<p>You must pay additional costs separately, so you would still have to pay {1} for Sphere of Resistance.</p>

<p>Casting without paying is an alternate cost:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>117.9. Some spells have alternative costs. An alternative cost is a cost listed in a spell's text, or applied to it from another effect, that its controller may pay rather than paying the spell's mana cost. Alternative costs are usually phrased, "You may [action] rather than pay [this object's] mana cost," or "<strong>You may cast [this object] without paying its mana cost.</strong>" Note that some alternative costs are listed in keywords; see rule 702.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Additional costs are added separately from alternate costs:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>117.9d If an alternative cost is being paid to cast a spell, any additional costs, cost increases, and cost reductions that affect that spell are applied to that alternative cost. (See rule 601.2f.)</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-30T19:09:00.020Z
Ah, so "cast without paying mana cost" falls into an alternate cost type, treated as 0?
The Man
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-30T19:12:08.957Z
@ShadowZ. Right; it's something that you can pay rather than paying the normal cost. It just happens to be that "nothing" is what you pay.
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-31T16:18:55.283Z
Look at a spell like Fling, the spell does not work if you don't pay the additional cost, since the sacrificed creature sets a value in the effect.
Andrew
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-30T19:07:09.967Z
2019-01-30T19:07:09.967Z
GendoIkari
<p>Cards with cascade like <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bMaelstrom%20Wanderer%5d">Maelstrom Wanderer</a> say "...You may cast it without paying it's mana cost." Does this include mana costs added from sources like <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bSphere%20of%20Resistance%5d">Sphere of Resistance</a>, or would it always be cast for free, regardless of additional costs? </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-31T14:30:34.260Z
This is an alternative cost, and Total cost = (Mana cost or alternative cost) + (additional costs and cost increases) - (cost reductions)
ikegami
<magic-the-gathering>
How does "casting without paying mana cost" work with additional costs?
The Man
# How does "casting without paying mana cost" work with additional costs?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-01-30)

Cards with cascade like [Maelstrom Wanderer](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bMaelstrom%20Wanderer%5d) say "...You may cast it without paying it's mana cost." Does this include mana costs added from sources like [Sphere of Resistance](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bSphere%20of%20Resistance%5d), or would it always be cast for free, regardless of additional costs?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This is an alternative cost, and Total cost = (Mana cost or alternative cost) + (additional costs and cost increases) - (cost reductions)  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-01-30. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

You must pay additional costs separately, so you would still have to pay {1} for Sphere of Resistance.

Casting without paying is an alternate cost:

> 117.9. Some spells have alternative costs. An alternative cost is a cost listed in a spell's text, or applied to it from another effect, that its controller may pay rather than paying the spell's mana cost. Alternative costs are usually phrased, "You may [action] rather than pay [this object's] mana cost," or "**You may cast [this object] without paying its mana cost.**" Note that some alternative costs are listed in keywords; see rule 702.

Additional costs are added separately from alternate costs:

> 117.9d If an alternative cost is being paid to cast a spell, any additional costs, cost increases, and cost reductions that affect that spell are applied to that alternative cost. (See rule 601.2f.)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Ah, so "cast without paying mana cost" falls into an alternate cost type, treated as 0?  
> **username_2**: @ShadowZ. Right; it's something that you can pay rather than paying the normal cost. It just happens to be that "nothing" is what you pay.  
> **username_3**: Look at a spell like Fling, the spell does not work if you don't pay the additional cost, since the sacrificed creature sets a value in the effect.  

---

