Shandalar - Program Bugs

Isn't the mana payment required just to put the spell on the stack (i.e. it's already paid before the target is gone)?

[Korath]

No, he means something like this:

1. You control Spiketail Hatchling.
2. AI has two untapped Plains.
3. AI casts Swords to Plowshares, targeting the hatchling.
4. You sac the hatchling to counter the plowshare.
5. The AI taps its second Plains to pay for the hatchling effect, even though his plowshare is going to be countered for not having targets.

The AI actually will always pay for a cost like that, even if it e.g. it has one life and its only mana source is an untapped City of Brass. I knew this would happen when I programmed these effects (and the Force Spike-like effects in general), though I may be able to do something about it now that I couldn't then.

It's no biggie, and that's what I mean.

What IS a biggie is that the AI doesn't seem to pay enough attention to the fact that you have a Spiketail Hatchling on board so it will play counterable spells into them all the time. Getting a bunch early on and abusing this fact in Shandalar can get you a lot of wins currently. Again, if nothing can be done, nothing can be done, but it's quite an exploit in practice.