Untap and Unleash: Can You Attack Twice with a Creature in Magic: The Gathering?
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In the captivating world of Magic: The Gathering, strategies abound, and understanding the intricacies of combat is crucial for victory. One common question players ask is: Can you untap a creature and attack again in the same turn? The simple answer is: no, not in a standard game of Magic. A creature can only be declared as an attacker once per turn. While you can untap a creature after it has attacked, it cannot attack again during the same combat phase. This is a fundamental rule of the game designed to prevent overpowered combat sequences. Let’s delve deeper into the nuances of this rule and explore related concepts.
Understanding the Attack Phase
The combat phase is broken down into distinct steps:
- Beginning of Combat Step: This is where triggered abilities that trigger at the beginning of combat occur.
- Declare Attackers Step: You choose which creatures you control will attack. Tapping a creature when it’s declared as an attacker isn’t a cost; attacking simply causes creatures to become tapped.
- Declare Blockers Step: Your opponent chooses which of their creatures will block your attacking creatures.
- Combat Damage Step: Creatures deal combat damage to the creatures they’re blocking or are blocked by, or to the defending player if they’re unblocked. This happens twice if creatures with first strike or double strike are involved.
- End of Combat Step: The combat phase concludes.
Once a creature has been declared as an attacker during the Declare Attackers step, it is considered to have attacked for that turn. Even if it’s untapped later, the game doesn’t allow it to be declared as an attacker again.
The Illusion of a Second Attack
While a creature cannot literally attack twice in a turn, there are card interactions and mechanics that might feel like a second attack. The most notable of these involves triggered abilities.
Triggered Abilities and Combat
Some creatures have abilities that trigger “when this creature attacks.” It’s crucial to understand that a creature dealing combat damage is not the same as attacking. The trigger occurs during the declaration of attackers, not during the resolution of combat damage. Thus, untapping a creature and having it deal damage in another way won’t re-trigger abilities that specify “when this creature attacks”.
Double Strike: Two Doses of Damage
Double strike is an evergreen keyword ability that allows a creature to deal combat damage twice per combat phase. The first time is during the first combat damage step (along with creatures that have first strike), and the second time is during the second combat damage step (along with creatures without these keywords). This effectively allows a creature to deal damage twice during the same combat phase, but it still only attacks once.
Untapping for Other Purposes
Even if a creature cannot attack again after being untapped, untapping effects still have significant value.
Activating Abilities
Many creatures have activated abilities that require them to be tapped. Untapping a creature allows you to use these abilities more than once in a turn. For example, if you control a creature with an ability that says, “Tap: Draw a card,” you can only use that ability once per turn unless you find a way to untap the creature.
Defensive Maneuvers
Untapping a creature after it attacks allows it to be available to block during your opponent’s turn. This is a crucial strategic consideration, as it allows you to both pressure your opponent and maintain a strong defense. Tapping or untapping a creature that’s already been declared as an attacker or blocker doesn’t remove it from combat and doesn’t prevent its combat damage.
Related Mechanics
Haste: The Exception to Summoning Sickness
Creatures that have haste do not suffer from the effects of summoning sickness and can attack as soon as they enter the battlefield. This allows you to deploy a creature and immediately put it on the offensive.
Summoning Sickness
A creature that you haven’t controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn can’t attack or use abilities that include the tap symbol in their cost. A creature also gets summoning sickness when control of the creature changes. Creatures with Summoning Sickness can also block as normal.
Examples of Untap Effects
There are many cards that allow you to untap creatures. Examples include:
- “Seedborn Muse”: Untaps all creatures you control during each other player’s untap step.
- “Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner”: Her +1 ability untaps a target creature you control.
These cards can be used to unlock strategic options, like untapping a creature to use its activated ability or leaving it available to block.
FAQs: Untapping and Attacking in MTG
1. Even if you untap your creatures with some effect, are they still considered to have attacked this turn and can’t attack again?
Yes. Once a creature is declared as an attacker during the Declare Attackers step, it is considered to have attacked for that turn. Untapping it will not allow it to attack again.
2. Can a creature with summoning sickness block?
Yes, a creature with summoning sickness can block. Summoning sickness only prevents attacking and using abilities that include the tap symbol in their cost.
3. Can you tap down a creature that’s already tapped?
Yes, you can tap creatures that are already tapped, and it has no extra effect (they will still untap when they are supposed to). However, you cannot use a tapped creature to pay for a cost that includes tapping a creature.
4. Does haste untap a tapped creature?
No, haste doesn’t untap a tapped creature. Haste allows creatures to attack – or tap/untap to activate any abilities – the turn they come into play under your control.
5. Does attacking count as tapping a creature?
No, attacking doesn’t “cost” tapping a creature. Attacking simply causes the creature to become tapped.
6. Can you tap a creature twice?
You can target a tapped creature with Dungeon Geists. When the ability resolves the tap portion will do nothing as you cannot tap an already tapped creature, but the rest of the ability will still apply and it will not untap as long as you control Dungeon Geists.
7. Can a blocking creature use a tap ability?
You are allowed to block and then tap your creatures. It never has to tap when it blocks, so during the declare blockers phase, after it has chosen to block, it can use it’s ability.
8. Can you have double strike twice?
No, multiple instances of double strike are redundant. Double Strike effectively means a creature deals damage as though it has First Strike and as though it didn’t.
9. Does First Strike bypass Deathtouch?
If a creature with First Strike deals lethal damage to a creature with Deathtouch in the first combat damage step, the Deathtouch creature will die before it can deal damage.
10. Does indestructible prevent damage?
Indestructible does not prevent damage, it prevents damage from causing a creature to be destroyed.
11. Does lifelink work when blocking?
Yes, lifelink works when blocking. Any damage dealt by the creature, including attacking, blocking, fight effects, direct damage to a permanent, and any other way that a creature can deal damage to anything.
12. What happens if a creature has first strike and Deathtouch?
If a creature has First Strike and Death touch will whatever they did damage to die BEFORE that other creature deals theirs. Example: I have a 4/2 with first strike and Death touch, I attack and opponent blocks with a 10/10. The 10/10 will be instantly killed by the 4/2 with death touch without the 4/2 taking damage.
13. Does Deathtouch cancel Deathtouch?
“Any two instances of the Deathtouch ability against one another cancel out the Deathtouch ability.”
14. What wins indestructible vs Deathtouch?
Indestructible creatures also ignore deathtouch. Normally, a creature is destroyed if it takes damage from a creature with deathtouch. But since indestructible creatures can’t be destroyed, they’re immune.
15. Can you extra attack after a spell?
No, making a spell attack is not taking the attack action, which is required for extra attack. By extension, the Extra Attack feature (given by several classes, including the fighter and paladin) doesn’t let you cast extra attack spells. That feature specifically relies on the Attack action, not the Cast a Spell action or any other action.
Strategic Considerations
While you cannot attack twice with the same creature in a turn, clever use of untapping effects can provide significant advantages. Using these effects to reactivate abilities, defend against opponents, or unlock new combat opportunities is a hallmark of skilled Magic: The Gathering players. Remember to explore resources like the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org for deeper insights into game strategy and learning.