Am I dead (or can I gain live before)?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

Hello again.

I thought that I know the correct answer to this question, but after
reading old posts in this group now I have some doubts...

Player A attacks with two 2/2 creatures.
Player B has only two lives, but a 3/3 creature equiped with a Loxodon
Warhammer (or something similar to gain life).
Player B blocks one creature.
Is player B killed by the other creature before he could gain life
with the blocker?

I thought that player B survived, but now I don't know. All damage
resolves at the same time, so perhaps the player is dead before he
could add life...

Thank you!

Loxodon Warhammer 3 Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +3/+0, has trample, and has "Whenever this
creature deals damage, you gain that much life."
Equip 3

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

One of the voices in my head - or was it Eibi? - just said...
> Hello again.
>
> I thought that I know the correct answer to this question, but after
> reading old posts in this group now I have some doubts...
>
> Player A attacks with two 2/2 creatures.
> Player B has only two lives, but a 3/3 creature equiped with a Loxodon
> Warhammer (or something similar to gain life).
> Player B blocks one creature.
> Is player B killed by the other creature before he could gain life
> with the blocker?
>
> I thought that player B survived, but now I don't know. All damage
> resolves at the same time, so perhaps the player is dead before he
> could add life...

Player B dies. His life total goes to zero from the same event that
makes the Warhammer trigger; but it only *triggers* at that point (you
can think of this as sort of a promissory note that it will resolve
later), it doesn't even go on the stack yet, much less resolve. And
before that can happen, state-based effects are going to be checked for
at least twice; and the single most important state based effect is...?
That's right, a player with 0 life losing the game.

> Thank you!
>
> Loxodon Warhammer 3 Artifact - Equipment
> Equipped creature gets +3/+0, has trample, and has "Whenever this
> creature deals damage, you gain that much life."
> Equip 3
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

On 26 May 2005 00:02:22 -0700, Eibi <eibi99@yahoo.com> wrote:
>I thought that I know the correct answer to this question, but after
>reading old posts in this group now I have some doubts...
>
>Player A attacks with two 2/2 creatures.
>Player B has only two lives, but a 3/3 creature equiped with a Loxodon
>Warhammer (or something similar to gain life).

Where by "something similar" you mean "a triggered ability which will go
onto the stack and give life to B when it resolves", I will bet. The answer
has changed over the years, so depending on HOW old the posts you were reading
are, you may have seen a different answer.

>Player B blocks one creature.
>Is player B killed by the other creature before he could gain life
>with the blocker?

All the combat damage is dealt at once. The unblocked 2/2 deals 2 to B (which
on the spot makes B's life total now 0), the blocked 2/2 deals 2 to the 3/3,
and the blocking 3/3 deals 3 to the 2/2. This triggers the Loxodon Warhammer,
or Spirit Link, or whatever, triggered ability.

After combat damage is dealt, A would get priority. But first we have to
check for state-based effects. Two apply: B has 0 life, and one of the 2/2s
has 2 toughness and 3 damage on it. Both of these are rectified at the same
time: B loses the game, and that 2/2 goes to owner's graveyard.

Since this is a two-player game, it ends here. If there were more people in
the game, things might continue; if they did, the next thing that would happen
would be another check for state-based effects. None apply now. Then triggered
abilities would go onto the stack; the Warhammer's would go on here. Then A
would get priority.
Later, after everyone left in the game passed in succession with the
Warhammer ability on top, it would resolve... and would be unable to give any
life to B, who has already lost. But in two-player, the game ends before the
Warhammer's ability even gets to go ON the stack, let alone resolve.

(Now: before 6th Edition, triggered abilities worked way differently AND
players did not lose the game from being at 0 life or less until a phase ended.
So way back then - more than six years ago now - the answer was different - B
would get the life before he'd lose the game. But that answer hasn't worked
that way since 1999.)

>I thought that player B survived, but now I don't know. All damage
>resolves at the same time, so perhaps the player is dead before he
>could add life...

Player B loses the game from a state-based effect before the Warhammer's
triggered ability even gets to go -onto- the stack, let alone resolve. So yes,
B is dead before he can get the life from this triggered ability.

Dave
--
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It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
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