Die Young

Some triggered abilities state that you "may pay" a certain amount of {E}. You can't pay that amount multiple times to multiply the effect. You simply choose whether or not to pay that amount of {E} as the ability resolves.

If an effect says you get one or more {E}, you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more {E}, you lose that many energy counters. You can't pay more energy counters than you have. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters.

Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana "of any type" can't give you energy counters.

Keep track of how many energy counters each player has. Potential ways to track this include writing theme down on paper or using dice, but any method that is clear and mutually agreeable is fine. (At higher levels of tournament play, dice may not be allowed for tracking counters that players have.)

{E} is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter.

Some spells and abilities that give you {E} may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't get any {E}.

You choose the target creature as you cast Die Young. You don't choose how much {E} to pay until Die Young is resolving. No player may take actions between the time you choose how much {E} to pay and the time the creature gets -1/-1 for each {E} paid this way.

If the target creature becomes an illegal target, Die Young doesn't resolve and none of its effects happen. You won't get {E}{E} or be able to pay any {E}.