Can You Crew a Vehicle Before Combat? A Comprehensive Guide
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Yes, you absolutely can crew a vehicle before combat in Magic: The Gathering! In fact, it’s often a crucial strategic decision. The key is understanding the priority system and the timing of the combat phase. You have opportunities to crew your vehicles during your precombat main phase. This allows you to swing in with your newly animated vehicle when you enter your combat phase. This gives you flexibility in your gameplan.
Understanding Crewing and Priority
Before diving into the specifics, let’s establish some fundamental concepts.
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Crew Ability: This ability turns a non-creature artifact – a Vehicle – into an artifact creature until the end of the turn. You do this by tapping creatures you control with total power equal to or greater than the Vehicle’s crew cost.
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Priority: In Magic, players don’t simply take actions whenever they want. The game uses a system called “priority.” The active player (the player whose turn it is) gets priority first during each step and phase. They can take an action (like casting a spell or activating an ability), or they can pass priority. If they pass, the other player(s) get priority. If all players pass priority in succession, the game moves to the next step or phase.
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Combat Phase: This phase is broken down into several steps: Beginning of Combat, Declare Attackers, Declare Blockers, Combat Damage, and End of Combat.
The Precombat Main Phase Opportunity
You can crew a vehicle during your precombat main phase. After your draw step, you enter your main phase. You get priority and can do things such as playing lands, casting spells, or activating abilities. This includes the crew ability. This is a prime time to get your vehicles ready for action.
Strategic Advantages of Precombat Crewing
- Surprise Attacks: By crewing a vehicle right before combat, you can catch your opponent off guard. They might not expect the sudden appearance of an extra attacker.
- Mana Optimization: Crewing before combat allows you to spend your mana more efficiently. If you wait until after the declare attackers step, you might have already committed other creatures to attacking, limiting your options.
- Flexibility: Crewing in your precombat main phase gives you the flexibility to adapt to the board state. You can crew or not crew based on what your opponent does during their turn or in response to your other precombat actions.
Example Scenario
Let’s say you control a Smuggler’s Copter (Crew 1) and two 1/1 creatures. During your precombat main phase, you can tap one of your 1/1 creatures to crew the Smuggler’s Copter. When you enter the combat phase, the Smuggler’s Copter is ready to attack.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Crewing Vehicles
1. Can I crew a vehicle in response to a spell or ability?
Yes. The crew ability is an activated ability, which means you can activate it any time you have priority. This includes in response to your opponent’s spells or abilities, assuming you can legally pay the cost (tapping the required creatures).
2. Can I crew a vehicle during my opponent’s turn?
Yes, you can crew vehicles during any player’s turn as long as you have priority and can pay the crew cost. This is an excellent way to use vehicles defensively, turning them into blockers when needed.
3. What happens if the creatures I used to crew a vehicle are removed before combat damage?
The vehicle remains a creature until the end of the turn, even if the creatures that crewed it are no longer on the battlefield. The crew ability only needs to be paid once.
4. Can I crew a vehicle with a creature that has summoning sickness?
No. A creature with summoning sickness cannot be tapped to pay the cost of an ability, including the crew ability. The creature must have been under your control since the beginning of your most recent turn to be able to be tapped to crew a vehicle.
5. If a vehicle has already attacked this turn, can I crew it again?
Yes, you can crew a vehicle multiple times in a turn, as long as you have the necessary creatures and the mana if needed. However, remember that a creature with summoning sickness can’t be tapped.
6. Does crewing a vehicle trigger “enters the battlefield” effects?
No. The vehicle is already on the battlefield. Crewing it simply changes its type to an artifact creature. “Enters the battlefield” triggers only occur when a permanent moves from a zone other than the battlefield (like your hand or graveyard) to the battlefield.
7. If a vehicle is destroyed as a creature, does it go to the graveyard?
Yes. If a vehicle is a creature (due to being crewed) and is destroyed, it goes to the graveyard like any other creature. If it’s not a creature, it will be sent to the graveyard, same as any artifact.
8. Can I crew a vehicle with a Planeswalker?
Only if the Planeswalker is a creature. Some Planeswalkers have abilities that temporarily turn them into creatures. In that state, they can be tapped to crew a vehicle.
9. What happens if a vehicle with deathtouch deals damage to an indestructible creature?
The indestructible creature survives. Indestructible creatures can’t be destroyed by damage, even from a source with deathtouch.
10. Can I tap a creature with Defender to crew a vehicle?
Yes. Defender only restricts a creature from attacking. It doesn’t prevent the creature from being tapped for other purposes, such as crewing a vehicle.
11. Can I crew a vehicle with a 0 power creature?
No. You must tap creatures with total power equal to or greater than the vehicle’s crew cost. A creature with 0 power contributes nothing to that total.
12. Does Hexproof protect a vehicle from being destroyed by a creature with Deathtouch if the vehicle is crewed?
Hexproof protects a permanent from being the target of spells or abilities your opponent controls. If a crewed vehicle takes damage from a creature with deathtouch, the deathtouch ability doesn’t target the vehicle; it simply makes any damage dealt lethal. Hexproof does not protect the vehicle in this situation.
13. What if I only partially pay for the Crew cost?
You can’t partially pay for the crew ability. If a card has a crew cost of 3, you have to tap at least 3 power worth of creatures.
14. If a vehicle has flying and I crew it, does it still have flying when attacking?
Yes, a vehicle retains any abilities printed on the card, such as flying, even after it has been crewed and becomes a creature.
15. How do I learn more about Magic: The Gathering and strategic gameplay?
Explore resources like the Games Learning Society for insights into the educational and strategic aspects of games. Visit GamesLearningSociety.org for more information. You can also find videos on youtube!
Mastering the Art of the Crew
Crewing vehicles is a nuanced aspect of Magic: The Gathering that requires careful timing and strategic thinking. Understanding the priority system, the combat phase structure, and the specific abilities of your creatures and vehicles is crucial for maximizing their potential. Whether you’re launching a surprise attack or building a formidable defense, knowing when and how to crew your vehicles can be the key to victory.