Can I Crew with Summoning Sickness? Unveiling the Nuances of MTG’s Crew Mechanic
Yes, absolutely! You can crew a Vehicle with a creature that has summoning sickness. This is one of those somewhat counter-intuitive rules in Magic: The Gathering that can trip up even experienced players. While a creature with summoning sickness can’t attack or use abilities with the tap symbol ( {T} ) in their cost, the act of crewing bypasses this restriction because the Crew ability itself doesn’t require the creature to not have summoning sickness. It only requires the creature to be untapped and have sufficient power. Let’s dive into the details and address some frequently asked questions surrounding this intriguing interaction.
Understanding Summoning Sickness
Before we delve deeper into crewing, let’s quickly recap what summoning sickness actually is.
- A creature gains summoning sickness when it enters the battlefield under your control.
- This sickness persists until the beginning of your next turn.
- While afflicted, a creature cannot attack or use abilities that require tapping as a cost.
The key here is the tap symbol. If an ability requires the creature to tap as part of the cost, summoning sickness prevents it. However, the Crew ability doesn’t utilize the tap symbol directly on the creature card itself.
The Crew Ability: A Closer Look
The Crew ability is defined as follows:
- “Crew N” means “Tap any number of untapped creatures you control with total power N or greater: This permanent becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.”
Notice that it doesn’t say “Tap an untapped creature without summoning sickness.” It simply states that the creatures must be untapped and have the combined power to meet or exceed the required amount. Since summoning sickness only prevents tapping for abilities with the tap symbol, the creature can be tapped for Crew, even if it’s newly summoned.
This illustrates the beauty and complexity of Magic. The game often relies on precise wording, leading to interactions that might not seem logical at first glance. This interaction is discussed further by researchers in the field of games and education, such as those who present their work at the Games Learning Society conferences. Check out their work at GamesLearningSociety.org.
Why Does This Work?
The reason this works lies in the distinction between an ability with the tap symbol and an ability that simply requires you to tap a creature. The Crew ability is defined on the Vehicle card itself and doesn’t reside on the creatures being tapped. Tapping a creature to crew is part of the cost of activating the Vehicle’s ability, not the creature’s inherent ability.
FAQs: Crewing and Summoning Sickness
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the interaction between Crew and summoning sickness:
1. Can I declare attackers with a Vehicle on the same turn I crew it?
Yes. You crew the vehicle as an instant. The vehicle becomes a creature until end of turn. Because it is a creature, and you have already passed your summoning sickness, you may attack with the creature(vehicle).
2. If I flicker a creature, does it get summoning sickness again?
Yes, flickering a creature (exiling it and returning it to the battlefield) treats it as a brand-new permanent. Therefore, it will get summoning sickness upon its return, restricting its ability to attack or use tap abilities until your next turn, but it can still be used for crewing a vehicle.
3. Can I block with a creature that has summoning sickness?
Yes, you can block with a creature that has summoning sickness. Summoning sickness only restricts attacking and abilities with the tap symbol. Blocking is unaffected.
4. Can I use a creature with summoning sickness to pay a sacrifice cost?
Yes. Sacrifice costs are unaffected by summoning sickness. You can sacrifice a summoning-sick creature to pay a cost.
5. Can I use a creature’s activated ability that doesn’t involve tapping if it has summoning sickness?
Yes, as long as the activated ability doesn’t include the tap symbol ({T}) in its cost, summoning sickness doesn’t prevent you from using it.
6. If I crew a Vehicle on my turn, does it lose summoning sickness?
No. Summoning sickness is tied to the creature, not the Vehicle. When the Vehicle becomes a creature, it’s still subject to summoning sickness based on when it entered the battlefield or was last blinked. In this case, if you put the vehicle on the battlefield on the same turn, it can not attack with the vehicle or use any of it’s tap abilities.
7. Can I tap a creature with summoning sickness for an ability that another card grants? (e.g., Convoke)
Yes, you can tap a summoning-sick creature for abilities like Convoke or Crew because the tap isn’t an inherent ability of the creature itself, but rather part of the cost of another ability.
8. What happens if I crew a Vehicle with a creature that later loses its abilities?
The Vehicle remains crewed until end of turn. The power of the creature is only checked when the Crew ability is activated. If the creature’s power is reduced below the necessary threshold after crewing, it doesn’t invalidate the crewing.
9. Can I partially crew a Vehicle if I don’t have enough power?
No, you cannot partially crew a Vehicle. You must tap creatures with a total power equal to or greater than the Crew cost to successfully activate the ability.
10. Can I crew a Vehicle during my opponent’s turn?
Yes, you can crew a Vehicle during your opponent’s turn as long as you can pay the Crew cost (i.e., have untapped creatures with sufficient power). This can be a powerful defensive play.
11. If a Vehicle loses its creature status, does it become uncrewed?
Yes, if the effect that makes the Vehicle a creature ends (typically at the end of the turn), it reverts to being a non-creature artifact, and it is no longer considered crewed.
12. If I crew a vehicle, can I then activate an ability that has a tap cost on one of the creatures that I used to crew the vehicle?
No. Once a creature has been tapped to activate the vehicle’s crew ability, it can not be tapped again until it is untapped. The same creature could be used to crew another vehicle once it is untapped.
13. Can I activate the crew ability in response to a spell or ability?
Yes, you can activate the Crew ability in response to spells or abilities as long as you have priority. The Crew ability is an activated ability with instant speed.
14. Does crewing a vehicle trigger abilities that trigger when a creature enters the battlefield?
No. When you crew a vehicle, no creatures enter the battlefield. You are tapping the creatures to make the vehicle a creature.
15. Can I use a creature with vigilance to crew a vehicle and still block?
Yes. Vigilance prevents a creature from tapping when attacking. You can crew a vehicle during your opponent’s turn using a creature with vigilance to defend yourself.
Conclusion
The interaction between Crew and summoning sickness highlights the importance of understanding the nuances of Magic‘s rules. While a creature with summoning sickness is limited in its actions, it can still contribute to your strategy by crewing Vehicles. This knowledge can give you a significant edge in your games, allowing you to make informed decisions and maximize your resources. Remember to always read the card carefully and understand the precise wording of abilities to fully leverage the potential of your deck!