Can you tap an attacking creature

Even if it has vigilance, tapping it will not remove it from combat unless it's due to regeneration or an effect that explicitly removes something from combat. However, there are occasions before the Declare Attackers step when opponents are allowed to tap potential attackers; in particular, the end of the pre-combat main phase, and the end of the "beginning of combat" step.

For convenience, most players respect "In response to your declaration to attack" as shorthand for playing something at the end of the main phase. Note, however, that the attacker is not obligated to declare attackers before such a response, and is free to change any declaration that was proposed before you interrupted it. For example, if your opponent plays Arc Runner and immediately declares it as an attacker, you may play Twitch on that Arc Runner "in response," by which you really mean at the end of his or her pre-combat main phase.

However, if you do, your opponent is then allowed to attack with any other creatures he or she controls. On the other hand, if you specifically ask which creatures your opponent is attacking with, you have implicitly given up the ability to play Twitch until after they're attacking. As for tapping a creature to remove it from combat, something similar used to apply to blockers , not attackers. That rule was removed in the sixth edition rules update, when the stack was introduced.

Suppose a creature with Vigilance has been declared as an attacker. You can surely tap it, and perhaps gain an advantage thereby e. A little confusingly, if a creature is regenerated mid-combat, it is both tapped AND removed from combat. But the removal from combat is a property of regeneration, not a property of becoming tapped. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group.

Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. In Magic, when can I tap my opponent's creatures to prevent them from attacking? Ask Question. Asked 11 years ago. Active 6 years, 3 months ago. Viewed 37k times. Improve this question. Albort Albort 1, 1 1 gold badge 9 9 silver badges 9 9 bronze badges. Declaring a creature as attacking taps it. Even if it didn't, if the creature had Vigilance, once a creature is attacking, it's attacking unless an effect removes it from combat, being tapped does not do so.

Tabletop role-playing games. Can you tap an attacking creature with an instant? Can you cast instants during combat? Can creatures attack their controller? Can your creatures attack you? What happens when you Unattach a creature you control? No one has priority to do anything while attackers are being declared during the declare attackers phase.

You can tap creatures once the attack phase is entered, but before attackers are declared, however. Once you attack with a creature and use Tideforce Elemental ability to untap it can the creature attack again on the same turn.

You can never tap a tapped creature or untap an untapped creature. Tapping a tapped creature and untapping an untapped creature are impossible actions.

Re: if I give creature vigilance after attacking can i untap it?