How to Deal Combat Damage in Magic: The Gathering
In Magic: The Gathering, dealing combat damage is a fundamental aspect of the game, often leading to victory by reducing an opponent’s life total to zero. You deal combat damage by attacking with creatures during the combat phase. The attacking creatures must be unblocked by an opponent’s creatures to deal damage to that opponent or a planeswalker they control. If a creature is blocked, it deals damage to the blocking creature, rather than the player or planeswalker. Combat damage is assigned and dealt simultaneously during the combat damage step. Understanding the intricacies of this process is crucial for mastering the game.
The Combat Phase: A Step-by-Step Guide
The combat phase is structured into five distinct steps, and while you don’t always proceed through all of them (especially if no attacks are made), understanding them is critical:
- Beginning of Combat: This step primarily involves triggered abilities that occur at the beginning of combat.
- Declare Attackers: Here, you choose which of your creatures will attack. You must declare all attackers simultaneously.
- Declare Blockers: Your opponent then declares which of their creatures (if any) will block the attacking creatures.
- Combat Damage: This is the crucial step where damage is assigned and dealt simultaneously.
- End of Combat: This step mainly involves triggered abilities that occur at the end of combat.
Declaring Attackers and Blockers
During the declare attackers step, you choose which of your creatures will attack. Tapped creatures or those with summoning sickness (if they just entered the battlefield) cannot attack. Each attacking creature attacks either an opponent or a planeswalker controlled by that opponent.
The defending player then has the opportunity to declare blockers. They choose which of their creatures will block which attacking creatures. A single creature can block only one attacking creature, but multiple creatures can block the same attacking creature.
Assigning and Dealing Combat Damage
This is where the actual “dealing” of combat damage happens. Once blockers are declared, you, as the attacking player, assign how your attacking creatures will deal damage. If an attacking creature is blocked by multiple creatures, you must assign the damage such that each blocking creature is assigned at least lethal damage before assigning any damage to another blocking creature. Lethal damage is generally considered to be damage equal to the blocker’s toughness minus any damage it’s already been assigned this combat.
After damage is assigned, it is dealt simultaneously. Each attacking creature deals its assigned damage to the defending player or planeswalker (if unblocked) or to the blocking creatures (if blocked). Similarly, each blocking creature deals its damage to the creature it is blocking.
After Combat Damage
After combat damage is dealt, any creature that has been dealt damage equal to or greater than its toughness is destroyed and put into its owner’s graveyard. This happens as a state-based action immediately after combat damage is dealt.
Common Scenarios and Examples
Imagine you attack with a 3/3 creature (3 power, 3 toughness). If it’s unblocked, it will deal 3 damage to the defending player, reducing their life total by 3.
If it’s blocked by a 2/2 creature, both creatures deal damage simultaneously. Your 3/3 deals 3 damage to the 2/2, destroying it. The 2/2 deals 2 damage to your 3/3.
If it’s blocked by two 1/1 creatures, you must assign damage so that each 1/1 receives at least 1 damage before you can assign any damage to the other. Thus, your 3 damage could be assigned as 1 damage to each 1/1 and 1 remaining damage to the other 1/1 (resulting in 1/1 with lethal damage, the other 1/1 with lethal damage, and none to the player).
Why Understanding Combat Damage Matters
Mastering the concept of combat damage is essential for strategic play. It enables you to make informed decisions about when to attack, how to block, and how to maximize the effectiveness of your creatures. It also informs your deck-building strategy. Cards that enhance a creature’s power, grant keywords like first strike or deathtouch, or prevent damage can significantly impact the outcome of combat. Learning about games and related topics is possible through the Games Learning Society. You can visit GamesLearningSociety.org to learn more.
Combat Damage: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What happens if a creature with Deathtouch deals combat damage?
If a creature with deathtouch deals combat damage to another creature, that creature is destroyed, regardless of the amount of damage dealt. Even 1 point of damage from a creature with deathtouch is sufficient to destroy the damaged creature.
2. How does First Strike or Double Strike affect combat damage?
First strike allows a creature to deal combat damage before creatures without first strike. If a creature with first strike destroys a blocking creature before the blocking creature can deal damage, the blocking creature deals no damage. Double strike means a creature deals combat damage in both the first strike and normal combat damage steps.
3. What does “prevent all combat damage” mean?
Spells or abilities that “prevent all combat damage” negate all damage that would be dealt by creatures during the combat damage step. This can protect your creatures, yourself, or your planeswalkers from harm.
4. Can I respond to combat damage?
No, combat damage does not use the stack and cannot be responded to. Once damage has been assigned, it is dealt simultaneously. There is no opportunity to cast spells or activate abilities between the assignment and dealing of combat damage.
5. What is considered combat damage to a player?
Combat damage is the damage dealt by creatures at the very beginning of the combat damage step as a direct result of attacking and being unblocked or dealing damage through some other special interaction (e.g. trample).
6. What is the difference between combat damage and non-combat damage?
Combat damage is damage dealt by creatures during the combat damage step. Non-combat damage is any other damage dealt by any source at any other time, such as damage from spells or activated abilities.
7. Does lifelink trigger from combat damage only?
No, lifelink triggers whenever a source with lifelink deals damage, not just combat damage. If a creature with lifelink deals damage through an activated ability or spell, you still gain life equal to the damage dealt.
8. Does infect apply to combat damage?
Yes, infect applies to combat damage. When a creature with infect deals combat damage to a player, that player receives poison counters instead of losing life. When it deals damage to a creature, that creature gets -1/-1 counters instead of damage.
9. What happens if I block a creature with trample?
If a creature with trample is blocked, it must assign enough damage to the blocking creature to destroy it before any excess damage is dealt to the defending player. If the attacking creature has more power than the blocking creature’s toughness, the remaining damage is “trampled over” and dealt to the defending player.
10. Does protection from everything prevent combat damage?
A player with protection from everything still can be attacked. However, if no blockers are declared, no combat damage will be dealt to that player due to the protection effect.
11. Is blocking damage considered combat damage?
Yes, blocking damage is combat damage. When a creature blocks, the damage dealt between the attacker and the blocker during the combat damage step is considered combat damage.
12. If I steal a commander, does it still do commander damage?
Yes. If you control an opponent’s commander and it deals combat damage to another opponent, that damage counts as commander damage from that commander, even though you don’t own the commander.
13. How much combat damage can I take from a commander before I lose?
A player loses the game if they have been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander over the course of the game.
14. Can you enter combat without attacking?
Yes, you can enter the combat phase even if you don’t declare any attackers. Some triggered abilities occur at the beginning of combat, so you might want to enter the combat phase even without attacking to trigger those abilities.
15. Does combat level affect magic damage?
While combat level is a concept that could potentially influence many different game systems, including how much magic damage is dealt, it’s vital to note that Magic: The Gathering doesn’t have any combat level mechanic that directly impacts how much magic damage a card or creature deals.
By understanding these facets of combat damage, you’ll enhance your decision-making and overall skill in Magic: The Gathering, paving the way for more strategic plays and increased success in your games.