Can you float energy from runes at the same time as paying the power cost for Bullet Time after it resolves?

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Accepted Answer

Yes — when Bullet Time resolves and asks you to “Pay any amount of :rb_rune_rainbow:,” you may activate abilities that Add resources (including ones that put Power/Energy into your Rune Pool) to generate those resources and then spend them to pay that instruction. You cannot literally add-and-spend in a single atomic instant — you add to your Rune Pool first, that Add finalizes immediately, and then you spend from the pool to pay the payment instruction. [429.3] [429.2] [165.2]

When Bullet Time's effect resolves and instructs you to pay some amount of :rb_rune_rainbow:, you may use activated abilities that Add resources (with the Reaction tag where required) to put Power/Energy into your Rune Pool in order to pay that instruction. Adding finalizes immediately and resolves before other outstanding items on the chain, and you must add to the Rune Pool before spending those resources. See [429.3] for when Add Reactions can be used, [429.2] for how Adds finalize, and [165.2] that you must first add resources to your Rune Pool to be able to spend them.

Resolve Bullet Time until you reach the instruction that says “Pay any amount of :rb_rune_rainbow: to deal that much damage….” [429.2] If you do not already have enough Power/Energy in your Rune Pool, activate any appropriate Add abilities you control that are allowed at that moment (e.g., activated Add abilities with the Reaction tag). Addabilities finalize and resolve immediately, putting resources into your Rune Pool. [429.3] [429.2] After the Add(s) resolve and the resources are in your Rune Pool, spend the resources from your Rune Pool to satisfy the instruction on Bullet Time. You must have added before spending. [165.2] Once you have paid the requested amount, finish resolving Bullet Time (deal the corresponding damage to enemy units).

If the resource-providing ability you want to use does not have the Reaction tag and is not otherwise allowed to be activated during resolution, you cannot use it at that time. Only Add abilities that are allowed at that moment (see [429.3]) may be used. If a specific card's text explicitly forbids reacting to its Add (or otherwise restricts usage), that card's printed restriction takes precedence for that card (treat the printed text as a game effect). If the payment on Bullet Time were actually an additional cost that must be paid in the Play/Pay-Costs step instead of during resolution, you can still use Add Reactions during Pay Costs to add resources to pay that cost per [357.1.a]. Some added resources may carry timing restrictions (for example, “Spend this Energy only during showdowns”); such restrictions still apply when you try to spend them to pay Bullet Time. If the restriction prevents spending in this context, you cannot use those resources.

When Bullet Time resolves it contains an instruction to “Pay any amount of :rb_rune_rainbow: to deal that much damage….” That payment is a resource payment performed as part of the spell's resolution. The Core Rules allow you to use activated abilities that Add resources (particularly those with the Reaction tag) at the moment other spells or abilities require resources to be paid: “Activated abilities that Add resources and have the Reaction tag can be activated during the playing or resolution of other spells and abilities, any time that those spells or abilities require resources be paid.” [429.3] When you activate those Add abilities, the Add finalizes and resolves immediately and puts the resources into your Rune Pool before anything else proceeds: “Spells, triggered abilities, and activated abilities that Add resources finalize immediately.” [429.2] Also, you must add resources to your Rune Pool before you can spend them: “Players must first add Energy and Power to their Rune Pool in order to be able to spend it to play cards or pay for Abilities with costs.” [165.2] Practically, that means you cannot magically pay the power and the add in one indivisible instant — you activate the Add, it resolves and the resources enter your Rune Pool, and then you spend those resources to satisfy the payment instruction on Bullet Time. If the resource-adding ability is not a legal Reaction or otherwise cannot be activated at that time, you cannot use it to generate the resources for Bullet Time. If the payment were instead required during the Pay Costs step (if worded as an additional cost in the Cost box), Add Reactions may still be used in the Pay Costs step per [357.1.a]. [357.1.a] [429.3] [429.2] [165.2]