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A player who has a card with foretell in their hand may pay {2} and exile that card face down. This is a special action. A player may take this action any time they have priority during their turn. See rule 702.143, “Foretell.”

If the spell is modal, the player announces the mode choice (see rule 700.2). If the player wishes to splice any cards onto the spell (see rule 702.47), they reveal those cards in their hand. If the spell has alternative or additional costs that will be paid as it’s being cast such as buyback or kicker costs (see rules 118.8 and 118.9), the player announces their intentions to pay any or all of those costs (see rule 601.2f). A player can’t apply two alternative methods of casting or two alternative costs to a single spell. If the spell has a variable cost that will be paid as it’s being cast (such as an {X} in its mana cost; see rule 107.3), the player announces the value of that variable. If the value of that variable is defined in the text of the spell by a choice that player would make later in the announcement or resolution of the spell, that player makes that choice at this time instead of that later time. If a cost that will be paid as the spell is being cast includes hybrid mana symbols, the player announces the nonhybrid equivalent cost they intend to pay. If a cost that will be paid as the spell is being cast includes Phyrexian mana symbols, the player announces whether they intend to pay 2 life or a corresponding colored mana cost for each of those symbols. Previously made choices (such as choosing to cast a spell with flashback from a graveyard or choosing to cast a creature with morph face down) may restrict the player’s options when making these choices.

Exiling a card using its foretell ability is a special action, which doesn’t use the stack. See rule 116, “Special Actions.”

If two effects state that a player may (or a creature can) do the same thing “as though” different conditions were true, both conditions could apply. If one “as though” effect satisfies the requirements for another “as though” effect, then both effects will apply.

If an effect would cause a player to shuffle one or more specific objects into a library, that library is shuffled even if none of those objects are in the zone they’re expected to be in or an effect causes all of those objects to be moved to another zone or remain in their current zone.

An effect that grants an object a keyword ability may define a variable in that ability based on characteristics of that object or other information about the game state. For these abilities, the value of that variable is constantly reevaluated.

Flashback

Flashback appears on some instants and sorceries. It represents two static abilities: one that functions while the card is in a player’s graveyard and another that functions while the card is on the stack. “Flashback [cost]” means “You may cast this card from your graveyard if the resulting spell is an instant or sorcery spell by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost” and “If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack.” Casting a spell using its flashback ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h.

If an effect allows you to cast Memory Deluge without paying its mana cost, X will be 0. Memory Deluge will resolve, but you won't do anything.

Memory Deluge cares about the mana you actually paid to cast it, not its mana cost. If you cast Memory Deluge for {2}{U}{U}, you will look at four cards. If you cast it with flashback for {5}{U}{U}, you will look at seven cards. Any effects that increase or decrease the cost to cast it will also be taken into account.

If an effect requires you to pay some amount of mana to prevent Memory Deluge from being countered, as Flip the Switch does, that mana wasn't spent to cast Memory Deluge and will not be taken into account.

If Memory Deluge is copied, no mana was spent to cast the copy, so X will be 0. The amount of mana spent to cast the original spell is not copied. You won't look at any cards from your library as Memory Deluge resolves.

To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.

A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way.

If a card with flashback is put into your graveyard during your turn, you can cast it if it's legal to do so before any other player can take any actions.

"Flashback [cost]" means "You may cast this card from your graveyard if the resulting spell is an instant or sorcery spell by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost" and "If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack."

You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card's type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery.

You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast.