Is Chimeric Mass affected by summoning sickness?
Asked by BrownDog5117 14 years ago
I was playing with a buddy of mine and he played a Chimeric Mass . He then went on to turn it into a creature and attack me with it on the same turn. I was confused and asked, "He has haste??". He then said that because it entered the field as an artifact, and artifacts are not affected by summoning sickness, when he turns it into a creature it can attack. Is he right? or was I duped!!! haha. Just curious.
ps. I still won the game :)
no it cant it still has the summoning sickness even though it is activated.
November 8, 2010 6:09 p.m.
Ah yes, I was wrong. "Summoning sickness" is kind of misleading for this. If a card turns into a creature the turn you play it, it cannot attack because it needs to be on the field for a turn before it can attack. As per the community wizards forum. This sentence sums it up: "A permanent must have been under your control continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn".
November 8, 2010 6:21 p.m.
KrazyCaley says... #4
Leafs_suck is correct.
Every permanent suffers from "summoning sickness." It's just that it doesn't matter for the non-creature ones because "summoning sickness" affects only creatures.
To figure out if a creature is suffering from summoning sickness, you have to ask "Has this card been in play under my control since the turn started?"
November 8, 2010 6:36 p.m.
MagnorCriol says... #5
Leafs and zimek are correct, I believe. It doesn't matter how the permanent entered the battlefield; when it attacks, it matters only if it, as a permanent, has been "controlled by the active player continuously since the turn began." (rule 508.1a, talking about the Declare Attackers step).
There's similar text farther down in the rules when it's talking about tap-activated abilities, as well.
Artifacts elude this rule, but that doesn't change the fact that a Chimeric Mass , whatever state it exists in, didn't exist on the battlefield since the turn began if you activate it the turn it drops.
November 8, 2010 6:39 p.m.
mmm. All permanents have summoning sickness between when they either enter the battlefield or change controllers and their controller's next upkeep. However, it only affects creatures - creatures cannot attack, and activated abilities of these creatures which have a tap symbol in the cost cannot be activated. The Chimeric Mass has summoning sickness, but it doesn't matter when it's just an artifact. As soon as it becomes a creature, the summoning sickness actually affects it, and it can't attack. If it were to somehow gain an activated ability with a tap cost, that ability couldn't be activated once it's a creature.
November 8, 2010 6:51 p.m.
MagnorCriol says... #7
Actually, this raises a question for me that I've never considered - let's say you have a spell that lets you steal a creature but doesn't give them haste. If you cast it on your first main phase and steal an untapped creature your opponent's had out for a while, can you swing with it in your attack step?
It's existed on the battlefield for more than a turn, but it hasn't been in your control for more than a turn, and under your control seems to be the key phrase in the rules. I've always assumed the rule focused simply on if the creature had been on the battlefield, not who controlled it.
November 8, 2010 6:52 p.m.
I think it would still work because because summoning sickness is when it enters the battlefield, not if it switches sides.
November 8, 2010 6:59 p.m.
MagnorCriol says... #9
See, that's what I've always understood it as. But the rules we've just been talking about all check if the permanent has been "controlled by the active player continuously since the turn began" - not 'has existed on the battlefield since the turn began,' or some similar wording that I imagine it'd use if that was the case.
It seems to me as though, based on the rules I've just read, that it only matters if you've controlled it since the turn began (or it has haste), not if it's existed since then as I previously thought.
Of course, it's possible (likely, even, given how today's treated me) that I'm simply missing something.
November 8, 2010 7:05 p.m.
If this is true, makes Mind Control not quite as awesome, having to wait a turn to unleash their own creature on them. Although, it would make sense that the 1 turn only cards like Act of Treason would say haste. Hmmmm.
November 8, 2010 7:27 p.m.
nope, if you gain control of it and it doesn't get haste (Control Magic ), it can't attack the turn it changes sides. Technically entering the battlefield is irrelevant, it just has to be under your control continuously since your previous upkeep.
November 8, 2010 7:29 p.m.
MagnorCriol says... #13
That's pretty interesting. Definitely a change from what I thought things were. I always just assumed the "it has haste" clause on most stealer spells were just so that they wouldn't be useless against a creature the opponent had just summoned.
Thanks for the confirmation sporkife.
Deco_y says... #1
I believe your friend is correct. Since it enters as an artifact, and other artifacts, such as equipment, can be equppied the same turn it was played, this is an activated ability of an artifact, therefore it shouldn't have summoning sickness and can attack. I might be wrong though.
November 8, 2010 6:01 p.m.