Summoning sickness: rule change?
Asked by Emzed 13 years ago
My brother who introduced me into MtG taught me that if i cast a creature in my turn, it can use abilities that require it to tap in my opponent's turn already. Later I figured out that this contradicts the official rules, only if a creature is under my control since the beginning of my most recent turn I can use tap-abilities. So I told that to my brother and he answered that this rule has probably been changed since he started playing. I tried to find information about that online, but there was no evidence for any changes in the definition and rulings of summoning sickness. So, do you guys know if he was just wrong or if there were actually changes to this rule? My brother still insists on being able to tap creatures like Elvish Piper and Bloodline Keeper Flip Flip in my turn just after he played it, and that makes it pretty nasty to play against his decks, as those creatures basically gain haste :P
Rhadamanthus says... #2
Unfortunately I don't have my collection of old rulebooks on hand, so I can't verify it, but as far as I remember, Epochalyptik is right. The summoning sickness rule has always been that the creature has to have been under your control at the beginning of your most recent turn.
January 17, 2012 9:24 a.m.
Okay, thank you guys. I will have to convince him to accept this now :P
January 17, 2012 12:42 p.m.
metalmagic says... #4
I actually have a 5th edition rulebook at a friend's house. I'll look it up today whenever I go over and post back with what it says.
January 17, 2012 3:35 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #5
I found my Revised (3rd Edition) rulebook, and it has Summoning Sickness defined the same way it is today. The rule hasn't changed over the years.
January 17, 2012 11:01 p.m.
metalmagic says... #6
Yeah, that's correct. Straight from my 5th edition booklet I just found:
Summoning Sickness: The inability of a creature to attack or be tapped to pay for an ability unless you've had control of it from the beginning of your turn. Summoning sickness affects all creatures, including artifact creatures.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #1
Your brother was incorrect. Summoning sickness, to the extent of my knowledge, has always required that the affected permanent to have begun your most recent turn under your control in order to attack or use activated abilities with the tap symbol in them.
January 17, 2012 6:39 a.m.