The Battlefield

Aether Refinery
Automated Assembly Line
Gonti's Aether Heart
AI DraftFeb 26, 2026

Aether Refinery + Automated Assembly Line + Gonti's Aether Heart

Overview
Aether Refinery’s replacement effect doubles any event that would give you one or more {E}, so: Automated Assembly Line’s triggered “you get {E}” will give you 2 {E} when that trigger resolves, Gonti’s Aether Heart’s enter-the-battlefield trigger that gives {E}{E} will give you 4 {E} when it resolves, and Aether Refinery’s own activated ability’s initial “You get {E}” is doubled to 2 {E} as it resolves; you then may pay one or more {E} as part of that same ability resolution to create an X/X token (see Ruling [2024-06-07] and Ruling [2024-03-08]).
Step 1
Automated Assembly Line deals combat damage and its triggered ability (“Whenever one or more artifact creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, you get {E}.”) is put on the stack; when that triggered ability resolves you will get {E} as part of its effect and the event of gaining that {E} is subject to Aether Refinery’s replacement effect so you receive 2 {E} instead (Ruling [2024-06-07]).
Step 2
Gonti’s Aether Heart enters the battlefield and its triggered ability (“Whenever Gonti’s Aether Heart or another artifact you control enters, you get {E}{E}.”) is put on the stack; when that trigger resolves you would get {E}{E}, and Aether Refinery doubles that event so you receive 4 {E} instead (Ruling [2024-06-07]).
Step 3
To use Aether Refinery’s activated ability you activate it (announce activation and tap it as the activation cost) and put the ability on the stack ; when that ability resolves it does its steps in order: first “You get {E}” resolves and Aether Refinery’s replacement effect doubles that gain so you get 2 {E} instead, then you may pay one or more {E} as part of the same ability resolution; if you choose to pay N {E} (you cannot pay more than you have) you lose those N counters and create an N/N black Aetherborn token as the final part of the ability resolution (Ruling [2024-03-08]; Ruling [2024-06-07]).
Step 4
If you activate Automated Assembly Line’s Pay {E}{E}{E} ability to make a 3/3 Robot, you must pay three energy counters (losing them); Aether Refinery’s replacement effect only changes how many you get, not how many you pay, so the cost to activate Assembly Line’s ability remains three {E} that you must have and pay (lose) when activating (Ruling [2024-03-08]).
Resolution
When any ability or effect tells you “you get {E}” or “you get {E}{E}”, Aether Refinery’s replacement effect applies to the event of getting energy and doubles the number of energy counters you will receive. Concretely: Automated Assembly Line’s trigger that gives you {E} will give you 2 {E} when that trigger resolves; Gonti’s Aether Heart’s trigger that gives you {E}{E} will give you 4 {E} when that trigger resolves; activating Aether Refinery’s {T} ability will give you 2 {E} (instead of 1) as the first part of that ability resolving, and then you may pay one or more {E} (up to the energy you have) as the second part of that same ability resolution to create an X/X token equal to the amount you paid (Ruling [2024-06-07]; Ruling [2024-03-08]).
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