<p>No, Brisela will not prevent your opponent from casting Volarden Pariah for its madness cost.</p>
<p>&quot;Mana cost&quot;, and by extension &quot;converted mana cost&quot; specifically refers to the cost printed at the top of the card. The relevant rules are <a href="http://mtgsalvation.gamepedia.com/Mana_cost#Rules" rel="noreferrer">here</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>202.1.</strong> A card’s mana cost is indicated by mana symbols near the top of the card. (See rule 107.4.) [...]</p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>202.3.</strong> The converted mana cost of an object is a number equal to the total amount of mana in its mana cost, regardless of color.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>So, Volarden Pariah always has a mana cost of {3}{B}{B}, and a converted mana cost of 5.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-01T10:54:35.730Z
Note that this also means your opponent _can't_ cast a madness card with CMC 3, even if the madness cost is different.
Samthere
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-01T14:35:13.560Z
@Samthere Does madness ever cost more than the CMC though?
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-01T15:08:38.170Z
Yes, sometimes. Broken Concentration is a good example.
murgatroid99
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-29T22:03:29.590Z
2016-08-29T22:03:29.590Z
2020-06-17T09:01:24.697Z
murgatroid99
<p>Let's say I have a <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bBrisela%2c%20Voice%20of%20Nightmares%5d">Brisela, Voice of Nightmares</a> and my opponent tries to cast <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bVoldaren%20Pariah%5d">Voldaren Pariah</a> for its madness cost of BBB.</p>

<p>Would the rule in Brisela, "Your opponents can't cast spells with converted mana cost 3 or less" stop my opponent from doing that?</p>

<magic-the-gathering>
Can my opponent play a madness cost of 3 or below if "Brisela, Voice of Nightmares" is in play?
user156516
# Can my opponent play a madness cost of 3 or below if "Brisela, Voice of Nightmares" is in play?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-08-29)

Let's say I have a [Brisela, Voice of Nightmares](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bBrisela%2c%20Voice%20of%20Nightmares%5d) and my opponent tries to cast [Voldaren Pariah](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bVoldaren%20Pariah%5d) for its madness cost of BBB.

Would the rule in Brisela, "Your opponents can't cast spells with converted mana cost 3 or less" stop my opponent from doing that?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-08-29. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

No, Brisela will not prevent your opponent from casting Volarden Pariah for its madness cost.

"Mana cost", and by extension "converted mana cost" specifically refers to the cost printed at the top of the card. The relevant rules are [here](http://mtgsalvation.gamepedia.com/Mana_cost#Rules):

> * **202.1.** A card’s mana cost is indicated by mana symbols near the top of the card. (See rule 107.4.) [...]
> * **202.3.** The converted mana cost of an object is a number equal to the total amount of mana in its mana cost, regardless of color.

So, Volarden Pariah always has a mana cost of {3}{B}{B}, and a converted mana cost of 5.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Note that this also means your opponent _can't_ cast a madness card with CMC 3, even if the madness cost is different.  
> **username_3**: @username_2 Does madness ever cost more than the CMC though?  
> **username_1**: Yes, sometimes. Broken Concentration is a good example.  

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