Cipher, Targeting

[Rigeld]

Edit: misread.

[Kaleo42]

OK FINAL AUTHORITY ON THIS.

If your cipher spell cant resolve it's effect it can NOT cipher. Cipher is part of the greater spell and the spell as a whole can NOT resolve WITHOUT a TARGET. It does not matter how many indent's or spaces you put between the TWO ABILITIES on ONE SPELL, if the spell CAN'T RESOLVE then ALL of it's ABILITIES CAN'T RESOLVE.

For Cipher spells that say the word "target" anywhere one them, if the target is removed, the whole spell goes to the graveyard without doing any effect when it comes time to resolve.

NO TARGET=NO CIPHER

RESOLVED!

You make it sound like the spell itself is countered if you can't cipher, which isn't true.

That is because it is true. {Vapor Snag} doesnt make the player lose a life if it can't successfully boince it's target. {Volt Charge} does not proliferate if it loses it's target and cant resolve the first ability. {Sundering growth} does not populate if it's target becomes an illegal target by the time it would resolve (indestructability would not stop the effect, hexproof would).

Edit: Volt charge ruling-

Rulings

6/1/2011   If the creature or player is an illegal target when Volt Charge tries to resolve, it will be countered and none of its effects will happen. You won't proliferate.

EDIT 2: no the spell isnt counted due to an inability to cipher, the reverse is true though cipher is countered do to an inability to spell (cast and resolve).

Also when it comes time to resolve the spell SUCESSFULLY and you choose you encode on a creature your opponent may not say "in response I..." They can however just kill it te next time they have priority.

[Keyeto]

I think prayos thought it sounded like, "If you cannot encode a creature, the entire spell is countered". Unless I'm misunderstanding prayos' comment. This wouldn't be true, since Cipher is an optional thing; you don't have to encode something to cast the spell.

[Kaleo42]

I think prayos thought it sounded like, "If you cannot encode a creature, the entire spell is countered". Unless I'm misunderstanding prayos' comment. This wouldn't be true, since Cipher is an optional thing; you don't have to encode something to cast the spell.

Thanks, I caught that after and edited my statement

[prayos]

I think prayos thought it sounded like, "If you cannot encode a creature, the entire spell is countered". Unless I'm misunderstanding prayos' comment. This wouldn't be true, since Cipher is an optional thing; you don't have to encode something to cast the spell.

Thanks, I caught that after and edited my statement

Right.  Initially he made it sound as if the spell itself would be countered if you weren't able to cipher.  I knew you couldn't cipher if the spell were to be countered.