Lion's Eye Diamond

Card Name

Lion's Eye Diamond

Mana Cost

0

Type

Artifact

Rarity

Mythic Rare

rules Text

Sacrifice Lion's Eye Diamond, Discard your hand: Add three mana of any one color to your mana pool. Activate this ability only any time you could cast an instant.

Flavor Text

Held in the lion's eye —Zhalfirin saying meaning "caught in the moment of crisis"

Legal Formats

Commander, Legacy

Restricted Formats

Vintage

Not Legal Formats

Alchemy, Brawl, Explorer, Historic, Modern, Pauper, Pioneer, Standard

Rulings

(10/4/2004)
The ability is a mana ability, so it is activated and resolves as a mana ability, but it can only be activated at times when you can cast an instant. Yes, this is a bit weird.