Can Vehicles Block in MTG?

You’d think it would be obvious that a gigantic airship or tank could block, but that’s not exactly how Magic: The Gathering works. Vehicles are artifacts with special rules. And those special rules can sometimes make you wonder if Wizards of the Coast is just messing with our heads.

What Are Vehicles?

Vehicles came out with the Kaladesh set. They sit there looking fancy until you pay their crew cost. When you pay that cost, you tap whatever creatures you need to match the vehicle’s crew number. Then it becomes an artifact creature until end of turn. Without that, it’s just an artifact with wheels doing nothing—like someone too lazy to drive.

The Big Question: Can They Block?

Normally, a vehicle can’t do anything unless it’s a creature. And guess what? It only becomes a creature on your turn, when you decide to crew it. On your opponent’s turn (when you usually need to block), your vehicle has already reverted back to being a plain artifact. That means it’s not a creature, so it can’t block.

It’s painful, right? You have a huge mechanical war machine, but it can’t jump in front of a squirrel unless you’ve turned it into a creature before the attack. And if that’s not insulting enough, you have to remember to keep it crewed at the right time. If you’re waiting for your opponent’s turn to do the crewing (like you might do with activated abilities), you’ll be disappointed. Crew is a sorcery-speed action. It’s not something you can just do on a whim.

So Is There a Trick?

Some vehicles have static abilities that say they remain creatures under certain conditions. Or you might find an ability that crews them in some sneaky way. Then they can block because they’re still creatures. But those are special cases. Most vehicles can’t do that.

Why Does This Matter?

Some new players hate learning this the hard way. You have a top-notch vehicle, you want to show off, then you realize you can’t stop anything from smacking you in the face. It’s like having a sports car but no keys—great for showing off, not so great for driving.

Conclusion

Vehicles can’t block unless they’re actually creatures at that moment. That’s it. No fancy footwork. If you’re tired of people telling you, “No, your giant airship can’t block my 1/1 pest,” then maybe you’ll think twice about relying on vehicles for defense. In my opinion, it’s a hilarious oversight for what should be a giant moving fortress, but that’s the rule. If you want real blocking power, just stick to creatures. Or maybe get a car that runs on common sense.