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Picture your favorite creature in MTG: it charges into the red zone like a hero destined for greatness, smashes face, and then...WHOMP, flops over sideways, exhausted and tapped as if it's begging for a nap. Well, the Vigilance ability is the adamant refusal to take that nap.
That's right, folks. In today's Mechanics Overview Segment, we're going to dig deep into Vigilance, how it works, its history, and some rule tidbits you may want to keep in mind. So, without further ado, I hope you've got a cup of coffee ready because I'm going to need you to keep those eyes open as we get right into it!
What Is Vigilance?
Attacking doesn't cause this creature to tap.
Vigilance is eloquently defined in the Magic Comprehensive Rules
- (702.20a): Vigilance is a static ability that modifies the rules for the declare attackers step.
- (702.20b): Attacking doesn't cause creatures with Vigilance to tap.
- (702.20c): Multiple instances of Vigilance on the same creature are redundant.
And that's pretty much it. You attack, your creature with Vigiliance remains untapped, and you smirk at your opponent who thought you'd be left wide open for the crackback.
The History of Vigilance
When you look at Magic's original set, Alpha (1993), you notice that some creatures came printed with the line: "Attacking does not cause [this creature] to tap." That mouthful of rules text was effectively Vigilance before it had a proper name. Possibly the most famous example is Serra Angel, the classic 4/4 White flyer for five mana that, in the ancient days of Magic, was an absolute powerhouse (and to many, still a nostalgic icon of the game). In fact, back then, Vigilance was even commonly nicknamed the "Serra ability." And it wasn't until Champions of Kamigawa (2004) that this ability received its official keyword and evergreen status as "Vigilance".
What Colors Get Vigilance?
- White (Primary): Think orderly sentinels, palace guards, brave paladins who protect the realm while leading the charge. As such, White Vigilance Creatures often sport higher toughness than power (i.e., Warden of The Inner Sky, Brimaz, King of Oreskos, or even Adeline, Resplendent Cathar before your army builds up) because their job is often equal parts sword and shield.
- Green (Secondary): Big stompy beasts who barely notice lesser life?forms trying to stab their ankles. When a 6/6 Elder Gargaroth attacks and can still block the next turn, that's less "discipline" and more "I'm too large to care."
Every other color can borrow the ability on Multicolor rares or the occasional Artifact Creature, but if your Red Goblin randomly gets printed with Vigilance, you'll know somebody in R&D lost a bet.
Common FAQs About Vigilance
1. "Can My Vigilance Creature Still Be Tapped by Other Means?"
Absolutely. If your opponent uses Hylda's Crown of Winter or one of my favorite spells from Khans of Tarkir, Icy Blast, you can still have your creature tapped. Vigilance only prevents tapping as a result of attacking; it doesn't make your creature magically immune to other "tap" effects.
2. "Does Vigilance Get Around Summoning Sickness?"
No. Summoning sickness is about whether a creature can be declared as an attacker (or use activated abilities that tap it) the turn it enters the battlefield. Vigilance, unfortunately, doesn't bypass that. You still need haste if you want to attack or activate its ability on the turn that the creature enters. But once it's capable of attacking, Vigilance will allow that creature to also activate its activated ability if you so choose.
3. "Can I Block Multiple Creatures At The Same Time?"
Not unless another effect specifically says so. Having Vigilance doesn't mean you can block multiple creatures. Hundred-Handed One or Kemba's Legion, as primary examples, can block additional creatures, but that's spelled out in their abilities.
4. "Can My Vigilant Creature Crew a Vehicle After Attacking?"
Yes, it can! Since it never tapped in combat, it's free to crew something like good ol Smuggler's Copter in your second main phase or even in your opponent's combat phase. It's up to you when you get in the chopper, really.
5. "Exert and Vigilance?"
Exert is an ability that says, "You can choose to have this creature not untap on your next turn for a special effect." So what happens if a creature has both Exert and Vigilance? When you attack with it, it doesn't tap due to Vigilance. And if it's not tapped, it won't stay tapped next turn, so you effectively get to ignore the typical downside of Exert! However, do remain cautious because if the creature ends up getting tapped (either by tapping for its activated ability or by your opponent playing Derevi, Empyrial Tactician), it really will stay tapped if it was Exerted.
Always Be Vigilant
In an era of power?crept stats and essay-long text boxes that read like legal disclaimers, Vigilance remains as a sort of comfort food: flavorful, intuitive, yet surprisingly effective. It forces your opponents to always respect your board presence, rewards good threat assessment, and combos with half the mechanics in the game. Plus, it teaches new mages the subtle art of timing: when to push damage versus when to hold back. (Spoiler alert: with Vigilance, you get to do both more times than not.)
So the next time you're brewing your next deck, ask yourself: could this creature pull double?shift duty? Would my deck appreciate having Vigilance creatures to swing with while not ever having to worry about crackback? And, perhaps, most importantly, could I justify just jamming a Brave the Sands just to watch my friends' faces when my army blocks absolutely everything?
And with that, it's about time for me to take a quick 15-minute break from being oh-so-Vigilant with these segments. As always, happy brewing, and may your creatures never kneel unless it's purely by choice. Until next time!
