When Can I Tap a Card With a Tap Ability in "Magic: The Gathering"?
- A tap ability is a type of activated ability, meaning a card ability that triggers when you pay a cost. Some cards' tap abilities have a cost in addition to tapping. For example, the Artifact card Mind Spell has two activated abilities: 1) tap to add one colorless mana to your mana pool, and 2) pay one colorless mana, tap, and sacrifice Mind Spell to draw a card. You cannot tap the card and activate the tap ability unless you pay all the necessary costs.
- Tap abilities and other activated abilities are considered instants. In other words, you can tap a card and activate its tap ability at any time, even if it is not your turn. This allows you to use tap abilities during your own turn or to respond to your opponents' actions. To use a card's tap ability, tap the card by turning it sideways and declare any required targets. For example, if you tap the creature Master Healer, which has a tap effect of preventing the next four damage dealt to a creature or player, you must declare which creature or player is the target.
- There are two situations where you cannot use a card's tap ability. First, when a creature without the "Haste" keyword is brought into play from your hand, it has "summoning sickness." You cannot attack with the creature or use its tap abilities until after the beginning of your next turn. Second, you cannot use the tap abilities of cards you don't control. For example, if an opponent uses an enchantment to gain control of one of your cards, he can use its tap ability and you cannot.
- Even though you can use a tap ability whenever you could cast an instant, that doesn't mean you should. Remember that once a card is tapped, it remains tapped until the beginning of your next turn and cannot attack or defend, unless you can use another effect to untap it. If you use a creature's tap ability, you won't have it to defend against attacks. Also remember that spells and abilities resolve beginning with the last one played. For example, if you tap Master Healer and your opponent then plays the instant Terminate to destroy Master Healer, her card resolves first and Master Healer's tap ability does not take effect.