Can a Creature with Summoning Sickness Fight? The Definitive Guide
Yes, a creature with summoning sickness can fight. Summoning sickness only restricts a creature from attacking and using abilities that require it to tap (or untap) as a cost. The act of fighting, which is defined as two creatures dealing damage to each other simultaneously, does not involve tapping. Therefore, your newly summoned creature, though unable to launch an assault on your opponent, can certainly defend itself in a good old-fashioned brawl!
Understanding Summoning Sickness
Before we dive deeper, let’s solidify our understanding of summoning sickness. It’s a game rule that prevents a creature from attacking or using tap/untap abilities the turn it enters the battlefield under your control, unless it has Haste. The term is an elegant explanation for why your freshly summoned behemoth needs a moment to catch its breath before smashing face.
The Limitations of Summoning Sickness
Here’s a breakdown of what a creature suffering from summoning sickness cannot do:
- Attack: This is the most common restriction. A creature with summoning sickness cannot be declared as an attacker during your combat phase.
- Activate Tap Abilities: If an ability requires you to tap the creature as a cost (symbolized by the tap icon), it cannot be activated.
- Activate Untap Abilities: Similarly, abilities requiring you to untap the creature cannot be activated.
What Summoning Sickness Doesn’t Prevent
Importantly, summoning sickness doesn’t stop a creature from doing the following:
- Blocking: A creature with summoning sickness can absolutely block an attacking creature. Defense is still an option!
- Activating Non-Tap Abilities: If an ability doesn’t require tapping, even if it is an activated ability, summoning sickness doesn’t apply.
- Being targeted by spells or abilities: Summoning sickness does not provide shroud or hexproof.
- Fighting: As we initially stated, a creature with summoning sickness can fight.
Why Fighting is Different
The key lies in how fighting is initiated. The rules text for a card that causes a fight, such as “Prey Upon” or “Fight Rigging,” doesn’t require the creature to tap. Instead, the spell or ability directly instructs two target creatures to fight each other. This bypasses the restriction imposed by summoning sickness, allowing your creature to participate in the fray.
FAQs: Summoning Sickness and Combat
Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify the intricacies of summoning sickness:
1. Can a creature with summoning sickness block?
Yes! Blocking is purely defensive. Summoning sickness only restricts attacking and using tap/untap abilities.
2. Does giving a creature Haste bypass summoning sickness?
Absolutely. Haste allows a creature to attack and use tap abilities the turn it enters the battlefield, effectively ignoring summoning sickness.
3. If I flicker a creature, does it get summoning sickness again?
Yes. “Flickering” (exiling a permanent and then returning it to the battlefield immediately) treats the creature as a brand new permanent, even if it’s the same physical card. Therefore, it will have summoning sickness unless it has Haste.
4. Does summoning sickness affect creatures that aren’t creatures (yet)?
This is tricky. It depends on when the card turns into a creature. If an artifact becomes a creature on the same turn you played the card, it will suffer from summoning sickness (assuming it doesn’t have haste). However, if you played the artifact on a previous turn and it only becomes a creature on the current turn, it is not subject to summoning sickness, because the permanent has been under your control since the previous turn.
5. Can I use Convoke with a creature that has summoning sickness?
Yes, you can. Convoke allows you to tap creatures to help pay for the mana cost of a spell. Because you’re tapping the creature as an effect of the spell, not as a cost of an activated ability, summoning sickness does not apply.
6. Does summoning sickness affect Planeswalkers?
No. Planeswalkers are not creatures, and summoning sickness only affects creatures.
7. Can I tap a creature with summoning sickness to crew a Vehicle?
Yes. Similar to Convoke, tapping a creature to crew a Vehicle is an effect, not an activated ability cost. Therefore, summoning sickness doesn’t prevent it.
8. Can I use a mana ability of a land the turn I play it?
Lands do not have summoning sickness, because summoning sickness affects creatures only. However, you can only play one land per turn, unless you are given a specific bonus to play more lands.
9. If I gain control of an opponent’s creature, does it have summoning sickness under my control?
Yes. Any creature that comes under your control has summoning sickness unless it has haste, regardless of how long it was under someone else’s control.
10. Does a creature with summoning sickness still deal combat damage if it blocks?
Yes. Summoning sickness only prevents attacking. If a creature with summoning sickness blocks and survives the combat, it will deal damage to the attacking creature as normal.
11. Can I use a tap ability on my opponent’s turn if my creature doesn’t have summoning sickness?
Yes, you can activate a tap ability on your opponent’s turn, provided it is an instant-speed activated ability. The creature must not have summoning sickness.
12. If I copy a creature with summoning sickness, does the copy also have summoning sickness?
Yes, the copy will have summoning sickness if it is created and enters the battlefield this turn.
13. What happens if a creature fights itself?
The article states that “If a creature somehow fights itself, it will deal damage to itself equal to its power twice simultaneously.”
14. Is double strike also first strike?
No. They are separate abilities. Double strike isn’t first strike.
15. Can I attack a card with summoning sickness?
No. A player can only attack other players or planeswalkers controlled by other players. A creature with summoning sickness can only be blocked during combat.
The Strategic Implications
Understanding the nuances of summoning sickness is vital for effective gameplay. Knowing when your creature is vulnerable and when it can participate in combat allows you to make informed decisions about deploying your resources. For instance, consider holding back a creature that could be used to trigger a fight if you anticipate needing a blocker on your opponent’s turn. You might even consider spells that grant temporary Haste to surprise your opponent, or explore creative teaching strategies with the Games Learning Society.
Conclusion
While a creature with summoning sickness may be unable to immediately join the offensive, it’s far from useless. It can still defend, activate certain abilities, and, most importantly, engage in thrilling fights. Mastering these distinctions is part of becoming a skilled Magic: The Gathering player. Visit GamesLearningSociety.org to explore more ways to enrich education through game-based learning principles.