Can you activate card effects when you can't fully complete all parts of the effect, such as discarding fewer cards than specified?

Ruling: You do as much as you can when activating card effects. You can activate an effect even if you cannot fully complete all parts of it.

Sequence:

  • Perform each part of the effect in order
  • If you cannot fully complete a part (like discarding 2 cards when you only have 1), you do as much as possible for that part
  • Then proceed to the next part of the effect (like drawing cards)

Nuances:

  • The parts of an effect are independent unless explicitly linked with conditional language like "discard 2 to draw 2"
  • This applies even with an empty hand - you would discard nothing and then proceed to draw cards
  • If an effect uses "to" to link actions (e.g., "discard 2 to draw 2"), then you must fully complete the first action to perform the second