Pointed Discussion

Now having to put X mask couters on the card completely defeats the original purpose of X hiding the true casting cost of the creature. Also the online ME3 version has completely different updaed text. Online, the creature comes in as a 2/2, not a 0/1. Also, it gets turned face up when tapped online, which the original card did, but the modern errata here does not include. Wizards needs to get its oracles straight.

Tragical that this once beautiful card has been butchered by errata. D=

WTF does "You may choose a creature card in your hand whose mana cost could be paid by some amount of, or all of, the mana you spent on X" mean? That I have to pay for it as normal, or even overpay? Whats the point of that?
Old version made way more sense, although playing infinite creatures for no mana seems a bit OP.
If I understand it correctly, its like playing a surprise blocker/attacker with flash, but telling your opponent you have it in hand first.

Does this still allow you to circumvent Dreadnought's CIP effect?

It seems to me as though it does get around Dreadnought's crippling effect, seeing as it comes in to play face down, where its CIP effect if not able to resolve.
Seems like a worthy use to me.

The oracle wording is a little confusing, I had to read it a couple times to get it, but it's a pretty awesome card.
Helps Phyrexian Dreadnought and Eater of Days.

Say what?

I think the oracle text is actually more confusing

"The creature enters the battlefield face down, so none of its "enters the battlefield" abilities will trigger or have any effect. Also none of its "As this enters the battlefield" abilities apply."

Sure enough, you CAN cheat a Dreadnought into play with this card.

@psyklone: You've always had to pay at least the cost of the creature you were casting, or overpay. Cheating cards into play for free or a discount is not the purpose of this card. Its purpose is to hide what you're doing, so your opponent (hopefully) does not know how to react to it until it's too late. The bit about avoiding enter-the-battlefield triggers is just a side effect.

2/2 creature is only relevant with things like x2 curse of deaths hold, disfigure, ect. Oddly enough you can enchant the 2/2 face down with vigilance and make them wonder if they should block or not. If it gets through and its a raven guild master ^_^

I think that I get what this card was meant to do. In which case the oracle text is messed up because the original text says "which you still have to spend" in regards to the card's casting cost.

Here is my interpretation of what this card should say:

:Play a creature spell face down as a 2/2 creature for . can be any part of that creature's casting cost, including 0. Colors in the casting cost may not be paid with inappropriate mana.
If a creature played face down with illusionary mask would deal or receive damage or be tapped, turn it face up and pay the remainder of the casting cost or sacrifice it.

My interpretation of what this card is meant to do:

Let's say you are playing green. You have this mask. You have three green mana available. You play a Sedge Scorpion and two Leatherback Baloths as face-down 2/2's all for . Next turn you have four green available and you state that you are attacking with a face down pair of the 2/2s (a baloth and a scorpion). Chaos ensues.

Wizards. Feel free to use this idea. Honestly, I think that this artifact could have a casting cost of and be perfectly fair. There could also be something in there about marking the card with colored counters to represent appropriate colored mana spent.