When Teemo, Strategist's ability targets a unit with Deflect while showing 5 hidden cards, how many times must the Deflect cost be paid?

Ruling: You pay the Deflect cost only one time, regardless of how many Hidden cards are revealed or how much total damage is dealt. Teemo's ability creates a single instance of targeting and deals damage from a single source.

Sequence:

• Declare you are using Teemo, Strategist's ability
• Pay the Deflect cost as a mandatory additional cost (or choose not to pay it and the ability doesn't go on the chain)
• If paid, the ability goes on the chain and you flip 5 cards
• Deal all damage from the revealed Hidden cards

Nuances:

• The Deflect cost must be paid before flipping any cards - you cannot see the results first and then decide whether to pay
• If you choose not to pay the Deflect cost, you don't get to flip the 5 cards at all