#imdtc13

[mtgtutorials]

If you have two creatures pit fight or fight using domri rade, do damage / non activated abilities take effect? Such as death touch, life link, first strike? I always thought they didn't apply but we had a disagreement in our play group... If they do not would you be able to play a reaper of the wilds, activate domri's fight ability, then activate the reapers death touch ability by paying one mana and then have death touch apply in the fight? As always thanks for your help!

The “fight” mechanic counts as creatures dealing damage, but doesn’t count as creatures dealing combat damage. This is because combat damage is a specific kind of damage that’s only dealt as part of attacking and blocking.

Other abilities that care about combat damage — such as first strike — won’t apply, because damage dealt by the “fight” mechanic isn’t combat damage.

However, abilities that just care about any damage — such as deathtouch and lifelink — will apply, because damage dealt by the “fight” mechanic is still damage.

[mtgtutorials]

Does corpse jack menaces' ability apply to things like casting giant growth? Would I get +6/+6?

No, because Giant Growth doesn’t put counters on the creature. Rather, it creates a temporary effect that gives the creature +3/+3.

There is no interaction between the two effects.

[mtgtutorials]

First I want to thank you for all the questions you have answered, you have really helped me understand certain aspects of the game and I really appreciate it... I have a question about the heroic ability, if I cast a card like martial glory on a creature like phalanx leader and I choose him as the target for both effects from martial glory would this trigger heroic once or twice? I am only casting one spell but I am targeting him twice so I wasn't sure? Thank you again!

Heroic doesn’t say "Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell you control." Rather, heroic says "Whenever you cast a spell targeting this creature." Heroic cares about how many spells were cast, not how many times the creature gets targeted.

One spell cast = one Heroic trigger.

For more on Heroic, check out MTG Tutorials #33: All About Heroic.

[mtgtutorials]

Good morning! I have a two part question about Boros Reckoner... If I attack with only him and my opponent blocks with two creatures, do I get to deal the damage to another target for the power of both creatures or do I have to pick one? Also if my opponent attacks me with two creatures and I block one with Boros and the unblocked creature deals enough damage to end my game but I can direct enough damage to their life title to end the game by blocking how does this resolve? A tie? Thank you

Good morning!

Boros Reckoner reads,

Whenever Boros Reckoner is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to target creature or player.

The answer to your first question is, each creature dealing damage to Boros Reckoner will trigger a separate instance of the ability. If the Reckoner is dealt damage by a 2/2 and a 5/5, he will deal 2 damage to something and 5 damage to something. You can target the same creature or player with both triggers if you like, or target one creature or player with the 2 damage and a different creature or player with the 5 damage. The triggers also resolve one at a time, and you can choose which order to stack them.

The answer to your second question is, Boros Reckoner’s ability is a triggered ability, meaning it will trigger and be put onto the stack, and players get the chance to respond before it resolves. Unfortunately that means it resolves way, way too late to help you not take damage from the unblocked attacker. Combat damage is all dealt simultaneously, so there’s no way to resolve the Reckoner’s ability after one damage event but before the other. Sorry, you lost that game.

[mtgtutorials]

If I tap four mountains to play awaken the ancient, which in turn makes one of these mountains a 7/7 creature with haste, can I attack with it on that turn with the haste or because i tapped the land to cast it do I have to wait until my next turn? Thanks

It will be a 7/7 tapped creature with haste. If you can somehow untap it again you can attack with it, but tapped creatures can’t attack.

[mtgtutorials]

Hello! I once again require your infinite magic wisdom... If I have a 1/1 legion loyalist and a 2/2 ash zealot with first strike on the board and my opponent attacks me with a 3/3 centaur token and I choose to double block the attack, would both my creatures die? We were not sure if the ash zealot would also die because she has first strike? Thanks a lot for all the help!

Assuming no other effects were involved, all three creatures would die.

First, during the first strike combat damage step, the Ash Zealot assigns 2 damage to the Centaur. This is not enough to destroy it, but the damage stays on the Centaur for the remainder of the turn.

Then, during the regular combat damage step, the Legion Loyalist assigns 1 damage to the Centaur while the Centaur simultaneously assigns 2 damage to the Ash Zealot and 1 Damage to the Loyalist.

As soon as state based effects are checked, all three creatures are destroyed because all three will have lethal damage marked on them.

[mtgtutorials]

How would you kill a fleece mane lion after it has become monstrous with indestructible and hexproof?

It’s difficult, but doable. You need an effect which doesn’t target or destroy (and ‘destroy’ also rules out most things that deal damage).

Here are a few:

Evacuation / Devastation Tide / Cyclonic Rift — Blue bounce-everything spells are good for putting the Lion back in the opponent’s hand. Then they have to recast it, giving you time to counter or kill it before it becomes monstrous.

Black Sun’s Zenith / Bane of the Living / Flowstone Slide — Effects that reduce the Lion’s toughness to 0 will cause it to be put into its owner’s graveyard as a state-based effect. This does not count as being destroyed, so indestructible does not prevent it.

Terminus / False Prophet / Final Judgment — Board sweepers like these put creatures into other zones, but don’t destroy them. Indestructible does not prevent them.

Dawnglare Invoker / Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor — Effects which repeatedly tap down the Lion will neutralize it without having to destroy it.

Barter in Blood / Agent of Fates / Far & Away — Effects which force the opponent to sacrifice a creature don’t count as destroying that creature. Sacrifice is not the same as destroy.

EDIT -- imdtc13 said: 

So even with hexproof board sweepers can still remove it? Thanks for the info

Yes. Hexproof only stops effects which target the creature. Effects that don’t use the work ‘target’ still affect it.

[mtgtutorials]

Your blog has been very helpful as I am a fairly new player and I have a question my friends and I have been arguing about... If I have a sanguine bond enchantment on the board as well as two elixir of immortality's out and my opponents life total is ten, on my turn I tap the mana and both elixirs for ten life and then he in turn would lose ten life, could he then play a safe passage to prevent losing the life? I didn't think losing the life was damage but am not sure... Thanks!

You are correct. Life loss and damage are not the same thing (although damage usually causes loss of life). Safe Passage in this situation will not stop your friend from losing the game.