what is modal?

Asked by YStar27 1 month ago

i am building i Riku of Many Paths commander deck and want to know what is a modal spell? obviously cards like Simic Charm are modal but what about ones like Aether Channeler? also are planeswalkers and other permanents with multiple abilities considered modal becase they do multiple things?

thanks

Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #1

A modal spell is a spell with an effect that says "Choose [some number] - [list of choices]" where you make the modal choices as you cast it. Spells like Simic Charm or Cryptic Command are modal spells. Aether Channeler has a triggered ability with a modal effect, but Aether Channeler itself as a spell is not modal because you don't make any modal choices as you cast it. Similarly, Umezawa's Jitte has an activated ability with a modal effect but the Jitte itself is not a modal spell and Jace, the Mind Sculptor has a bunch of different activated abilities but doesn't have anything modal about it.

April 3, 2024 4:32 p.m.