help you cast cards using Bolas's Citadel, and using them together is probably a bad idea because of the "Whenever you lose life..." trigger on Lich's Mastery.

The most important rule here is [rule 119.4](https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Life):

> If a cost or effect allows a player to pay an amount of life greater than 0, the player may do so only if their life total is greater than or equal to the amount of the payment. If a player pays life, the payment is subtracted from their life total; in other words, the player loses that much life. (Players can always pay 0 life.)


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