The Battlefield

Basalt Monolith

$4.03

Rings of Brighthearth

$4.90

AI DraftFeb 26, 2026

Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth

Overview

Rings of Brighthearth can copy Basalt Monolith’s {3}

: Untap this artifact activated ability because that ability is not a mana ability, but Rings cannot copy Basalt Monolith’s {T}

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because that is a mana ability (Rings’ oracle text). You activate Basalt Monolith’s {3}

: Untap this artifact, may pay {2}

for Rings to copy it, and the copy and original will be put on the stack (Rings’ oracle text). Note that you cannot activate abilities during the untap step because no player receives priority during the untap step .

Step 1

Start with Basalt Monolith and Rings of Brighthearth on the battlefield under your control; assume you have priority (for example, during your main phase).

Step 2

Basalt Monolith’s {T}

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is a mana ability (it produces mana); Rings of Brighthearth’s ability triggers only when you activate an ability that isn't a mana ability, so Rings cannot copy the Monolith’s {T}

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(see the card texts).

Step 3

Activate Basalt Monolith’s {3}

: Untap this artifact by paying {3}

. That activation is not a mana ability, so Rings’ replacement/trigger opportunity applies (Rings’ oracle text).

Step 4

When you activate the {3}

: Untap ability, you may pay {2}

to Rings of Brighthearth. If you do, Rings creates a copy of the activated ability and the copy is put onto the stack (Rings’ oracle text).

Step 5

The copy and the original activated ability will be on the stack. The copy resolves (untapping the Monolith if it is tapped) and then the original resolves (untapping it again if necessary).

Step 6

You can repeat the process as long as you can pay the required costs; this is why Basalt Monolith’s untap ability can be used repeatedly if you can pay for it [Ruling 2020-08-07].

Resolution

You may copy Basalt Monolith’s {3}

: Untap this artifact with Rings of Brighthearth (Rings won’t copy the {T}

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mana ability). When you activate the {3}

: Untap ability you may pay {2}

for Rings; if you do a copy of that untap ability is created and put on the stack (per Rings’ oracle text). The copy resolves and untaps Basalt Monolith, then the original resolves (or vice versa depending on stack ordering), and you can repeat as long as you can pay the required costs. If paying the activation cost includes sacrificing Rings of Brighthearth (so Rings is not on the battlefield at the moment the ability is considered activated), Rings will not copy the activated ability [Ruling 2020-11-10]. Also note the official observation that Basalt Monolith’s untap ability can untap it as often as you can pay for it, enabling unbounded loops if other pieces permit [Ruling 2020-08-07].

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