You are at 8 life and your opponent is at 4 life. She controls two Alpine Bears and a Soul of Shandalar. During her declare attackers step, she declares all three as attackers. You have no blockers, but during declare blockers step you cast your Deflecting Palm choosing one of the Bears as the source of damage. What happens? (choose one)
- You lose from being below 0 when state-based actions are checked after combat damage.
- You win as Deflecting Palm’s ability hits the stack and resolves before combat damage goes through leaving your opponent at 0 life.
- Since all damage is dealt simultaneously within its combat damage step, you take 6 in the first combat damage step (leaving you at 2 life); then in the second combat damage step, you take 4 (the other 4 being prevented) and she takes 4 as a result of Deflecting Palm’s damage dealing effect, so the game is a draw when state-based actions are checked and see both players at 0 or less life.
If you chose the last option, you would be correct. Here is why: Damage prevention is a kind of replacement effect. When damage prevention occurs, it happens at the same time damage would be dealt. As a result, Deflecting Palm’s damage dealing effect happens at the same time (well, technically immediately after the prevention, but still before state-based actions are checked). This means you are both at 0 or less life when state-based actions are checked, so you both lose simultaneously; resulting in a draw. If we rewind to just before Deflecting Palm is cast, we find that this is not a game-play situation with a single outcome. Should you have chosen to Palm the Soul, the damage dealing effect would have occurred during the first combat damage step along with the damage prevention, and you would be the winner of the game upon state-based actions being checked BEFORE the Bears’ damage is dealt in the second combat damage step. What a trick! Talk about palm to the face for the win.
Today’s Rules Tip written by Daniel Clarke