Can you use enchantment abilities as instants?
Magic: The Gathering has many rules and nuances, and one question that can raise eyebrows is whether enchantment abilities can be used as instants. In this article, we’ll break down the rules and shed light on when and if it’s possible to use enchantment abilities as instants.
What are enchanted creatures?
Before diving into the main question, it’s essential to understand what enchanted creatures are. Enchanted creatures are creatures that have been permanently affected by a spell. This permanent effect might be a static ability or a triggered ability. Not every enchantment, however, will affect creatures. Only the Enchantment enchantments themselves have the possibility to enchanted creatures.
Can I use enchantment abilities as instants?
As we mentioned, enchantments are a specific type of spell that, by themselves, cannot be used as instants. There are some specific exceptions:
- Enchantments that have a flavor text ability ("Flash" is an excellent example) are considered a single spell-like ability on a creature that can tap at instant speed.
- If an Enchantment or Artifact has a secondary effect when a card ability is played, (this is more common, particularly with planeswalkers or some land cards.
The basic rule still holds: All enchantment abilities, apart from special exceptions, work at a separate timing.
More Clarification:
This includes tapping land abilities, not just activated creature abilities or other activated enchantment abilities. Not to be missed, also apply to permanent enchanting artifacts, though they themselves won’t typically have timing information.
To summarize; enchanted creatures aren’t explicitly granted instant-timing just by being enchanted. Not until they come with separate flavor text capabilities or primary card effects when abilities is activated.
The following image can help:
| Enchantment Ability 1 (Instant-enabled) | Enchantment Ability 2 (None of Them Do so Naturally) |
|---|---|
| Instant-speed tapped land Example: *Trollfests in the Grove** | Can’t have any instant effects None: |
We can discuss each point for more if required.
Keep in your mind that enchanted creatures being part of separate timing may still require a delay after activation. No time is specified for activating them. A delay time in between for the sake of game continuity.
*To recap again: you’re allowed use enchantments and their capabilities as standard and in time with activation if there no specific circumstances preventing this for the main time of execution. And not just an enchant creature has an instantaneous effect through that enchant creature. To achieve instant capability, something unique needs.