There are many cards that affect attacking creatures, and either limit what they can attack or assess a cost when they do. For example, requires that the controller of any creature attacking the controller of the Prison to pay 2 generic mana. However, Ghostly Prison does not affect any creature that attacks a planeswalker controlled […]
Category: Combat Phase
What lethal damage is
Lethal damage is damage equal or greater to a creatures current toughness. This is important when assigning combat damage, and especially damage from an attacking creature that is blocked by multiple creatures or an attacking creature with trample. When assigning combat damage a player must assign what would be lethal damage to each blocking creature […]
Costs and conditions associated with attacking or blocking.
Some cards have effects that prevent specific creatures from attacking or blocking unless a cost of some kind is paid. For example, the controller of a cannot be attacked unless the attacking player pays two generic mana for each attacking creature. This cost is paid when attackers are declared, it is not something that uses […]
Combat damage does not use the stack
When Magic 2010 was released a few fundamental changes to the way Magic had been played were made. One of those changes was that combat damage no longer used the stack. Prior to this change, creatures in combat would assign damage, this damage would go on the stack as one item on the stack (assuming […]
Who or what the Hero of Bladehold tokens are attacking.
In a previous tip it was pointed out that has two triggered abilities, the Battle Cry trigger and a trigger that puts two 1/1 white soldier tokens into play attacking. As mentioned in the previous tip, the order that these triggers go on the stack and therefore resolve matters. However Hero of Bladehold’s trigger that […]
When to ‘pump’ a creature.
After blocking creatures have been declared, even if no creatures are blocking, both players will receive priority before the combat damage step. An unblocked attacking creature can have its power raised at this point in order for it to deal an increased amount of combat damage. It is at this point that an attacking or […]
Attacking creatures only exist after attackers are declared.
‘s last ability gives +1/+0 to all attacking creatures. This ability will only affect those creatures that are attacking when this activated ability resolves. If this ability is played and resolves in the first main phase of a turn, it will effectively not do anything as there are not any attacking creatures yet. One other […]
An attacking Training Drone will still be attacking if it become unequipped.
‘s ability prevents it from being declared as an attacking or blocking creature unless it is equipped. However if it is legally declared as an attacker or blocker and the equipment attached to it falls off, the Drone will stay in combat and all creatures blocked or blocked by it will remain that way as […]
Hero of Bladehold has two combat triggered abilities.
has two triggered abilities that trigger whenever the Hero attacks; the Battle Cry ability that gives +1/+0 to other attacking creatures and a separate trigger that puts two 1/1 token creatures into play attacking. Because these two triggered abilities trigger at the same time, the controller of Hero of Bladehold will determine the order that […]