Are Activated Abilities Affected by Summoning Sickness?
The short answer is: it depends. Summoning sickness primarily restricts a creature’s ability to attack and to use activated abilities that include the tap symbol [{T}] or the untap symbol [{Q}] in their activation cost. Any other activated abilities are fair game, provided the creature meets all other requirements for activating them.
Now, let’s delve deeper into this nuanced aspect of the game, exploring the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of summoning sickness and activated abilities. It’s a common point of confusion for new and even experienced players, so let’s clear up the mystery once and for all.
Understanding Summoning Sickness
Summoning sickness, while not explicitly spelled out with that exact term on a card, is a slang term born from rule 302.6 in the Comprehensive Rules. This rule essentially states that a creature cannot attack or activate abilities with the tap or untap symbols in their cost unless it has been under its controller’s continuous control since the beginning of their most recent turn.
Think of it this way: the creature has just arrived on the battlefield and needs a moment to get its bearings. It’s disoriented, perhaps adjusting to the new environment or just plain tired from being summoned. This “sickness” prevents it from immediately participating in combat or exerting itself with certain abilities.
However, this disorientation doesn’t completely immobilize the creature. It can still block attacking creatures and use activated abilities that don’t involve tapping or untapping. This is a crucial distinction to understand.
Dissecting Activated Abilities
To fully grasp the impact of summoning sickness on activated abilities, we need to define exactly what an activated ability is.
An activated ability is an ability you can activate by paying a cost. This cost can involve several things:
- Mana Cost: Paying a certain amount of mana, either colored or colorless.
- Tapping or Untapping: As previously discussed, tapping ( [{T}]) or untapping ( [{Q}]) a permanent.
- Sacrificing a Permanent: Sacrificing a creature or other permanent.
- Paying Life: Reducing your own life total.
- Adding or Removing Counters: Adjusting the number of counters on a permanent.
- Discarding Cards: Discarding cards from your hand.
The key characteristic of an activated ability is that you choose to activate it, and you pay a cost to do so. They are written on cards with the format: “[Cost]: [Effect]”.
Activated abilities can be used at virtually any time you could cast an instant, which includes during combat, during your opponent’s turn, and in response to other spells and abilities.
The Interaction: Summoning Sickness and Activated Abilities
The interaction between summoning sickness and activated abilities boils down to this: If the activated ability requires the creature to tap ( [{T}]) or untap ( [{Q}]) as part of the cost, summoning sickness prevents you from using that ability. If the activated ability requires any other type of cost (mana, sacrificing, etc.), summoning sickness has no effect.
For example, imagine you have a creature that says: ” {T}: Draw a card.” Because this ability requires tapping the creature, it can’t be used if the creature has summoning sickness. However, if the creature says: “Pay 1 life: Draw a card,” you can use this ability even if the creature just entered the battlefield.
This distinction is vitally important for strategic gameplay. Understanding when you can and cannot use a creature’s abilities can significantly impact your decisions and your chances of victory. Understanding the rules and concepts explained within card games can be extremely useful in real-world applications. At the Games Learning Society you can learn how these concepts can be applied to real-world learning.
FAQs: Clearing Up Summoning Sickness and Activated Ability Confusion
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to solidify your understanding of summoning sickness and activated abilities:
1. Does summoning sickness affect all abilities?
No, summoning sickness only restricts a creature’s ability to attack and to activate abilities that specifically require tapping or untapping as part of the cost.
2. Can a creature with summoning sickness block?
Yes, unless another effect prevents it, a creature with summoning sickness can block attacking creatures. Summoning sickness only impacts attacking and certain activated abilities.
3. What happens if a creature loses and regains summoning sickness?
If a creature somehow loses summoning sickness (e.g., through an effect that grants haste) and then reacquires it (e.g., because the haste effect wore off), it will be subject to summoning sickness again until the beginning of your next turn.
4. Does giving a creature haste bypass summoning sickness?
Yes, giving a creature haste allows it to attack and use activated abilities with the tap or untap symbols during the turn it enters the battlefield.
5. Does summoning sickness affect activated abilities on artifacts?
No, only creatures are affected by summoning sickness. An artifact, even if newly played, can immediately use its activated abilities unless otherwise restricted.
6. If a creature’s ability says “Tap an untapped creature you control: [Effect]”, can I tap a creature with summoning sickness?
No, since you can’t tap a creature with summoning sickness, the ability will not function with this creature.
7. Does flickering a creature remove summoning sickness?
Yes, blinking (exiling and returning a permanent) causes the permanent to enter the battlefield as a new object. It will be affected by summoning sickness for the rest of the turn.
8. Can I use a creature with summoning sickness to pay a cost that requires tapping another creature?
Yes, as long as the creature with summoning sickness is not being asked to tap as part of it’s own ability. For example, you can tap any untapped creature you control to activate a crew ability, including creatures with summoning sickness.
9. Does summoning sickness affect triggered abilities?
No, summoning sickness only affects attacking and activated abilities with tap/untap costs. Triggered abilities, which automatically happen when a specific condition is met, are not affected.
10. Can I sacrifice a creature with summoning sickness?
Yes. Sacrificing a creature does not involve tapping or untapping. You can always sacrifice a creature, even if it has summoning sickness, if an effect requires it.
11. If a creature transforms, does it still have summoning sickness?
Yes, if a creature transforms (for example, a double-faced card), it is treated as the same permanent. If that permanent already had summoning sickness, it will continue to have it until the start of your next turn.
12. Does copying a creature bypass summoning sickness?
If you copy a creature, the copy enters the battlefield as a brand-new creature and is subject to summoning sickness, regardless of whether the original creature had it or not.
13. If I gain control of an opponent’s creature, does it have summoning sickness?
Yes, a creature you gain control of is subject to summoning sickness unless you have continuously controlled it since the beginning of your most recent turn.
14. Can I use a loyalty ability of a planeswalker the turn it enters the battlefield?
Yes, Planeswalkers do not have summoning sickness. You can use a planeswalker’s ability the turn it comes into play, so long as A) it’s your turn (abilities are used as sorceries), and B) the planeswalker has sufficient loyalty to activate the ability.
15. Does the Indestructible or Hexproof ability affect Summoning Sickness?
No, Indestructible and Hexproof provide different protections. Indestructible prevents destruction, and Hexproof prevents being targeted by opponents’ spells or abilities. Summoning sickness is neither destruction nor targeting, so these abilities do not affect it.
Conclusion
Understanding the intricacies of summoning sickness and its interaction with activated abilities is crucial for mastering the game. It’s a common source of confusion, but by remembering the core principles – summoning sickness restricts attacking and tap/untap abilities – you can navigate these situations with confidence.
Remember to consult the official rules for the most accurate and up-to-date information. Card games can be used to teach a variety of different skills. You can learn more at GamesLearningSociety.org. Good luck, and may your creatures’ abilities always be ready when you need them!