AI DraftFeb 26, 2026
Forensic Gadgeteer + Foundry Inspector + Sensei's Divining Top + Urza, Lord High Artificer
Overview
Foundry Inspector makes artifact spells you cast cost 
less, so casting Sensei's Divining Top from your hand is reduced from to 
(cost reductions are applied when determining a spell's total cost) and Forensic Gadgeteer will trigger “whenever you cast an artifact spell” when you cast Top . When that artifact spell resolves, it enters the battlefield under your control . If Urza, Lord High Artificer’s 
ability lets you play the card “without paying its mana cost,” you may cast Top without paying its mana cost (you can’t choose alternative costs when doing so) and Forensic still triggers because you are casting an artifact spell [Ruling 2022-12-08] . Forensic Gadgeteer’s static ability that makes activated abilities of artifacts you control cost less applies only to activated abilities of artifact permanents you control on the battlefield and cannot reduce the mana portion of an activation to less than one mana, so it will not make Sensei’s Divining Top’s ability cost , and it does not affect non-artifact abilities such as Urza’s tap-to-add-U ability (Urza’s ability is on a creature) [Ruling 2024-02-02].
less, so casting Sensei's Divining Top from your hand is reduced from to (cost reductions are applied when determining a spell's total cost) and Forensic Gadgeteer will trigger “whenever you cast an artifact spell” when you cast Top . When that artifact spell resolves, it enters the battlefield under your control . If Urza, Lord High Artificer’s ability lets you play the card “without paying its mana cost,” you may cast Top without paying its mana cost (you can’t choose alternative costs when doing so) and Forensic still triggers because you are casting an artifact spell [Ruling 2022-12-08] . Forensic Gadgeteer’s static ability that makes activated abilities of artifacts you control cost less applies only to activated abilities of artifact permanents you control on the battlefield and cannot reduce the mana portion of an activation to less than one mana, so it will not make Sensei’s Divining Top’s ability cost , and it does not affect non-artifact abilities such as Urza’s tap-to-add-U ability (Urza’s ability is on a creature) [Ruling 2024-02-02].Step 1
Casting Sensei's Divining Top from your hand with Foundry Inspector and Forensic Gadgeteer on the battlefield: Announce casting Top and move the card to the stack; during cost calculation Foundry Inspector reduces Top's mana cost by so its mana component becomes and the spell is cast . After the spell is cast and while it’s on the stack, Forensic Gadgeteer’s triggered ability (“Whenever you cast an artifact spell, investigate.”) triggers because you cast an artifact spell . The stack resolves; when Top resolves it enters the battlefield under your control , and the Investigate trigger resolves to create a Clue token.
so its mana component becomes and the spell is cast . After the spell is cast and while it’s on the stack, Forensic Gadgeteer’s triggered ability (“Whenever you cast an artifact spell, investigate.”) triggers because you cast an artifact spell . The stack resolves; when Top resolves it enters the battlefield under your control , and the Investigate trigger resolves to create a Clue token.Step 2
Casting/playing Sensei's Divining Top via Urza, Lord High Artificer’s ability: Urza’s ability exiles the top card and allows you to play that card "without paying its mana cost." If that card is Top and you choose to play it, you are casting it without paying its mana cost (you may still pay mandatory additional costs) and you cannot choose to pay alternate costs for it [Ruling 2022-12-08]; because you are casting an artifact spell, Forensic Gadgeteer’s "whenever you cast an artifact spell" ability triggers . Foundry Inspector’s static reduction doesn't make you pay mana for the top because Urza's effect specifically lets you play the card without paying its mana cost [Ruling 2022-12-08]. When the spell resolves, Top enters the battlefield and the Investigate trigger created earlier resolves to make a Clue.
ability: Urza’s ability exiles the top card and allows you to play that card "without paying its mana cost." If that card is Top and you choose to play it, you are casting it without paying its mana cost (you may still pay mandatory additional costs) and you cannot choose to pay alternate costs for it [Ruling 2022-12-08]; because you are casting an artifact spell, Forensic Gadgeteer’s "whenever you cast an artifact spell" ability triggers . Foundry Inspector’s static reduction doesn't make you pay mana for the top because Urza's effect specifically lets you play the card without paying its mana cost [Ruling 2022-12-08]. When the spell resolves, Top enters the battlefield and the Investigate trigger created earlier resolves to make a Clue.Step 3
Using Sensei's Divining Top's activated abilities while you control Forensic Gadgeteer: Top has a : look at top three ability and a 
: draw and put on top ability. Forensic Gadgeteer's cost-reduction applies only to activated abilities of artifact permanents you control on the battlefield and reduces the mana portion by but cannot reduce that mana portion below one, so Top's ability is not reduced to (it stays ) and Top's ability has no mana portion to reduce and is therefore unaffected by Forensic [Ruling 2024-02-02].
: look at top three ability and a : draw and put on top ability. Forensic Gadgeteer's cost-reduction applies only to activated abilities of artifact permanents you control on the battlefield and reduces the mana portion by but cannot reduce that mana portion below one, so Top's ability is not reduced to (it stays ) and Top's ability has no mana portion to reduce and is therefore unaffected by Forensic [Ruling 2024-02-02].Step 4
Using Urza’s "Tap an untapped artifact you control: Add 
." ability: That is an activated ability printed on Urza, a creature, not an activated ability of an artifact permanent, so Forensic Gadgeteer’s static ability does not apply to Urza’s ability (Forensic only affects activated abilities of artifacts you control) [Ruling 2024-02-02].
." ability: That is an activated ability printed on Urza, a creature, not an activated ability of an artifact permanent, so Forensic Gadgeteer’s static ability does not apply to Urza’s ability (Forensic only affects activated abilities of artifacts you control) [Ruling 2024-02-02].Resolution
If you cast Sensei’s Divining Top from your hand while Foundry Inspector is on the battlefield, its mana cost is reduced by to (you still go through the normal casting steps) and Forensic Gadgeteer’s triggered ability will trigger because you cast an artifact spell ; the Top then enters the battlefield when the spell resolves . If instead Urza’s ability lets you play the exiled Top without paying its mana cost, you cast it without paying mana (you can’t choose alternate costs) and Forensic still triggers because you cast an artifact spell, but Foundry Inspector’s cost-reduction effect doesn’t change the fact you aren’t paying the mana cost in that case [Ruling 2022-12-08] . Forensic’s reduction of artifact activated abilities only affects artifact permanents you control on the battlefield and can’t reduce the mana portion of an activation below one, so it won’t make Top’s ability free and it won’t affect Urza’s creature ability [Ruling 2024-02-02].
to (you still go through the normal casting steps) and Forensic Gadgeteer’s triggered ability will trigger because you cast an artifact spell ; the Top then enters the battlefield when the spell resolves . If instead Urza’s ability lets you play the exiled Top without paying its mana cost, you cast it without paying mana (you can’t choose alternate costs) and Forensic still triggers because you cast an artifact spell, but Foundry Inspector’s cost-reduction effect doesn’t change the fact you aren’t paying the mana cost in that case [Ruling 2022-12-08] . Forensic’s reduction of artifact activated abilities only affects artifact permanents you control on the battlefield and can’t reduce the mana portion of an activation below one, so it won’t make Top’s ability free and it won’t affect Urza’s creature ability [Ruling 2024-02-02].Feedback