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Rules AnswersMana, Costs & Casting

Can you use convoke to tap creatures with summoning sickness?

Short answer
No. Creatures with summoning sickness cannot be tapped to convoke, because convoke requires tapping the creature as a cost.

Convoke lets you tap creatures you control to help pay for a spell's mana cost, reducing the cost by one mana per creature tapped (or more if the creature matches the spell's color). However, tapping a creature as a convoke payment is still an act of tapping it as a cost, which means the normal rules about tapping apply.

Under CR 302.6, a creature cannot attack or use activated abilities with the tap symbol in their cost if it has been under your control since the beginning of your most recent turn — commonly called 'summoning sickness.' CR 702.51b specifically states that tapping a creature for convoke is a cost, and CR 302.6 prohibits tapping a creature for costs if it is affected by summoning sickness.

The key rule is CR 302.6: a creature can only be tapped for costs (including convoke) if you have controlled it continuously since the start of your most recent turn. If you just played a creature this turn and it has summoning sickness, you cannot tap it to convoke a spell.

Concrete example: You cast a 2/2 creature on your turn. Later that same turn, you want to cast a convoke spell and tap your new 2/2 to help pay for it. You cannot do this — the 2/2 has summoning sickness and may not be tapped as a convoke cost. If you wait until your next turn, you can freely tap it for convoke.

Note: Creatures with vigilance or abilities that say they can tap without being affected by summoning sickness are exceptions, but by default summoning sickness blocks convoke use.

HIGH confidence CR 302.6 CR 702.51b CR 509.1b
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