Mystical Tutor | Answering Magic: The Gathering's "When Can I" Questions

Magic: The Gathering is one of the most rewarding strategy games out there, but for new and returning players, timing can be confusing. A lot of rules questions start with the same phrase: “When can I…?”.

To make things easier, we’ve gathered some of the most frequently searched Magic: The Gathering questions and explained them in plain language, with examples you’ll likely see at the table.

When can I use instants?

You can use instants in almost every part of the game:

• On your own turn, during any phase as long as you have priority.

• On your opponent’s turn, whenever they pass priority or cast a spell.

• During combat, upkeep, or even in response to another instant or ability.

For example, you might cast Lightning Bolt during your opponent’s upkeep to deal damage before they can attack, or you might wait until they attack and then remove their creature mid-combat. The beauty of instants is that you can hold them in your hand and use them when the timing is best for you.

So when can I cast an instant on my opponent’s turn?

Let's hop back to priority. That means you don’t have to wait for your own turn to interact. For example, if your opponent tries to cast a powerful creature, you can respond with an instant like Counterspell before their card ever hits the battlefield. You can also use instants during combat, casting Giant Growth to surprise your opponent with an unexpected boost. Instants give you the flexibility to respond and disrupt, which is why they’re such an important card type.

When can I activate abilities?

Activated abilities are easy to spot because they follow the format Cost: Effect. If you can pay the cost, and the card doesn’t limit the timing, you can usually activate the ability at instant speed. For instance, Llanowar Elves has “Tap: Add G,” and you can activate that ability whenever you could cast an instant, even on your opponent's turn.

However, some abilities are restricted. Cards that say “Activate only as a sorcery” can only be used during your main phase, when the stack is empty. This is similar to casting sorceries, and it prevents abilities from being used as surprise tricks.

When can I play a sorcery?

Sorceries are more limited than instants. You can only cast them on your turn, during one of your main phases, and only if the stack is empty. This makes them reliable but predictable. For example, you might cast Divination to draw two cards during your main phase, but you can’t cast it on your opponent’s turn or in the middle of combat.

Sorceries are designed for actions that don’t need to be surprises—like card draw, board wipes, or big setup spells.

When can I sacrifice a creature?

You can only sacrifice a creature if a card or ability tells you to. For example, Village Rites lets you sacrifice a creature to draw two cards. You can cast this instant at any time, even during combat, as long as you have a creature available.

You cannot simply sacrifice creatures at will, it always has to be in response to a cost or effect. This rule can be confusing to newer players, but remembering that sacrifices are tied to card instructions makes it clearer.

When can I tap a creature?

So, summoning sickness is a rule that prevents newly summoned creatures from attacking or using abilities that require the tap symbol (⤵️). If you just cast a creature this turn, you can’t swing with it right away unless it has haste.

However, summoning sickness does not stop a creature from being tapped for other reasons. For example, if a spell or another creature’s ability taps your newly played creature, that’s perfectly legal. It also doesn’t stop abilities without the tap symbol, such as Blood Artist, which works immediately. The sickness wears off as soon as you start your next turn with that creature under your control.

When can I play spells or tap lands in Commander?

Welcome to the fresh new world of Commander! Commander uses the same rules as other formats, but timing questions come up more often in multiplayer. You can still cast instants on anyone’s turn, and you can activate creature abilities as long as you follow normal timing restrictions.

As for lands, the rule never changes: you can only play one land per turn, and only during your main phase when the stack is empty. For example, you can’t play an extra land during an opponent’s turn unless a card effect like Exploration gives you permission.

Answering Magic: The Gathering questions

Magic’s timing rules can feel overwhelming at first, but they mostly follow a few consistent patterns. Instants and activated abilities give you flexibility, sorceries and most other spells stick to your own turn, and cards will generally explain their own rules.

Once you see these patterns in action, the game flows much more smoothly, and you can start focusing on strategy instead of rule confusion!