Can You Activate Abilities Between Untap and Upkeep in Magic: The Gathering?
The short and direct answer is: No, you cannot activate abilities between the untap step and the upkeep step in Magic: The Gathering (MTG). This period is a dead zone for player interaction. The untap step is specifically designed to be a time when no player receives priority. This means that no spells can be cast, and no abilities can be activated or resolved. Any abilities that trigger during this step are put on hold until the next time a player would receive priority, which is almost always the upkeep step. To put it simply, after you untap your permanents, there’s a brief period of silence before your upkeep begins.
This understanding is crucial for strategic gameplay, preventing you from trying to pull off shenanigans or misinterpreting the timing of your cards and abilities. Knowing the limitations of the untap step allows players to better predict the flow of the game, making informed decisions during their turns.
Understanding the Turn Structure
Before delving deeper, it’s vital to understand the order of a turn in MTG. The beginning phase consists of three steps, occurring in this precise sequence:
- Untap Step: All your permanents that are currently tapped untap. No player receives priority here.
- Upkeep Step: This is the first step in which players receive priority. Triggered abilities that occur at the beginning of your upkeep go on the stack, and then you have the chance to cast spells and activate abilities.
- Draw Step: You draw a card. Players also have an opportunity to cast spells and activate abilities during this step.
The crucial point is that priority, the chance to act by casting spells or activating abilities, is only given to players beginning in the upkeep step, not during the untap step.
Why No Priority During the Untap Step?
The lack of priority during the untap step serves a few key purposes:
- Simplicity: It ensures a clear, straightforward beginning to each turn. No complex interactions are possible.
- Timing: It provides a moment for the game state to reset, allowing players to prepare their actions for the upkeep step and beyond.
- Balance: It prevents players from using activated abilities in response to the untapping of specific permanents. Without this rule, many combos and strategies would become excessively potent or convoluted.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions related to the interaction between the untap and upkeep steps to further solidify understanding of these game phases:
1. Can you activate abilities before upkeep?
No. You cannot activate abilities before the upkeep step. You only gain priority (the opportunity to act) once your upkeep begins, after any triggered abilities at the beginning of your upkeep have been placed on the stack.
2. Can you activate abilities while tapped?
Yes, absolutely. As long as the activated ability does not require tapping the permanent as part of its activation cost, you can activate it even if the permanent is already tapped. An important exception is that a creature with summoning sickness cannot use an activated ability with a tap symbol in its cost even if it is not tapped.
3. Can you cast spells between upkeep and draw?
Yes. You can cast instant spells and activate abilities during your upkeep step and also during your draw step, but before you actually draw a card. Remember, the order is Untap, Upkeep, Draw.
4. Are “at the beginning of your upkeep” abilities triggered abilities?
Yes. Any ability that uses the phrases “whenever,” “when,” or “at,” especially “at the beginning of your upkeep,” is considered a triggered ability. These abilities automatically go on the stack when their trigger condition is met.
5. If an ability says “at the beginning of your upkeep, you may…” does it still trigger?
Yes. Optional triggered abilities (those containing “may”) still go onto the stack when they trigger, regardless of whether you intend to use the optional effect. The choice is made when the ability resolves.
6. Can you use tap abilities during upkeep?
Yes, you can. You are allowed to activate tap abilities and cast instant spells during your upkeep.
7. Can you cast an instant between untap and draw?
No, you can’t. The untap step does not allow for any player interaction. No one receives priority until the upkeep, which begins after the untap step concludes.
8. Do you untap before upkeep?
Yes, you untap during the untap step, which is the very first step of your turn. Your upkeep follows the untap step, and is the second step of your turn. It happens after you have untapped your permanents.
9. Can a creature with summoning sickness be tapped for an ability?
No. A creature with summoning sickness cannot attack, nor can it use any activated abilities with the tap symbol in their cost.
10. Does summoning sickness mean the creature is tapped?
No. Summoning sickness does not mean a creature is tapped. It’s a restriction on what actions the creature can take, specifically preventing attacking and using abilities that have the tap symbol in the cost.
11. Is tapping a mana dork an activated ability?
Yes. Tapping a mana dork is typically an activated ability. It fits the criteria of being an ability that adds mana to your mana pool, is not a loyalty ability, and does not target anything.
12. Can you sacrifice during upkeep?
Yes. You can sacrifice permanents during your upkeep. For example, you can respond to a “Cumulative Upkeep” trigger by sacrificing a creature to pay for an Instant spell.
13. Can you respond to playing a land?
No. Playing a land is a special action that does not use the stack. It’s a direct action, not a spell or ability. Because lands don’t go on the stack, no one can respond to the action of playing a land.
14. Does haste untap a tapped creature?
No, haste does not cause an already tapped creature to become untapped. It only allows creatures to attack and use activated abilities with the tap symbol in the cost the turn they enter play.
15. Can you tap lands in upkeep?
Yes, you can tap lands for mana during your upkeep. However, mana empties from your mana pool at the end of the step, so you need to use the mana you generate during the upkeep step before it is gone.
Conclusion
Understanding the fine details of turn structure, especially the limitations of the untap step and the initiation of priority during the upkeep step, is key to playing Magic: The Gathering effectively. The untap step is deliberately devoid of player interaction, creating a reset before the gameplay begins in earnest during the upkeep. By knowing these rules and subtle nuances of the phases, players can make more informed decisions and fully optimize their strategies.