Advanced Systems
Repeat and New Choices
Pay each separate Repeat cost once, announce the order of your choices, and distinguish repeated instructions from changing choices later.
Guide overview
What you’ll learn
- Pay each separate Repeat instance at most once.
- Declare the ordered play-time choices for every execution.
- Repeat adds resolution instructions, not another play event.
Guide content
Understand the concept
RepeatAn optional additional cost on a spell or ability. Paying it once adds one more execution of that item's resolution instructions. Choices for each execution are made at their usual times.View in Glossary makes one spell or ability carry out its instructions additional times during resolution. It does not play that spell or ability again. Choose the optional costs and the choices for each execution at their normal times, then carry out the executions in the declared order. A later effect that makes new choices is a separate operation with its own limits.
One payment opportunity per Repeat instance
Each separate Repeat keyword supplies an optional Additional CostA payment added to a card or ability's base cost. Mandatory additional costs must be paid; optional ones become part of the payment when you choose them. A chosen optional additional cost reduced to 0 still counts as paid.View in Glossary : a payment you may choose on top of the normal cost. Pay that instance at most once. If the item has two separate Repeat instances, choose independently whether to pay each. One paid instance gives two executions in total; two paid instances give three.
Example - A spell has Repeat 2 Energy and a separate Repeat 1 Power. Paying neither gives one execution. Paying either gives two. Paying both gives three. You cannot pay the same Repeat 2 Energy repeatedly for unlimited executions. These are additional costs, not new base costs, and are not refunded if the spell is Counter (Cancel)To stop a card or ability on the chain from executing. Paid costs remain paid; a countered card normally goes to its owner's Trash. A countered finalized card can still satisfy Legion.View in Glossary .
Different modes and targets, declared in advance
Make the choices normally made during play for each execution during the relevant choice step. They can differ. State the order as well as the ModeAn option in a spell or ability's bulleted choice list. Choose the permitted mode or modes when putting it on the Chain, rather than waiting for it to resolve.View in Glossary , the options in a spell’s choice list, and TargetA specific object, player or zone chosen by a spell or ability under the targeting rules. Check legality when choosing and when resolving. Costs, automatic groups and explicit "pick" choices do not target; pending Chain items cannot be targeted.View in Glossary , since the first execution can change the board for the next. Choices normally made during resolution still happen during resolution.
Rocket Barrage can deal 4 to a unit in a Base or Kill a gear. Pay its Repeat cost and choose damage to unit A first, then Kill gear B. Both choices are declared while playing it. Or choose Kill gear twice with two legal gear targets, stating which is first. Resolution follows that chosen order; it is not two separate spells.
Card example
Rocket Barrage
Repeat allows separate mode and target choices for the ordered extra execution.
Spell
Rocket Barrage
[Repeat] [Energy 4] [Mind] (You may pay the additional cost to repeat this spell's effect, and may make different choices.) Choose one —
- Deal 4 to a unit in a base.
- Kill a gear.
Repeat repeats resolution, not the whole play procedure
Execute the first set of resolution instructions, then the next. Those actions can create Triggered AbilityAn ability started by a stated event or time, usually introduced by "when" or "at." It goes on the Chain when its condition is met.View in Glossary , which happen when a specified event occurs. Process them through the normal ChainAn off-board zone that holds cards and abilities during the process of playing them. Cards and abilities on it are public information.View in Glossary procedure. Other players do not receive a new ordinary response window merely because the first Repeat execution finished inside the same resolving item.
Instructions saying “as you play” are not repeated during resolution. An additional cost paid while playing the spell is not paid again for each execution. A successfully resolving repeated spell is still one play event for when-you-play abilities. Its targeting choices can still contribute separately to targeting effects; do not treat its extra targets as unchosen.
New choices remake the whole eligible set
An effect allowing new choices covers targets, modes, play locations and destinations as permitted. Remake every eligible choice legally. You may make exactly the same choices again. It does not reopen optional additional-cost decisions or choices made as the item was played, so you cannot add Repeat after seeing an execution fail.
If the permission is optional, you may decline it and retain the old choices, even if some are now illegal. If you use it, all resulting choices must be legal. A targeting ability can trigger again even for the same target. New costs to play, such as Deflect, are ignored because the item is already finalized.
Example - Your spell targets A and B. A becomes illegal, while B remains legal. An effect lets you make new choices. Choose legal C instead of A and choose B again: both target choices have been remade. You may reuse B because it is still legal; you cannot reuse A.
Keep in mind
Key points
- Pay each separate Repeat instance at most once.
- Declare the ordered play-time choices for every execution.
- Repeat adds resolution instructions, not another play event.
- New choices can trigger targeting effects, but do not reopen optional costs.