Training Grounds

06/15/10

Training Grounds can reduce the amount you pay for a creature’s activated ability cost that includes . For example, Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief has an activated ability that costs . If you control Training Grounds and you activate the ability with X equal to 5, you’ll have to pay only . This is true even if the ability states that must be paid with a certain color of mana, as Crimson Hellkite’s ability does.

06/15/10

Training Grounds takes the total cost to activate a creature’s activated ability into account, not just the cost printed on it. For example, Furnace Spirit has an activated ability that costs , and Suppression Field says “Activated abilities cost more to activate unless they’re mana abilities.” Since activating Furnace Spirit’s activated ability would now cost , Training Grounds reduces that cost back to .

06/15/10

Training Grounds won’t affect a cost that isn’t the cost to activate a creature’s activated ability. For example, it won’t affect Flameblast Dragon’s cost, since that’s a cost paid when a triggered ability resolves, and it won’t affect a kicker cost, since that’s an additional cost to cast a spell. Activated ability costs appear before a colon (:) in a card’s rules text, or, in the case of some keywords, before a colon in reminder text.

06/15/10

Training Grounds won’t affect the part of an activation cost represented by colored mana symbols or snow mana symbols. It also won’t affect nonmana parts of an activation cost, if there are any.