If I have a creature with 0 power, can I still attack with it? I am asking in regards to Silent Skimmer but also in general.

Silent Skimmer


Yes, creatures with a power of 0 can attack. Otherwise, it would be very hard to use creatures like Signal Pest which buff your team when they attack, but don't have any power of their own.

The rules just say that a creature attacks. There's no stipulation based on power:

506.2. During the combat phase, the active player is the attacking player; creatures that player controls may attack. During the combat phase of a two-player game, the nonactive player is the defending player; that player and planeswalkers he or she controls may be attacked.

  • Or cards like Silent Skimmer, the OP's example. – Cascabel Dec 7 '16 at 0:32

Zero power does not prevent a creature from attacking.

More generally, any creature can attack if it does not have Defender, has been under your control since the beginning of your turn (see Summoning Sickness) or else has Haste, and no other effect specifically restricts it from attacking. The effect will usually be obvious, like an enchantment that reads "Creatures with power {X} or less can't attack." Reverence is a pretty good example of this.

302.5. Creatures can attack and block. [...]


  • Maybe it's useful to list Summoning Sickness as effect preventing a creature from attacking? – steenbergh Dec 7 '16 at 14:23
  • 1
    @steenbergh I liked the idea behind your edit, but I wanted to word it differently. Rather than list all of the different powers that are unrestricted (0, 1, 2, etc.) I would rather generalize the first sentence to cover all powers. I did that and also covered your comment, which was a good addition. – Rainbolt Dec 7 '16 at 14:33
  • I was thinking it's weird to answer a question of "does this prevent a creature from attacking" with "these things do prevent a creature from attacking", which is subject to change. That said, now that the other answer is accepted, it's great to have this answer as well. – TheThirdMan Dec 7 '16 at 15:08
  • @TheThirdMan I challenge you to write an answer that is not subject to change. The answer may look strange to you, but all I did was generalize "zero power" to "anything not in this list". If, tomorrow, the question author wants to know if being a Wall prevents a creature from attacking, then the answer addresses that. Anyway, I edited the answer for readers who just want the quick, specific answer. – Rainbolt Dec 7 '16 at 15:30
  • I didn't mean to criticize your approach, just state why I preferred the other answer to this one, as "there is no restriction based on power" is a lot more timeless. Yet, your answer is more useful and informative in general, so it's good to have both, and I've upvoted both of them. – TheThirdMan Dec 7 '16 at 15:36

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