The Battlefield

Basalt Monolith
Power Artifact
AI DraftFeb 26, 2026

Basalt Monolith + Power Artifact

Overview
With Power Artifact enchanting Basalt Monolith, Power Artifact reduces activated abilities' generic mana cost by {2} but not below one mana, so Basalt Monolith’s "{3}: Untap this artifact." becomes "{1}: Untap this artifact." while its "{T}: Add {C}{C}{C}." ability is unchanged because it has no mana component; the loop "{T}: Add {C}{C}{C}." then "{1}: Untap" can be repeated to generate net +{C}{C} 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 "{T}: Add {C}{C}{C}." and "{3}: 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 {2}, but it can’t reduce a mana component below one generic mana; therefore Basalt Monolith’s "{3}: Untap" becomes "{1}: Untap" [2004-10-04].
Step 4
The "{T}: Add {C}{C}{C}." ability has no mana component, so Power Artifact does not change its activation cost (it still requires tapping) [2004-10-04].
Step 5
Activate "{T}: Add {C}{C}{C}." — 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 {1} from your mana pool to activate "{1}: 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 {C}{C}{C} then costs {1} to untap, yielding net +{C}{C} 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 {3} untap activation cost to {1} (it can’t be reduced below one mana) and does not affect the {T}: Add {C}{C}{C} ability because that ability has no mana component; you can tap for {C}{C}{C} (a mana ability that resolves immediately) and then pay {1} to activate the untap ability and repeat, producing net +{C}{C} per cycle -- effectively generating unbounded colorless mana if you can repeat without interruption Ruling [2020-08-07].
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