Decoding Summoning Sickness: What Breaks the Creature’s First-Turn Jitters in Magic: The Gathering?
So, you’ve just slammed down a beefy creature onto the battlefield, ready to dominate your opponent. But wait! It’s just sitting there, useless for the turn. What gives? That, my friends, is the dreaded summoning sickness. In Magic: The Gathering (MTG), summoning sickness prevents a creature from attacking or using activated abilities with the tap or untap symbol the turn it enters the battlefield under your control. But how do you shake off this magical malady? The short answer is: continuously controlling the creature from the beginning of your next turn.
In more detail, a creature is not summoning sick if it has been under your continuous control since the start of your most recent turn. Note, that “continuous control” means that you haven’t lost control of the creature in any way since the beginning of your most recent turn.
The Nuances of Removing Summoning Sickness
While the basic principle is simple, several factors can influence whether a creature is affected by summoning sickness. Understanding these nuances is crucial for strategic gameplay. It’s not as simple as just waiting around!
Haste: The Anti-Summoning Sickness Elixir
The most direct solution is Haste. This ability effectively bypasses summoning sickness. A creature with haste can attack and use tap or untap abilities the very turn it enters the battlefield. Think of it as an adrenaline shot for your freshly summoned monster! However, keep in mind that the creature still has summoning sickness; Haste simply allows it to ignore the limitations. If a creature with haste were to suddenly lose it (perhaps due to an effect like Dress Down), the summoning sickness would then kick in, and the creature would be unable to attack or use tap/untap abilities.
The Turn Structure: Beginning is Key
The timing of the beginning of your turn is critical. A creature must be under your continuous control starting from the beginning of your turn. This means if you gain control of a creature during your turn, it will still have summoning sickness until the start of your next turn. If you steal a creature from an opponent mid-turn, that creature can’t attack that turn, even if it could have attacked for your opponent.
Continuous Control: No Breaks Allowed
Continuous control is a key phrase here. If a creature leaves the battlefield and returns (through effects like blinking or flickering), or if you temporarily lose control of the creature and then regain it, the “summoning sickness clock” resets.
Transformation: A Fresh Start (Sometimes)
Transforming a permanent into a creature is like summoning a brand new creature with all the associated baggage. The creature will have summoning sickness, so don’t expect to attack with your newly transformed land-creature right away.
Summoning Sickness and Lands: A Special Case
Normal lands don’t “summon,” so they don’t have summoning sickness. A land that becomes a creature is treated as a creature entering the battlefield. You cannot attack or use tap abilities with a land-creature unless it has been on the battlefield under your control since the beginning of your turn. However, if your land-creature has haste, it can attack right away.
FAQs: Demystifying Summoning Sickness
Still scratching your head? Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify the rules surrounding summoning sickness.
H3: 1. Does tapping a creature remove summoning sickness?
No. Tapping a creature has absolutely no effect on whether it has summoning sickness.
H3: 2. If I untap a creature with summoning sickness, can I attack with it?
No. Untapping a creature does not remove summoning sickness. It must be under your continuous control since the beginning of your turn.
H3: 3. Can a creature with summoning sickness block?
Yes! Summoning sickness only prevents attacking and using activated abilities with the tap or untap symbol. Blocking is perfectly legal.
H3: 4. If I flicker a creature, does it get summoning sickness again?
Yes. Flickering (exiling and returning) a creature resets its summoning sickness. It’s treated as a new creature entering the battlefield.
H3: 5. Does giving a creature haste remove its summoning sickness permanently?
No. Haste allows a creature to ignore summoning sickness, but it doesn’t remove it. If the creature loses haste, it becomes subject to summoning sickness.
H3: 6. Can I use abilities of a creature with summoning sickness?
Yes, as long as the abilities don’t require tapping the creature. Any other activated abilities are fair game.
H3: 7. Does summoning sickness apply to planeswalkers?
No, summoning sickness only applies to creatures. You can use a planeswalker’s abilities the turn it enters the battlefield, assuming you have enough loyalty.
H3: 8. Can I crew a vehicle with a creature that has summoning sickness?
Yes. Crewing a vehicle only requires tapping untapped creatures you control. Summoning sickness does not prevent crewing.
H3: 9. If I gain control of an opponent’s creature, does it have summoning sickness?
Yes. A creature you gain control of during your turn will have summoning sickness for you until the beginning of your next turn.
H3: 10. Does summoning sickness affect lands that become creatures?
Yes. If a land becomes a creature, it is subject to summoning sickness.
H3: 11. What happens if a creature with summoning sickness gains haste later in the turn?
The creature can immediately attack or use tap abilities, as haste overrides summoning sickness.
H3: 12. Does summoning sickness stop me from using mana abilities?
No, summoning sickness only prevents activated abilities with a tap or untap symbol in the cost. Mana abilities can still be used.
H3: 13. Does summoning sickness apply to tokens?
Yes. Creature tokens are subject to summoning sickness just like regular creatures.
H3: 14. I transformed an Incubator into a creature this turn. Does it have summoning sickness?
Yes, unless the Incubator token entered the battlefield on a previous turn. In this case, if the Incubator token was already in play and you transform it, it will not have summoning sickness.
H3: 15. Where can I learn more about the game concepts used in Magic: The Gathering?
There are several excellent resources available to those looking to expand their understanding of Magic: The Gathering. One such resource is the Games Learning Society, which helps educators understand how to use game concepts effectively. Check out GamesLearningSociety.org for more details.
Mastering Summoning Sickness: A Key to Victory
Understanding summoning sickness is vital for effective deck building and gameplay in Magic: The Gathering. Knowing how to mitigate it, either through haste or careful planning, can give you a significant advantage over your opponents. So, the next time you summon a powerful creature, you’ll be ready to unleash its full potential without delay.