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When a creature is summoned I understand this card has “Summoning Sickness”, where the card is not “tapped” but just cannot attack or use any abilities until the next turn.

How does this work with Rabid Bite? If I play a creature, can I then immediately use Rabid Bite with that creature to have it use that damage as the damage it assigns to the target creature?

Glorfindel
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kazzamalla
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2 Answers2

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"Summoning sickness" does exactly two things: it prevents the creature from attacking, and it prevents the creature from using abilities with the tap symbol.

Nothing else.

If a creature has other abilities, those are all usable. If the creature is targeted by a spell the spell takes its normal effect (unless it was trying to force the creature to attack).

The creature can even be tapped to pay for costs that read "tap an untapped creature you control", since the cost isn't using the tap symbol instead.

Rabid Bite will behave as normal.

Arcanist Lupus
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  • Three. It also prevents the activation of the abilities of creatures with the untap symbol in its cost. /// You have a superfluous "instead" near the end. – ikegami Sep 01 '19 at 09:42
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Yes, you can. You're not attacking with your creature or using it's abilities. Summoning sickness doesn't affect the function of Rabid Bite.

Rules quote for "summoning sickness":

302.6. A creature’s activated ability with the tap symbol or the untap symbol in its activation cost can’t be activated unless the creature has been under its controller’s control continuously since their most recent turn began. A creature can’t attack unless it has been under its controller’s control continuously since their most recent turn began. This rule is informally called the “summoning sickness” rule.

Rabid bite doesn't give the creature an ability with a tap symbol or cause it to attack, therefore summoning sickness doesn't stop Rabid Bite.

Aulis Ronkainen
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