So normally, when you attack, there’s no question which player you’re attacking. However, when there are multiple legal choices for who to attack, it gets a little more involved. You still only get one combat phase and one of each of the steps in that phase. So when you move to combat, each other player becomes a “defending player.” As you attack, you declare which player or planeswalker each creature is attacking at that moment. This is not too complicated.

What about blocking? Who blocks first? Well, the first player in the turn order does. Let’s say you’re player A, and players B, C and D are seated clockwise. You declare an attacker at B and D. When you get to the declare blockers step, first B declares how to block, then D declares how to block (knowing how B chose to block). Now A chooses the damage assignment order for B (if relevant), then for D. Then after every player in turn order passes priority, you move to the combat damage step. Damage is assigned for B, then D, then it is all dealt at the same time. Any creatures with lethal damage are all destroyed by state-based actions simultaneously.

Now lets cover one complex combat example. Player C controls Silent Arbiter. Player A attacks B with Geist of Saint Traft, and as the trigger resolves, declares that the Angel token is attacking Player D (this is totally legal, because only one creature “attacked”, and the angel that is put onto the battlefield “attacking” is not restricted to attacking the same player as the Geist). But how will blocking work? Well, when determining whether a defending player’s blocks are legal, ignore any creatures attacking other players and any blocking creatures controlled by other players. So the Arbiter’s restriction applies to each player, but as each player declares a single blocker, they ignore any other player who is declaring blocks during that same step. So even if B decides to block the Geist, D can still block the Angel token without violating the restriction of “No more than one creature can block each combat.”

Today’s Rules Tip written by
Josh Stansfield, L2, Orange, CA
(editor’s note: Sorry for the brief unplanned hiatus! Life sometimes gets in the way. I’ll do my best to keep the tips coming, especially with the prerelease for Return to Ravnica in a couple weeks!)