Crew
| Crew | |
|---|---|
| Keyword Ability | |
| Type | Activated |
| Introduced | Kaladesh |
| Last used | Modern Horizons 3 |
| Reminder Text | Crew N (Tap any number of other untapped creatures you control with total power N or greater: This permanent becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) |
| Statistics |
84 cards  6%  9.5%  3.6%  6%  6%  2.4%  1.2%  1.2%  64.3% |
| Scryfall Search | |
| keyword:"Crew" | |
Crew is a keyword ability introduced in Kaladesh to enable the vehicle artifact subtype. It allows vehicles to become artifact creatures until end of turn.[1]
Description
To activate the crew ability, tap any number of creatures you control with total power equal to or greater than the crew number. Because the crew ability doesn't use the tap symbol, you can tap any untapped creature you control, even one that just entered the battlefield. You can even tap an animated Vehicle to crew a Vehicle.
Crew evolved from a "location" mechanic, originally envisioned for Ixalan.[2] The mechanic was first previewed on the card Ovalchase Dragster at Pax West 2016.[3]
History
After Kaladesh crew also appeared in Aether Revolt.[4][5] and Ixalan[6] which made the mechanic Crew available in two different non-neighbouring blocks in Standard. It was also used for the Weatherlight in Dominaria.[7]
The mechanic is now considered to be in the low end of evergreen or the high end of deciduous.[8]
While Pilots regularly modify the Vehicles they Crew, Mindlink Mech and Getaway Car are the first Vehicles to interact with the creatures that Crew them.
Rules change
Previously, a vehicle that had become a creature was able to be tapped for its own crew ability. This rarely came up, and it doesn't make a lot of sense for a vehicle to crew itself, so the rules were changed slightly to prevent that. Starting with Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, you must now tap another creature to crew a vehicle.
Rules
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 702.122. Crew
- 702.122a Crew is an activated ability of Vehicle cards. “Crew N” means “Tap any number of other untapped creatures you control with total power N or greater: This permanent becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.”
- 702.122b A creature “crews a Vehicle” when it’s tapped to pay the cost to activate a Vehicle’s crew ability.
- 702.122c If an effect states that a creature “can’t crew Vehicles,” that creature can’t be tapped to pay the crew cost of a Vehicle.
- 702.122d Some Vehicles have abilities that trigger when they become crewed. “Whenever [this Vehicle] becomes crewed” means “Whenever a crew ability of [this Vehicle] resolves.” If that ability has an intervening “if” clause that refers to information about the creatures that crewed it, it means only creatures that were tapped to pay the cost of the crew ability that caused it to trigger.
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Crew
- A keyword ability that lets you tap creatures to turn a Vehicle into an artifact creature. See rule 301, “Artifacts,” and rule 702.122, “Crew.”
Examples
Example
Cultivator's Caravan 
Artifact — Vehicle
5/5
: Add one mana of any color.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of other creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
References
- ↑ Matt Tabak (September 2, 2016). "Kaladesh Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Ken Nagle (September 5, 2017). "Conquering the Design of Ixalan". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Twitch channel (September 2, 2016). Magic at PAX: Kaladesh Debut.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 2, 2017). "A Revolting Development (and Design), Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Matt Tabak (January 2, 2017). "Aether Revolt Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Matt Tabak (August 28, 2017). "Ixalan Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (Mark Rosewater). "Returning Home". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (December 29, 2019). "Since when did Crew become evergreen?". Blogatog. Tumblr.