Nocturnal Hunger
Instant
Card text
Gift a Food (You may promise an opponent a gift as you cast this spell. If you do, they create a Food token before its other effects. It's an artifact with ",
, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.")
Destroy target creature. If the gift wasn't promised, you lose 2 life.
Showing Bloomburrow#102
Price
0.12 $
Foil 0.27 $
6 printings
Daily estimate from Scryfall, not a shop quote.
Nocturnal Hunger rulings
Food is an artifact type. Even though it appears on some creatures, it's never a creature type.
You can't sacrifice a Food to pay multiple costs. For example, you can't sacrifice a Food token to activate its own ability and also to activate Maraleaf Rider's ability.
Whatever you do, don't eat the delicious cards.
If a spell for which the gift was promised is countered, doesn't resolve (perhaps because all of its targets are illegal), or is otherwise removed from the stack, the gift won't be given. None of its other effects will happen either.
You can't pay a gift cost more than once.
As an additional cost to cast a spell with gift, you can promise the listed gift to an opponent. That opponent is chosen as part of that additional cost. The gift isn't given at this time; rather, it's given at a later time based on whether or not the spell is a permanent spell.
Some instant or sorcery spells require alternative or additional targets if the gift was promised. You ignore these targeting requirements if the gifts aren't promised for those spells. On the other hand, you can promise a gift for a permanent spell even if you won't be able to choose targets for an enters ability of that permanent once the spell resolves.
In the main set, there are four different kinds of gifts. "Gift a Food" causes the chosen opponent to create a Food token, while "Gift a Treasure" causes the chosen opponent to create a Treasure token. "Gift a card" causes them to draw a card, and "Gift a tapped Fish" causes them to create a tapped 1/1 blue Fish creature token. The Commander decks contain two more kinds of gifts: "Gift an Octopus," which causes the chosen opponent to create an 8/8 blue Octopus creature token, and "Gift an extra turn," which causes them to take an extra turn after the current turn ends.
If you copy a spell for which the gift was promised, the gift was also promised to the same opponent for the copy. If a card or token enters as a copy of a permanent that's already on the battlefield, the gift isn't promised for that new permanent, even if it was promised for the original.
For permanent spells with gift, an ability triggers when that permanent enters if the gift was promised. When that ability resolves, the gift is given to the appropriate opponent.
For instants and sorceries with gift, the gift is given to the appropriate opponent as part of the resolution of the spell. This happens before any of the spell's other effects would take place.
Nocturnal Hunger keyword rules
Gift Rule 702.174
Gift is a keyword that represents two abilities. It is written “Gift a [something].” The first ability is a static ability that functions while the card with gift is on the stack, and the second is either a static ability that functions while the card with gift is on the stack or a triggered ability that functions while the card with gift is on the battlefield. The first ability is always “As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may choose an opponent.” Paying a spell’s gift cost follows the rules for paying additional costs in rules and –h. The second ability depends on the [something] listed as well as whether the object with the ability is a permanent or an instant or sorcery spell.
On a permanent, the second ability represented by gift is “When this permanent enters, if its gift cost was paid, [effect].” On an instant or sorcery spell, the second ability represented by gift is “If this spell’s gift cost was paid, [effect].” The specific effect is defined by the [something] listed.
Some effects trigger whenever a player gives a gift. Such an ability triggers whenever an instant or sorcery spell that player controls whose gift cost was paid resolves. It also triggers whenever the gift triggered ability of a permanent that player controls resolves.
“Gift a Food” means the effect is “The chosen player creates a Food token.”
“Gift a card” means the effect is “The chosen player draws a card.”
“Gift a tapped Fish” means the effect is “The chosen player creates a tapped 1/1 blue Fish creature token.”
“Gift an extra turn” means the effect is “The chosen player takes an extra turn after this one.”
“Gift a Treasure” means the effect is “The chosen player creates a Treasure token.”
“Gift an Octopus” means the effect is “The chosen player creates an 8/8 blue Octopus creature token.”
For instant and sorcery spells, the effect of a gift ability always happens before any other spell abilities of the card. If the spell is countered or otherwise leaves the stack before resolving, the gift effect doesn’t happen.
If a spell’s controller declares the intention to pay a spell’s gift cost, that spell’s gift was promised.
If part of a spell’s ability has its effect only if its gift was promised, and that part of the ability includes any targets, the spell’s controller chooses those targets only if the gift was promised.
Nocturnal Hunger format legality
Constructed
- StandardLegal
- PioneerLegal
- ModernLegal
- Future StandardLegal
Eternal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- PauperLegal
- PremodernNot legal
- Old SchoolNot legal
- Penny DreadfulNot legal
Commander
- CommanderLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
- Pauper CommanderLegal
- Duel CommanderLegal
- PreDHNot legal
Arena & online
- HistoricLegal
- TimelessLegal
- AlchemyLegal
- GladiatorLegal
- BrawlLegal
- Standard BrawlLegal
- Competitive BrawlLegal
Other
- TLRLegal
All printings of Nocturnal Hunger 6
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