Drowner of Hope sacrifice ability on same turn it was played?
Asked by cradford609 8 years ago
OK, So I know that activated abilities cannot be used on the same turn that a card is played due to summoning sickness.
To me that's cut and dry. But the wife thinks that because Drowner of Hope's second ability is activated by sacrificing a creature which can be sacrificed at any time, that of "sacrifice eldrazi scion; tap opponent creature".
I say that since you can't sacrifice the scion and get your +1 mana AND ALSO tap a creature (i.e. The ability of drowner is an ACTIVATED ability and not a TRIGGERED ability, which would cause BOTH effects to transpire and would be written more like "Tap target creature whenever an eldrazi scion under your control is sacrificed"). An ability with such syntax would be able to trigger the same turn a card is played. Since the tapping is overruling the gaining 1 colorless mana, it tells me that the sacrifice is occurring not because creature X can sacrifice itself at any time, but because creature Y has now sacrificed creature X (i.e. creature Y is activating an ability).
So what's upo? There's no official ruling and I'm guessing that's just because the syntax works the way it's written and if your pay attention to verbage, WOTC expects the answer is apparent, right?
Raging_Squiggle says... #2
Patron Wizard's ability bypasses summoning sickness because it does not use the 
symbol.
Temporal Adept's ability is affected by summoning sickness because it has the ability in the cost.
If there is no symbol in the Cost Part of an activated ability, it can be activated the same turn it came under your control.
March 4, 2016 11:24 a.m.
Also worth noting that summoning sickness applies only to creatures with abilities. If you have an artifact, enchantment or land that has a ability, like Voltaic Key, you can activate it the turn you play it without any problems.
You can also sacrifice those Scions the turn they come into play, that's not a ability either.
March 4, 2016 1:32 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #4
Note that "summoning sickness" applies to all permanents, but only affects permanents that are creatures.
If a Dimir Keyrune is animated the turn it comes under your control, you will then not be able to activate its mana ability.
Similarly, if a permanent loses its creature type, (i.e. You use Memnarch to take an opponent's Dimir Keyrune while it is animated), and it loses its creature status at EOT, you will be able to activate its mana ability.
March 4, 2016 1:39 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #5
I think there are two questions being asked here.
First, as the others have said, summoning sickness affects any creature that you have not continuously controlled since the beginning of your most recent turn. Summoning sickness prevents you from activating abilities of the "summoning sick" creature with the or 
symbols in their costs. It also prevents you from attacking with that creature.
None of that is relevant here because neither Drowner of Hope's ability nor Eldrazi Scion's ability has the or symbol in its cost.
When you activate an ability, you announce it, make decisions for it (modes, targets, etc.), and pay its costs. No player has priority during this process. You can't activate two abilities at one time, and you can't use one payment to satisfy the costs of two abilities. As you say, the only time you can get multiple things out of one event is if other abilities trigger while you're casting, activating, or paying for something.
Therefore, your wife has to choose between activating Eldrazi Scion's ability or activating Drowner of Hope's ability. Even though you could pay for either by sacrificing Eldrazi Scion, you can't choose both and you can't pay for both.
Gidgetimer says... #1
Summoning sickness only applies to attacking and abilities that use the tap symbol. Abilities that don't use the tap symbol such as Drowner of Hope's second ability can be activated any time you can pay the cost.
302.6. A creatures activated ability with the tap symbol or the untap symbol in its activation cost cant be activated unless the creature has been under its controllers control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. A creature cant attack unless it has been under its controllers control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. This rule is informally called the summoning sickness rule.
March 4, 2016 7:48 a.m.