Akoum Flameseeker — ruling 1

Discarding a card is part of the ability’s effect and isn’t optional. As the cohort ability resolves, if you have a card in your hand, you must discard one, even if the card you may have wanted to discard as you activated the ability is no longer in your hand.

Akoum Flameseeker — ruling 2

To activate a cohort ability, the Ally with that ability must have been under your control continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn. Informally, it can’t have “summoning sickness.” However, the other Ally you tap can be one that just came under your control. (Note that tapping the second Ally doesn’t use {T} [the tap symbol].)

Akoum Flameseeker : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Akoum Flameseeker is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.

Official card text

Cohort — , Tap an untapped Ally you control: Discard a card. If you do, draw a card.

How it works : Akoum Flameseeker

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1January 22, 2016· Wizards of the Coast
Discarding a card is part of the ability’s effect and isn’t optional. As the cohort ability resolves, if you have a card in your hand, you must discard one, even if the card you may have wanted to discard as you activated the ability is no longer in your hand.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2January 22, 2016· Wizards of the Coast
To activate a cohort ability, the Ally with that ability must have been under your control continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn. Informally, it can’t have “summoning sickness.” However, the other Ally you tap can be one that just came under your control. (Note that tapping the second Ally doesn’t use [the tap symbol].)
No other card is named in this ruling.