Damping Matrix and activated abilities.

[Cancerman]

Now it is to my understanding that Damping Matrix shuts down creature's activated abilities like Goblin Welder. Now my question is the following:

Does Damping Matrix prevent Triskelion from removing a +1/+1 counter?
If so, how come? Under the newer version of the card from the Mirrodin set, there is no activation cost for the abilities except for: remove a +1/+1 counter to.... http://www.mtgpics.com/card.php?mrd269

Unlike the 4th edition version of the card, there was a semi-colon with a 0 activation cost. (0: remove a +1/+1 counter...) http://www.mtgpics.com/card.php?4th329

If somebody could clear this up for me, it would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!    

[JSexton]

Yes, this is still an activated ability. Anything to the left of a colon is a cost, even if it isn't a mana cost. The is used when there is no cost to play the ability at all, but there needs to be a placeholder to indicate that is it still an activated ability. (Technically, the cost is then , which you can still refuse to pay, for some reason.)

[card]Damping Matrix[/card] will prevent [card]Triskelion[/card]'sability from being played.

[ctthespian]

Remove a +1/+1 counter from Triskelion: Triskelion deals 1 damage to target creature or player.


If you look closer there is a colon in the middle of that statment.  Thus removing the counter is the activation cost.  Hope that clears it up.

-keith

[Matt]

Unlike the 4th edition version of the card, there was a semi-colon with a 0 activation cost. (0: remove a +1/+1 counter...) http://www.mtgpics.com/card.php?4th329

As an admirer of proper grammar, I'd like to note that the two-dots symbol is a colon, and the dot-over-comma symbol is the semicolon.

[Cancerman]

@Matt:
 My mistake... It's because of my French... My bad...