Kicker in General

[Nefarias]

Although my group is fairly well versed in the rules of Magic, one thing that we always argue about is that of Kicker, so I'd just like to clear some things up. I have a few different scenarios:

1) I have a [card]Prohibit[/card] on an [card]Isochron Scepter[/card]. When I play the copy, can I pay the Kicker cost?
2) In the above example, does it work the same way for [card]Panoptic Mirror[/card], [card]Spellbinder[/card], [card]Spellweaver Helix[/card], [card]Fork[/card]/[card]Twincast[/card], and Kaho, Minamo Historian?
3) I control three [card]Sapphire Medallion[/card]s. How much would it cost me to play Prohibit if I wanted to pay the Kicker cost?

Oh, actually, while I'm at it, I have a question about Buyback, which I imagine works very similarly:

4) I control three Sapphire Medallions. If I were to play [card]Whispers of the Muse[/card] with Buyback, how much would it cost?

Thanks!

[Jacob Orlove]

Kicker and Buyback are both additional costs, much like Sphere of Resistance or Splice. You total them up and then apply cost reductions. With three medallions, whispers with buyback is 2U, Prohibit with kicker is U.

Whenever you're playing a copy of a card with kicker, you have the option of paying the kicker cost. For example, if you had a chant on a scepter and needed to  kick it, you'd have to pay a total of 2W: 2 for the scepter, and W for the kicker on the (otherwise free) chant-copy.

If you simply put a copy of the spell on the stack (fork, twincast), you cannot pay the kicker cost for the copy. However, in this case, if the kicker was paid originally, then the copy will resolve as such.

[Limbo]

1) I have a Prohibit on an Isochron Scepter. When I play the copy, can I pay the Kicker cost?

The scepter creates a copy that you can play free of charge. As you play it, it is treated just as if it were a regular prohibit, so you can pay for kicker and stuff.

2) In the above example, does it work the same way for Panoptic Mirror, Spellbinder, Spellweaver Helix, Fork/Twincast, and Kaho, Minamo Historian?

Panoptic Mirror, Spellbinder, Spellweaver Helix and Kaho all have the same effect as the Scepter, so yes, Kicker is allowed (you first make a copy, then you play it). Yes, this will trigger stormabilities as well, for example tendrills of agony.

Fork and Twincast (or Uyo, Silent Prophet for that matter) just create a copy of the spell, so you are not allowed to make any choices of the original. They do copy the entire spell though, so a kicked, entwined or spliced spell will behave exactly the same way. Storm does not trigger though, as it specifically states: When you play this spell,

3) I control three Sapphire Medallions. How much would it cost me to play Prohibit if I wanted to pay the Kicker cost?
4) I control three Sapphire Medallions. If I were to play Whispers of the Muse with Buyback, how much would it cost?
First add additional costs (like sphere of resistance, buyback, prohibit), then reduce by discounts (helm of awakening, Medallions, Familiars), then check for set costs (trinisphere).
With 3 medallions, a kicked Prohibit would cost U, a buybacked Whispers of the Muse costs U2

[Nefarias]

Okay, great. Thanks. So, just one more question, then. With Trinisphere out, how much would Orim's Chant cost with Kicker? Is it 2W+W, or W+W+1? And Whispers Boughtback-U+5, or 2U+5?

[Jebus]

Okay, great. Thanks. So, just one more question, then. With Trinisphere out, how much would Orim's Chant cost with Kicker? Is it 2W+W, or W+W+1? And Whispers Boughtback-U+5, or 2U+5?

Under Trinisphere a Chant with Kicker would cost WW1 and a Whipser's would cost U5.

Trinisphere waits for all other cost increasers and reducers to be applied before it determines if it will be applied. This includes additoinal costs from abilities suck as kicker and buyback.