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Cleave

Cleave is a keyword that represents two static abilities that function while a spell with cleave is on the stack. “Cleave [cost]” means “You may cast this spell by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost” and “If this spell’s cleave cost was paid, change its text by removing all text found within square brackets in the spell’s rules text.” Casting a spell for its cleave cost follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h.

Cleave’s second ability is a text-changing effect. See rule 612, “Text-Changing Effects.”

A cleave cost is an alternative cost that's paid instead of the spell's mana cost. Casting a spell for its cleave cost doesn't change the spell's mana value.

You can't cast a spell for both its cleave cost and another alternative cost. For example, if an effect gives an Alchemist's Retrieval in your graveyard a flashback cost of {U}, you can't cast it from your graveyard for its cleave cost.

If you cast a spell for its cleave cost, that spell doesn't have any of the text in square brackets while it's on the stack.

If an effect allows you to “cast a spell without paying its mana cost,” you can't cast that spell for its cleave cost.