On Sunday and Monday we looked at requirements and restrictions regarding the declaration of attackers and blockers. The next ‘step’ is to look at how they can interact.

The short and simple way to remember how these two factors work together is that when declaring attackers or blockers you need to a) maximize the number of requirements and b) not violate any restrictions. This means that sometimes you don’t get to make as many choices as you’d like. It can also mean that there is only one possible way to attack or block. This rule may seem simple, but it can take some practice looking at cards and examples to get used to it and apply it properly. Here are some examples of this principle.

Here’s a pretty basic example; if a Flameborn Hellion is enchanted with Ice Cage, it won’t be able to attack. In this instance, the restriction created by the Ice Cage ‘wins’ and you can’t attack with the Hellion even though its requirement tells you to.

If a Tangle Angler is equipped by a Sword of Feast and Famine it cannot be blocked by black or green creatures even if Tangle Angler’s activated ability were to resolve targeting one. This is because the restriction created by the protection abilities cannot be violated.

Here is an example where maximizing requirements can take away some of your choices when declaring attackers. If you controller a Silent Arbiter and an Ulamog’s Crusher, you would have to attack with the Crusher as that way you are fulfilling the Crusher’s requirement and not violating the restriction created by the Arbiter.