The ability to copy a spell is something that has existed in magic the gathering almost since the beginning and with the cost of two mana being set by fork it has generally stayed that price. Copying creatures has also been valuable and while a bit more expensive than two they are generally good. Even the ability to copy land exists with cards that let you tap for any color mana an opponent's land can produce. But there is one major part of the game that has not been easy to copy and that is creature's activated abilities. The reason for this is simple enough, a card that let you did it would be unlikely to be popular since you would have to use a card.

And so wizards of the coast came up with a solution, the Rings of Brighthearth are a rare artifact from the Lorwyn expansion set of magic the gathering which cost three colorless mana to put into play and reads "Whenever you activate an ability, if it isn't a mana ability, you may pay two colorless mana. If you do, copy that ability. You may choose new targets for the copy. "

With so many activated abilities in the game it is nearly impossible to fully examine the many uses of this card but there are a few possibilities that spring to mind as well as some ideas that may not occur to everyone.

One of the major ideas that seems reasonable with this is Rhyes the redeemed. This has two abilites both of which are activated. The first costs three mana and lets you put a 1/1 elf warrior token into play, the second costs five and lets you put a token that is a copy of every creature token you control into play. This is an ability that becomes far better the more you use it but is typically limited both by the cost and the fact that you have to tap Rhyes to use it.

Abilities you might not think of are planewalkers abilities, though they are activated. Some of these are very powerful while others don't really gain much by being copied. Also abilities that require a creature to die is an activated ability, and the sacrifice is often the cost, which is this case would be replaced by two colorless mana, making it very useful in those situations.

There are an almost unlimited number of uses for this and any deck that relies an a great many activated abilities should consider it but sadly there are no infinite mana combos allows.

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