Can You Block with a Card with Summoning Sickness?
Summoning sickness is a common phenomenon in Magic: The Gathering, where a creature’s abilities are temporarily disabled after it’s been played. But what happens when a creature with summoning sickness is tapped to block an attacking creature? Can it still block, or is it stuck with its abilities silenced? In this article, we’ll delve into the rules and provide a clear answer to this question.
What is Summoning Sickness?
Before we dive into the blocking scenario, let’s quickly define what summoning sickness is. Summoning sickness is a status effect that applies to creatures that have just been played or cast. It prevents the creature from attacking or using abilities until the beginning of the next turn. This means that a creature with summoning sickness can’t attack, use abilities, or trigger any effects that rely on its abilities until the next turn.
Blocking with Summoning Sickness
Now, let’s address the main question: Can you block with a card with summoning sickness? The answer is yes. A creature with summoning sickness can still block an attacking creature, even if it can’t attack or use abilities itself.
Here are some key points to note:
- Blocking is not an ability: Blocking is a separate action that doesn’t rely on the creature’s abilities. Since blocking is not an ability, it’s not affected by summoning sickness.
- Summoning sickness only affects abilities: Summoning sickness only prevents creatures from using their abilities, not from performing actions like blocking.
- Creatures can block at any time: Creatures can block at any point during combat, including during the combat phase, the main phase, or even the beginning of the next turn.
Example Scenario
Here’s an example scenario to illustrate this:
- Turn 1: You play a creature, "Flying Frenzy," which has summoning sickness.
- Turn 1: Your opponent attacks with a creature, "Blood Golem."
- Turn 1: You tap Flying Frenzy to block Blood Golem.
- Turn 2: Flying Frenzy’s summoning sickness is removed, and it can now attack and use its abilities.
In this scenario, Flying Frenzy is able to block Blood Golem on Turn 1 despite having summoning sickness. This is because blocking is not an ability and is not affected by summoning sickness.
Consequences of Blocking with Summoning Sickness
When a creature with summoning sickness blocks, it’s important to note that it won’t gain any benefits from the blocking action. For example, if the creature being blocked has deathtouch, the blocking creature will still die even if it has summoning sickness.
Here’s a summary of the consequences of blocking with summoning sickness:
| Consequence | Description |
|---|---|
| No abilities triggered | The blocking creature’s abilities won’t be triggered. |
| No lifelink gained | The blocking creature won’t gain lifelink from blocking. |
| Deathtouch still applies | The blocking creature will still die if the creature being blocked has deathtouch. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, a creature with summoning sickness can still block an attacking creature. This is because blocking is a separate action that doesn’t rely on the creature’s abilities, and summoning sickness only affects abilities. Remember that the blocking creature won’t gain any benefits from the blocking action, and deathtouch will still apply.
By understanding the rules surrounding summoning sickness and blocking, you’ll be better equipped to make strategic decisions during combat and navigate the complexities of Magic: The Gathering.
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