Can Skysovereign, Consul Flagship (or any upcoming legendary vehicle) be used as a Commander despite technically not being a creature card naturally since it's printed with creature characteristics (power, toughness, and subtype)? Now That some Planeswalkers can be used as commanders, I couldn't help but wonder if this card's unique design and template allow it to circumvent traditional restrictions based on its inherent ability to become a creature. Lest we forget gods are only creatures with devotion met. Thanks!
Anyhow, the best I can come up with myself is a game in the top 8 of a PTQ back during Urza block in which we were starting game 3 with time already expired, so the tiebreaker rule was that whoever had more life after 3 turns would win. And I lost to... healing salve.
The rules for Commander as they currently stand specify that the commander must be a creature card. Even though Skysovereign has printed power and toughness characteristics, it isn't a creature card (as in, it doesn't have Creature printed in its type line.)
The planeswalkers that can be your commander (e.g. Nahiri, the Lithomancer) can be your commander because the card says so, and a card's text wins when it conflicts with the rules. Skysovereign doesn't say anything about being usable as a commander.
Gods are usable as commanders because they are creature cards. The fact that they have a static ability that makes them sometimes not creatures while on the battlefield doesn't affect that.
It is not a legendary creature card, therefore it can't be your commander under the official commander rules.
Also, Vehicle is an artifact subtype, not a creature subtype.
What allows some planeswalkers like Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury to be your commander is their ability that says it can. Such a text overrides the rules; nothing on Skysovereign directly says it can be your commander despite not being a legendary creature card.
It is not a legendary creature card, therefore it can't be your commander under the official commander rules.
Fair enough. I was simply wondering if there had been a recent amendment to the list of available commanders by the "Commander ruling committee" (or whatever authority decides on and revises bans and unbans with each new set release) that somehow allowed this particular card as an exception due to the uniqueness of the card itself which is arguably closer to being (or more accurately becoming) a creature than other Legendary artifacts which can become or create Legendary creatures (ie: Elbrus, the Binding Blade, Tatsumasa, the Dragon's Fang)[/quote]
Anyhow, the best I can come up with myself is a game in the top 8 of a PTQ back during Urza block in which we were starting game 3 with time already expired, so the tiebreaker rule was that whoever had more life after 3 turns would win. And I lost to... healing salve.
That I understand, but once crewed/animated, does it not also have the creature sub-type "vehicle", or is it ambiguously typeless?
It becomes an artifact creature, does not have any creature types (because the effect doesn't specify any), and continues to have the Vehicle artifact subtype (because effects that make something an artifact creature let the object keep all of its existing types.)
That I understand, but once crewed/animated, does it not also have the creature sub-type "vehicle", or is it ambiguously typeless?
It becomes an artifact creature, does not have any creature types (because the effect doesn't specify any), and continues to have the Vehicle artifact subtype (because effects that make something an artifact creature let the object keep all of its existing types.)
What Artscrafter said.
Vehicle is not a creature type. An animated vehicle is an Artifact Creature - Vehicle, where Vehicle is a subtype of its Artifact type, not of its Creature type.
You can't name "vehicles" for your Adaptive Automaton. If a Crewed vehicle somehow stops being an artifact (Neurok Transmuter can do that), it also stops being a Vehicle.
Can Skysovereign, Consul Flagship (or any upcoming legendary vehicle) be used as a Commander despite technically not being a creature card naturally since it's printed with creature characteristics (power, toughness, and subtype)? Now That some Planeswalkers can be used as commanders, I couldn't help but wonder if this card's unique design and template allow it to circumvent traditional restrictions based on its inherent ability to become a creature.
The planeswalkers specifically say they can be commanders. Skysovereign doesn't.
Lest we forget gods are only creatures with devotion met. Thanks!
That's not true. They are creature cards on the stack (can be countered by Essence Scatter) and are creature cards in every other zone as well. They can only lose the Creature type when on the battlefield.
That said, the Commander Rules Committee may sign off on the Flagship being a commander. If they don't, feel free to add it to the list of other unofficial commanders (Elbrus, the Nephilim, etc).
You can always play it as your commander if your playgroup is cool with it. Lots of people use the Nephilim despite their non-legendary status. I've heard of people using Genju of the Realm and other walkers not from C14 as well. House rules let me play Prime Time and Prophet of Kruphix because my friends are cool with it. So ask your play group.
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The planeswalkers that can be your commander (e.g. Nahiri, the Lithomancer) can be your commander because the card says so, and a card's text wins when it conflicts with the rules. Skysovereign doesn't say anything about being usable as a commander.
Gods are usable as commanders because they are creature cards. The fact that they have a static ability that makes them sometimes not creatures while on the battlefield doesn't affect that.
Also, Vehicle is an artifact subtype, not a creature subtype.
What allows some planeswalkers like Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury to be your commander is their ability that says it can. Such a text overrides the rules; nothing on Skysovereign directly says it can be your commander despite not being a legendary creature card.
Fair enough. I was simply wondering if there had been a recent amendment to the list of available commanders by the "Commander ruling committee" (or whatever authority decides on and revises bans and unbans with each new set release) that somehow allowed this particular card as an exception due to the uniqueness of the card itself which is arguably closer to being (or more accurately becoming) a creature than other Legendary artifacts which can become or create Legendary creatures (ie: Elbrus, the Binding Blade, Tatsumasa, the Dragon's Fang)[/quote]
That I understand, but once crewed/animated, does it not also have the creature sub-type "vehicle", or is it ambiguously typeless?
What Artscrafter said.
Vehicle is not a creature type. An animated vehicle is an Artifact Creature - Vehicle, where Vehicle is a subtype of its Artifact type, not of its Creature type.
You can't name "vehicles" for your Adaptive Automaton. If a Crewed vehicle somehow stops being an artifact (Neurok Transmuter can do that), it also stops being a Vehicle.
The planeswalkers specifically say they can be commanders. Skysovereign doesn't.
That's not true. They are creature cards on the stack (can be countered by Essence Scatter) and are creature cards in every other zone as well. They can only lose the Creature type when on the battlefield.
That said, the Commander Rules Committee may sign off on the Flagship being a commander. If they don't, feel free to add it to the list of other unofficial commanders (Elbrus, the Nephilim, etc).