AI DraftFeb 26, 2026
Basalt Monolith + Power Artifact
Overview
With Power Artifact enchanting Basalt Monolith, Power Artifact reduces activated abilities' generic mana cost by 
but not below one mana, so Basalt Monolith’s "
: Untap this artifact." becomes "
: Untap this artifact." while its "
: Add 
." ability is unchanged because it has no mana component; the loop ": Add ." then ": Untap" can be repeated to generate net + each cycle. The relevant timing and mana-ability rules are and , and the practical confirmation that the Monolith can be untapped repeatedly as you can pay for it is in Ruling [2020-08-07].
but not below one mana, so Basalt Monolith’s ": Untap this artifact." becomes ": Untap this artifact." while its ": Add ." ability is unchanged because it has no mana component; the loop ": Add ." then ": Untap" can be repeated to generate net + each cycle. The relevant timing and mana-ability rules are and , and the practical confirmation that the Monolith can be untapped repeatedly as you can pay for it is in Ruling [2020-08-07].Step 1
Ensure Power Artifact is enchanting Basalt Monolith so its continuous cost-reduction effect applies to the Monolith's activated abilities.
Step 2
Basalt Monolith’s two activated abilities are ": Add ." and ": Untap this artifact." (activated abilities are identified by the colon) [2016-06-08].
: Add ." and ": Untap this artifact." (activated abilities are identified by the colon) [2016-06-08].Step 3
Power Artifact reduces the generic mana part of activated ability costs by , but it can’t reduce a mana component below one generic mana; therefore Basalt Monolith’s ": Untap" becomes ": Untap" [2004-10-04].
, but it can’t reduce a mana component below one generic mana; therefore Basalt Monolith’s ": Untap" becomes ": Untap" [2004-10-04].Step 4
The ": Add ." ability has no mana component, so Power Artifact does not change its activation cost (it still requires tapping) [2004-10-04].
: Add ." ability has no mana component, so Power Artifact does not change its activation cost (it still requires tapping) [2004-10-04].Step 5
Activate ": Add ." — that is a mana ability which resolves immediately and adds three colorless to your mana pool .
: Add ." — that is a mana ability which resolves immediately and adds three colorless to your mana pool .Step 6
With priority after the mana ability, pay from your mana pool to activate ": Untap this artifact." That activated ability goes on the stack (it is not a mana ability) and will resolve normally, untapping the Monolith when it resolves .
from your mana pool to activate ": Untap this artifact." That activated ability goes on the stack (it is not a mana ability) and will resolve normally, untapping the Monolith when it resolves .Step 7
When the untap ability resolves the Monolith becomes untapped; you can then activate the tap-for-mana ability again and repeat the sequence. Each cycle adds then costs to untap, yielding net + per cycle, and can be repeated as long as you can pay for the untap activation and nothing interrupts the loop Ruling [2020-08-07].
then costs to untap, yielding net + per cycle, and can be repeated as long as you can pay for the untap activation and nothing interrupts the loop Ruling [2020-08-07].Resolution
Power Artifact reduces Basalt Monolith’s untap activation cost to (it can’t be reduced below one mana) and does not affect the : Add ability because that ability has no mana component; you can tap for (a mana ability that resolves immediately) and then pay to activate the untap ability and repeat, producing net + per cycle -- effectively generating unbounded colorless mana if you can repeat without interruption Ruling [2020-08-07].
untap activation cost to (it can’t be reduced below one mana) and does not affect the : Add ability because that ability has no mana component; you can tap for (a mana ability that resolves immediately) and then pay to activate the untap ability and repeat, producing net + per cycle -- effectively generating unbounded colorless mana if you can repeat without interruption Ruling [2020-08-07].Feedback