Magic the Gathering question: Arcane Melee...?

X would equal 6, because you are essentially playing it to the point where it WOULD cost 7 mana, but you use that card to reduce the cost of using it to 5 mana. Do you see? It is about the theoretical cost of playing it, however it would be played.

Yes, such cost reductions can apply to X's.

107.3b If a player is casting a spell that has an {X} in its mana cost, the value of X isn't defined by the text of that spell, and an effect lets that player cast that spell while paying neither its mana cost nor an alternative cost that includes X, then the only legal choice for X is 0. This doesn't apply to effects that only reduce a cost, even if they reduce it to zero. See rule 601, "Casting Spells."

A bit of inference there, but that's pretty clearly saying that it's considering cost reductions.

Arcane Melee will reduce the cost of an X spell because what happens before you pay the mana cost of a spell is determining the overall cost (what you pay for X is chosen at this point).

As you cast the required spell sort, you expose the card type your hand with the splice potential and add that potential to the primary spell. Keywords are "as it's forged" and the splice card in itself is a spell. You can also counter the splice, I suggest you counter the spell being spliced to nullify the splice and both the splice and the card being spliced are sent to the discard pile. Quick reply: sure