Can I activate Mantis Tenkinja when I play a 0 cost event?

On 2/14/2019 at 1:03 PM, Bayushi Shunsuke said:

Can I activate Mantis Tenkinja when I play a 0 cost event?

No, you cannot reduce the cost of a 0 cost card.

[Tyler Parrott, Feb 9 2019]

Followup Question

What exactly stops you from using a Mantis Tenkinja on a 0 cost event? It seems to be a modifier (like Ageless Crone and Utaku Tetsuko) and the rules on modifiers states:

“A quantity cannot be reduced so that it functions with a value below zero: a card cannot have negative icons, political or military skill, glory, traits, cost, or keywords. Negative modifiers that would take a value below zero can be applied, but, after all active modifiers have been applied, any resultant value below zero is treated as zero.”

The end result may still be 0 but this suggests I can apply the modifier anyway. As a related example, I believe I’m allowed to use Sinister Soshi on an Eager Scout or play Banzai on a dishonoured Shiba Tsukune even though the character was 0 skill before and is still 0 skill afterwards.

Followup Answer

Your read here is correct. You should be able to apply a modifier to a 0-cost event for the reasons you have listed.

1) If I have 2 fate and a Mantis Tenkinja in play, am I allowed to attempt.to play A Fate Worse Than Death, trigger the Tenkinja before step 1, then fail to pay costs in step 2 while still having activated the Tenkinja?

2) If I have 3 fate in a similar situation, am I forced to use the Tenkinja?

3) If I have 1 more honour than my opponent am I allowed to trigger the Tenkinja while playing Subdue the Spirits?

Tenkinja triggers as an interrupt to step 2, after play restrictions have been determined.

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1) If I have 2 fate and a Mantis Tenkinja in play, am I allowed to attempt.to play A Fate Worse Than Death, trigger the Tenkinja before step 1, then fail to pay costs in step 2 while still having activated the Tenkinja?

If you trigger Tenkinja with 2 fate attempting to play AFWTD, you will lose 1 honor and then the event will fail to be played during step 2.

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2) If I have 3 fate in a similar situation, am I forced to use the Tenkinja?

If you trigger Tenkinja with 3 fate attempting to play AFWTD, you will lose 1 honor and successfully play the event.
a. If you attempt to play AFWTD but do not trigger Tenkinja, the event will fail to be played during step 2.

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3) If I have 1 more honour than my opponent am I allowed to trigger the Tenkinja while playing Subdue the Spirits?

If you trigger Tenkinja with 2 fate and 1 honor more than your opponent, you will lose 1 honor and the event will fail to be played during step 1.

[Tyler Parrott, Feb 9 2019]