Depala, Pilot Exemplar - Intelligence

Depala decks move through Dwarf density, crew math, Vehicle threats, and artifact support. The cleanest check is whether a card helps tap Depala, crew better Vehicles, or recover the artifacts after removal.

Depala is a Boros legendary Dwarf Pilot from Kaladesh with mana cost {1}{R}{W}, power 3, toughness 3, and Commander legality.

Depala's last ability is a triggered ability, not an activated ability.

Depala does not let you tap Depala whenever you want; attacking, crewing, or another effect must tap her.

The trigger needs Depala to actually change from untapped to tapped.

If an effect tries to tap Depala while she is already tapped, the ability does not trigger.

Tapping Depala to pay a Vehicle's crew cost makes her become tapped and can trigger her ability.

Crew is an activated ability of the Vehicle, not of the creature tapped to pay the cost.

Summoning-sick Depala can be tapped to crew because she is not activating her own tap ability.

Other summoning-sick creatures can be tapped to crew for the same reason.

Tapping creatures for crew is a cost, so the Vehicle ability is on the stack before players respond.

Depala's tap trigger is put on the stack above the crew ability after crew is activated.

Depala's trigger can resolve before the Vehicle becomes an artifact creature.

Depala's trigger does not target.

X is paid as Depala's trigger resolves.

No player gets priority between choosing to pay X and revealing the top X cards.

Paying zero for X is legal, but reveals no cards.

All revealed Dwarf and Vehicle cards go to hand.

Nonqualifying revealed cards go to the bottom of the library in a random order.

Dwarf cards with changeling qualify while they are in the library.

Vehicle cards qualify while they are in the library even when they are not creatures.

A card that is both a Dwarf and a Vehicle is put into hand only once.

Depala's reveal is not a draw, so draw-replacement effects do not apply to the revealed cards.

Depala does not need to remain on the battlefield for her triggered ability to resolve.

Depala's Dwarf anthem says other Dwarves, so it does not buff Depala herself.

Depala's Dwarf anthem changes the total power available to crew Vehicles.

Depala's Vehicle bonus applies only while each Vehicle is a creature.

An animated Vehicle can receive Depala's +1/+1 Vehicle bonus.

Removing Depala removes the anthem and Vehicle bonus, but it does not uncrew an already crewed Vehicle.

A crewed Vehicle remains a Vehicle artifact creature.

Vehicle is not a creature type.

Crewing a Vehicle does not make it enter the battlefield.

Vehicles attack and block only if they are creatures at the appropriate declaration step.

You can tap more creatures than necessary to pay a crew cost if the Vehicle's crew instruction allows any number of creatures.

A tapped Depala cannot be tapped again for another crew cost unless she becomes untapped first.

Repeated Depala triggers require separate untap-then-tap events.

Attacking with Depala taps her; she cannot then crew later that combat unless another effect untaps her.

Cards revealed by Depala cannot be used retroactively to pay the X for that same resolving trigger.

The Commander color identity for Depala is red-white, so off-color blue untap packages are not legal in the deck.

Keep enough Dwarves and Vehicles that Depala can both crew and refill after becoming tapped.

Use Vehicles as artifacts for cost reduction, card advantage, tutoring, and recursion.

Use crew, combat, and selective untaps to create extra Depala triggers without misrepresenting crew timing.