Does Summoning Sickness Affect Tap Abilities of Artifacts in Magic: The Gathering?

Summoning sickness is a term that strikes fear and confusion into the hearts of many Magic: The Gathering players, especially newcomers. The simple answer to whether summoning sickness affects tap abilities of artifacts is: it depends. If the artifact is also a creature, then yes, summoning sickness applies. A plain artifact, however, is unaffected by summoning sickness and can use its tap abilities freely, regardless of when it entered the battlefield. Now, let’s delve into the nuances of this rule.

Understanding Summoning Sickness

Summoning sickness essentially prevents a creature from attacking or using abilities with the tap symbol ({T}) or the untap symbol ({Q}) in their activation cost if it hasn’t been under your control continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn. This is a simplification, but captures the core principle. This restriction is specifically tied to creatures, not all permanents.

Artifacts and Summoning Sickness

A plain artifact – one that isn’t a creature – can be tapped for its abilities as soon as it enters the battlefield. Think of something like a Sol Ring or a Tumble Magnet. You can play them and immediately use their activated abilities, even if those abilities require tapping.

The complication arises when an artifact is also a creature. This could be an Artifact Creature, like a Steel Overseer, or an artifact that temporarily becomes a creature due to an effect such as the one created by the card March of the Machines. In these instances, summoning sickness does apply. You can’t attack with that artifact creature or use its tap abilities until it has been continuously under your control since the start of your turn.

Creatures, Artifacts, and Activated Abilities

The key is to always remember that summoning sickness applies only to permanents with the card type Creature. The restriction is on using the creature for attack, and activating tap or untap abilities. If a card is not a creature, summoning sickness doesn’t apply.

The Exception to the Exception: Mana Abilities

There’s always an exception, even to the exception! Lands, which can become creatures, might seem like they’d always be subject to summoning sickness upon becoming creatures. However, mana abilities (those that produce mana), even on a creature land, can be used, unless the ability also contains the tap/untap symbol. This is why you can’t attack with a creature land, or use abilities containing tap/untap, the turn it becomes a creature, but you can tap it for mana if that’s its ability, and if the tap for mana ability does not contain the tap symbol.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Summoning Sickness and Artifacts

Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the intricacies of summoning sickness and its interaction with artifacts:

1. Do artifact tap abilities have summoning sickness?

Plain artifacts don’t have summoning sickness. Only if an artifact is also a creature is it affected.

2. Does summoning sickness stop tap abilities?

Yes, but only on creatures. Summoning sickness prevents a creature from using abilities that require tapping (or untapping) as part of the activation cost.

3. Do lands with tap abilities have summoning sickness?

Lands themselves aren’t affected by summoning sickness, but if a land becomes a creature, it becomes subject to summoning sickness like any other creature. However, it can still tap for mana, even the turn it becomes a creature, so long as the tap for mana ability does not use the tap symbol.

4. Do artifacts turned into creatures have summoning sickness?

Yes. If an effect turns an artifact into a creature, it becomes subject to summoning sickness.

5. Can artifacts tap immediately?

Yes, if they are not creatures. The moment an artifact that isn’t a creature enters the battlefield, you can tap it to activate its abilities.

6. Can you tap artifacts at instant speed?

Yes, unless the artifact’s ability specifies otherwise, you can activate it at instant speed.

7. Can you tap a mana dork with summoning sickness?

No, not the turn it enters the battlefield. A mana dork (a creature that produces mana) is still a creature and subject to summoning sickness.

8. Is tapping an artifact land an activated ability?

Yes. Any ability that requires a cost, followed by a colon, and then an effect, is an activated ability. Tapping an artifact land for mana is an activated ability.

9. Can you tap a creature with summoning sickness for convoke?

Yes. When you convoke, you’re tapping the creature as part of the effect of the convoke ability, not as part of the creature’s own ability’s cost. Therefore, summoning sickness doesn’t prevent you from using a creature to convoke.

10. Can you counter tap abilities?

Activated abilities themselves cannot be countered by normal counter spells that target spells. However, cards like Stifle and Voidslime can counter activated abilities.

11. Do artifact creatures count as artifacts?

Yes! Artifact creatures are both artifacts and creatures, meaning rules and effects that target either type will affect them.

12. Can you use a tap ability while attacking?

No. You declare attackers before you have priority to activate abilities. You could, however, activate an ability that taps a creature before declaring attackers (during the beginning of combat step) to prevent it from attacking.

13. Can you tap equipped artifacts?

Yes. Tapping the artifact that is equipment does not tap the creature it is attached to, and vice versa. They are independent permanents on the battlefield.

14. Can you tap an artifact on your opponent’s turn?

Yes, unless the artifact’s ability restricts when it can be activated, you can activate it on your opponent’s turn.

15. Can you tap artifacts for mana?

Some artifacts have abilities that allow you to tap them for mana. In addition, you can tap artifacts, and sometimes artifact creatures, for alternative costs like improvise.

Educational Games and Resources

Understanding the nuances of Magic: The Gathering rules can be challenging, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. The game’s complexity encourages strategic thinking, problem-solving, and even social interaction. For more on how games can be used for educational purposes, check out the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. GamesLearningSociety.org fosters research and promotes best practices in the use of games for learning.