Commanding Your Metal Steed: Crewing Vehicles the Turn They Enter in Magic: The Gathering
The question on every budding artificer’s mind: Can you crew a vehicle the turn it enters the battlefield? The resounding answer is yes, absolutely! However, like navigating a complex racetrack, understanding the nuances of vehicle mechanics is crucial for maximizing their potential. While you can crew a vehicle the turn it enters, the implications of summoning sickness must be carefully considered. Let’s delve into the specifics of how vehicles work, and address some frequently asked questions.
Understanding Vehicle Mechanics: More Than Meets the Eye
Vehicles in Magic: The Gathering are unique artifacts that can temporarily transform into artifact creatures through the Crew ability. This ability allows you to tap creatures you control with a combined power equal to or greater than the vehicle’s Crew cost, turning the vehicle into a creature until the end of the turn. This transformation grants the vehicle its power and toughness, allowing it to attack and block just like any other creature.
The Crew Ability in Detail
The Crew ability is an activated ability. This means you can activate it at any time you have priority, typically during your main phase. The cost of the ability is tapping creatures, and the effect is the vehicle becoming an artifact creature. Remember, you must be able to pay the full Crew cost. You cannot partially crew a vehicle.
Summoning Sickness and Vehicles: A Crucial Caveat
While you can crew a vehicle the turn it enters, the crucial aspect to remember is summoning sickness. A permanent is affected by summoning sickness if it’s a creature and you haven’t controlled it continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn. Creatures with summoning sickness cannot attack or use activated abilities that include the tap symbol.
What this means for vehicles is that even if you crew it the turn it enters, it can only attack if it has haste. If your newly-summoned vehicle doesn’t have haste, you can still crew it to block if necessary or to tap the vehicle for another purpose, however, it will not be able to attack.
Frequently Asked Questions About Vehicles and Crewing
To further clarify the intricacies of vehicle mechanics, here are 15 frequently asked questions:
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Can you tap Vehicles the turn they come in?
Yes. The Crew ability does not use the tap symbol as part of its activation cost. Therefore, you can tap any untapped creature to crew a vehicle, even one that just entered the battlefield. You can even tap an animated Vehicle to crew another Vehicle.
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Can you crew a vehicle multiple times in a turn?
Yes. Vehicles can be crewed even if they have already been turned into a creature, as long as you have sufficient power among your untapped creatures to meet the crew cost. Keep in mind that recrewing the same vehicle, unless specified in the vehicle’s rules text, will not provide any additional effects.
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Can you crew a vehicle with a vehicle?
Yes, absolutely! Using a crewed vehicle to crew another can be a strategic move. This is especially useful when trying to crew vehicles with high Crew costs, like Heart of Kiran, or to chain crew activations with other vehicles to create powerful board states.
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Can you tap Vehicles to crew?
You can crew a tapped or untapped vehicle. However, if the vehicle is already tapped, you can’t use it for attacking or blocking, even after you crew it. Crewing a tapped vehicle won’t untap it.
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Can you tap a vehicle without crewing it?
No. You must activate the Crew ability if you are tapping creatures to meet a Crew cost. You cannot partially pay for the Crew ability.
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Can you partially crew a vehicle?
No. You cannot activate the Crew ability if you do not have enough resources to meet the Crew cost. You must tap creatures with a combined power equal to or greater than the vehicle’s Crew cost.
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How long does crewing last?
Once you’ve crewed your vehicle, it becomes an artifact creature with the power and toughness specified on the card until end of turn.
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Can you crew vehicles at instant speed?
Yes. The Crew ability is an activated ability and can be activated at any time you have priority, including at instant speed. However, remember that you cannot declare blockers with both the crewed creatures and the vehicle, since the crewed creatures are tapped before you begin to declare blockers.
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Does Deathtouch work on vehicles?
As long as the vehicle is a creature (i.e., it has been crewed), yes. If it is dealt damage from a source with Deathtouch, it will be destroyed. The creatures that were tapped to turn the vehicle into a creature are not affected.
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Do you have to Crew a vehicle every turn?
Yes. The vehicle only becomes an artifact creature until the end of the turn it was crewed. If you want to use it as a creature on a subsequent turn, you’ll need to crew it again.
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Do crewed vehicles have summoning sickness?
Yes. When a vehicle crews to become an artifact creature, it is subject to the summoning sickness rules just like any other creature. If you haven’t controlled the vehicle continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn, it cannot attack unless it has haste.
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Can you Crew at any time?
You have to crew before combat starts if you wish to attack with it. Combat starts with the Declare Attackers Step, and the first thing that happens there is the active player declares specific creatures as attacking. This happens before anyone gets priority, so you have to crew before this step.
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Can Planeswalkers Crew Vehicles?
If a planeswalker is also a creature (due to an ability or effect), it can crew a vehicle, just like any other creature. If a planeswalker is not a creature, it cannot crew a vehicle.
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How many times can you Crew a vehicle?
You can activate a vehicle’s Crew ability as many times as you are able to pay the cost, but each additional activation will usually have no additional effect, unless the vehicle’s text indicates otherwise.
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Can you respond to crewing a vehicle?
Yes, you can respond to the activation of the Crew ability. However, the vehicle will still be crewed when the ability resolves, regardless of your response. For example, your opponent can activate the crew ability of a vehicle and tap a newly summoned creature to crew it, giving you only the opportunity to respond to that activation.
Vehicles and Learning: A Strategic Intersection
The intricacies of vehicle mechanics provide a valuable learning opportunity for players of all skill levels. Understanding concepts like timing, resource management, and the interplay between different game elements are all essential for success in Magic: The Gathering. Organizations like the Games Learning Society, found at GamesLearningSociety.org, explore the educational potential of games, and Magic: The Gathering is no exception. The strategic thinking and problem-solving skills honed while playing can be applied to various aspects of life, from academic pursuits to professional endeavors. So, embrace the challenge, master the mechanics, and unlock the full potential of your metal steeds!
By understanding these rules and nuances, you’ll be well-equipped to pilot your vehicles to victory. Good luck, and may your engines always be firing on all cylinders!