Simultaneous Payment and Effect

Do you think that VTES should have the payment of a card's cost happen in exactly the same timeframe as the resolution of its effect?

This basically refers to how you believe "CRR II.C.3" should be read.

Note: If this was changed it would affect current rulings on cards such as Villein, Minion Tap and Eternals of Sirius.

CRRII.C
Pay cost and resolve effect (unless canceled in step B).
NOTE:When there are several options to pay the cost of a card, the Methuselah playing the card must announce, as part of the terms of the card, how other cards will be used to pay for the cost. For instance, a Ravnos playing an Embrace while Ravnos Carnival is in play must announce how much blood from the Carnival will be used to pay for the Embrace. Similarly, when using Travis “Traveler72” Miller’s built-in action, the Methuselah must announce which conviction card will be used to pay for the cost (if Travis has more than one kind).

[Parts 1 and 2 snipped]

3. For all other cards, pay cost to resolve effect immediately.
a. Pay cost.
b. Resolve effect.
c. Action modifiers and reaction cards that may be put in play depending on the success of the action (or of a block attempt) are "in limbo" until that is determined. [RTR]

For my own mind, given the three clear steps in the CRR, it seems clear that payment should occur and be completed before resolving the effect. However, once an effect has been paid for, it cannot be prevented from occuring. (e.g. if you are going to cancel a card it must occur before payment is made BUT cancelling the EFFECT of a card merely renders its cardtext ineffective).

The other way of interpreting this is: The first two steps are concurrent in time (they both must happen at the same time an cannot happen before or after the other). This is the current state of the rulings.


I object to this logic purely on the standard rulings for "Pay X to do Y" and the separation of Pay Cost and Resolve Effect.