Illusionary Mask

[3drinks]

Can we explain how Illusionary Mask works, and how exactly it's different from the newer, cleaner version in Scroll of Fate?

T: Manifest a creature card from your hand.
X: pay an amount and pur a creature card from your hand on the battlefield face down.

Mask goes on to state on it's Oracle rulings if you don't pay it's mana costs, then all penalties associated with casting a creature illegally apply. But it flips over automatically if it attacks, deals/receives damage, or otherwise taps? I'm getting a lot of mixed signals here, and this is a very expensive card I'd like to be 💯 clear on before utilizing.

Simply, what happens if I utilize the Mask with, say, Astral Slide? Does this work precisely as you'd think it works just by reading it? Can I, say, activate Mask for X = 0, put Drakuseth, Maw of Flames on the board face down, then cycle Street Wraith for free to trigger Slide and "flip" my face down Dragon?

I'm understanding this correctly, right?

[Argus]

Can I, say, activate Mask for X = 0, put Drakuseth, Maw of Flames on the board face down,

No, 4RRR could not be paid by some or all of 0. If this happens in a tournament, the infraction is "Game Play Error — Game Rule Violation", which starts as a Warning (assuming the judge concludes that it was an accident).

then cycle Street Wraith for free

2 life is "free"?

to trigger Slide and "flip" my face down Dragon?

The Dragon getting revealed is merely when the earlier game rule violation comes to light, it does not erase that violation.

[3drinks]

Okay. So can you explain to me the step-by-step process I'd have to follow to make my above example legal?

[void_nothing]

It's never a legal play to pay for a creature spell using Illusionary Mask and pay less than that spell's full mana cost. You can conceal what you're playing by paying a different amount than it costs, but you must overpay, you can't underpay.

[3drinks]

So that's the whole gimmick? You overpay on stuff to keep them guessing? All these years...

Thanks for saving me THAT buy-in.

[void_nothing]

Indeed, Illusionary Mask is expensive to buy because it is a Reserved card that was last printed in Unlimited, not because of any exceptionally powerful effects it has. (I'm going to lock this topic now, it having been answered, to prevent myself from spamming this forum with off topic advice.)