Sigh...Sunburst Cards and Mycosynth Latice

[LotusHead]

I was told that Sunburst cards LOVE Mycosynth Lattice because you can use any mana as if it were Colored mana.

The situation involed (you guessed it) a Mycosynth Lattice in play and me wanting to play a Pentad Prism (I intenitionally did not tell you what kind of mana I paid for the Prism).

What's the verdict? Inquiring Pentad Prisms want to know.

[Matt]

The relevant info:

Mycosynth Lattice

Artifact
All permanents are artifacts in addition to their other types.
All cards that aren't in play, spells, and permanents are colorless.
Players may spend mana as though it were mana of any color.

Pentad Prism

Artifact
Sunburst (This comes into play with a charge counter on it for each color of mana used to pay its cost.)
Remove a charge counter from Pentad Prism: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

502.37a Sunburst is a static ability that functions as a spell is resolving. "Sunburst" means "If this spell is a creature spell, it comes into play with a +1/+1 counter on it for each color of mana used to pay its cost. If this spell is a noncreature spell, it comes into play with a charge counter on it for each color of mana used to pay its cost."

502.37b Sunburst applies only as the spell is resolving and only if one or more colored mana was paid for its costs. Mana paid for additional or alternative costs applies.

I believe (but am not 100% sure) that using mana as any color mana is not the same thing as actually paying the Prism's casting cost with colored mana, so if you want to get full use out of a Pentad Prism, you have to pay for it with two colors of mana, even with Mycosynth Lattice in play.

In other words: sunburst goes to check what kind of mana you actually used, and not what it was used as.

[LotusHead]

The minutia involved in this is so picky that I need something Official on this.  

The real life situation was a Fun deck versus another Fun deck.  BLOCK fun decks at that.  

But is spending mana as IF it were many of any particular color the same thing as paying mana of any particular color? Surely this has come up before.  

Just want to do things right...

LotusHead

[CmdrSam]

Matt's right.

Rune Horvik says:

Q: If I have Mycosynth Lattice in play and play a card with Sunburst ability (like Infused Arrows), do I get one charge counter for each mana I spent to play it, since Mycosynth Lattice has: "Players may spend mana as though it were mana of any color"?
--Fabricio Puppi

A: No, you don't. Mycosynth Lattice lets you use all your mana as though it was white, blue, black, red or green; but it doesn't changethe mana. For example, if you only have Islands in play, you pay only blue mana for the Infused Arrows spell, and that is what the Sunburst ability will see, even if you spend it as if it were any color.

--Sam L-L

[LotusHead]

So Sunburst cards don't actually hate the Lattice.  It is completely unaffected by it? (Lattice is irrevelent where Sunburst is concerned?)

[Limbo]

Correct.

The wording could just as well become : All colored mana symbols change into for purpose of payment. Remember that under these circumstances Mishra's Workshop mana will still have the restriction of only being able to spend it on artifacts. This because cards in your hands are colorless, not artifact.