If Bullet-time is played and the opponent responds with Defy, are the runes recycled for damage still paid, or only the 1 rune exhaust cost?

Ruling: When Bullet-time is played and countered by Defy, only the 1 rune exhaust cost is paid. The runes for recycling damage are not paid because recycling is not a condition to play the card.

Sequence:

• Play Bullet-time and exhaust 1 rune to play it
• Opponent uses Defy
• Bullet-time doesn't resolve
• No runes are recycled, only the 1 rune remains exhausted

Nuances:

• You do not need to declare the amount of runes to recycle when playing Bullet-time, as recycling is not a condition to play the card