Can Relic of Legends Tap Creatures with Summoning Sickness?
In the world of Magic: The Gathering, summoning sickness is a state in which creatures are unable to attack or use abilities on the turn they are played. This is a crucial mechanic that adds depth and strategy to the game. In this article, we will delve into the question of whether Relic of Legends can tap creatures with summoning sickness.
Direct Answer
Yes, Relic of Legends can tap creatures with summoning sickness. According to the official Magic: The Gathering rules, abilities that require tapping a creature, such as Relic of Legends’s ability, can be used even if the creature has summoning sickness. This is because tapping a creature is not the same as allowing it to attack or use abilities freely.
Why Can Relic of Legends Tap Creatures with Summoning Sickness?
There are a few reasons why Relic of Legends can tap creatures with summoning sickness:
- Tapping a creature is not the same as allowing it to attack: When a creature attacks, it is able to use its abilities and deal combat damage to the opposing player. However, when a creature is tapped, it is simply unable to attack and cannot use its abilities. This means that Relic of Legends’s ability to tap creatures with summoning sickness does not trigger the same restrictions as allowing the creature to attack.
- Relic of Legends’s ability is an alternate cost: Relic of Legends’s ability allows you to tap a creature in order to pay for its cost. This means that the ability is not dependent on the creature being able to attack or use its abilities, but rather on the creature being able to be tapped.
- Summoning sickness only applies to attacking: Summoning sickness only applies to creatures when they are declared as attackers. When a creature is tapped, it is not declaring as an attacker, and therefore is not affected by summoning sickness.
Examples
Here are a few examples of how Relic of Legends can tap creatures with summoning sickness:
- Serra Angel: Serra Angel is a 4/4 creature with flying that has summoning sickness. However, you can still tap Serra Angel with Relic of Legends’s ability in order to pay for its cost.
- Goblin Warchief: Goblin Warchief is a 2/2 creature with haste that has summoning sickness. However, you can still tap Goblin Warchief with Relic of Legends’s ability in order to pay for its cost.
- Elvish Mystic: Elvish Mystic is a 1/1 creature with summoning sickness. However, you can still tap Elvish Mystic with Relic of Legends’s ability in order to pay for its cost.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Relic of Legends can indeed tap creatures with summoning sickness. This ability can be used to pay for the cost of spells and abilities, even if the creature would normally be unable to attack or use its abilities due to summoning sickness. It is important to remember that summoning sickness only applies to creatures when they are declared as attackers, and that tapping a creature is not the same as allowing it to attack or use its abilities freely.