First Strike and Double Blocking

[Guest]

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

Say I attack with a 5/5 creature that has first strike. My opponent controls
two 3/3 creatures and chooses to double-block with both of them. It is my
understanding that I deal damage first in the first strike damage step, assign
lethal damage to one of the creatures, then my creature only receives three
combat damage, thus my creature stays alive and one of his 3/3's dies. My
opponent thinks he should be able to kill my 5/5 with 2 3/3's. Who is right?

 

[Guest]

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

Mrmagic715 <mrmagic715@aol.com> wrote:

> Say I attack with a 5/5 creature that has first strike. My opponent controls
> two 3/3 creatures and chooses to double-block with both of them. It is my
> understanding that I deal damage first in the first strike damage step, assign
> lethal damage to one of the creatures, then my creature only receives three
> combat damage, thus my creature stays alive and one of his 3/3's dies.

Yes (assuming neither blocker has banding).

> My
> opponent thinks he should be able to kill my 5/5 with 2 3/3's.

Was does your opponent think "first strike" means?
--
Daniel W. Johnson
panoptes@iquest.net
http://members.iquest.net/~panoptes/
039 53 36 N / 086 11 55 W

 

[Guest]

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

You are.

Mrmagic715 wrote:

>Say I attack with a 5/5 creature that has first strike. My opponent controls
>two 3/3 creatures and chooses to double-block with both of them. It is my
>understanding that I deal damage first in the first strike damage step, assign
>lethal damage to one of the creatures, then my creature only receives three
>combat damage, thus my creature stays alive and one of his 3/3's dies. My
>opponent thinks he should be able to kill my 5/5 with 2 3/3's. Who is right?
>

First strike
A creature ability that makes a creature deal its combat damage before
other creatures.
When one or more creatures with first strike are attacking or blocking,
they get
a separate combat damage step right before the normal one. Then, during the
normal combat damage step, the rest of the creatures ( the ones that
survived) get
to deal their combat damage.

 

[Guest]

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

On 09 Jul 2004 20:29:10 GMT, Mrmagic715 <mrmagic715@aol.com> wrote:
>Say I attack with a 5/5 creature that has first strike. My opponent controls
>two 3/3 creatures and chooses to double-block with both of them. It is my
>understanding that I deal damage first in the first strike damage step, assign
>lethal damage to one of the creatures, then my creature only receives three
>combat damage, thus my creature stays alive and one of his 3/3's dies.

Correct. In fact, you can't avoid killing one of his creatures, and can't
manage to kill both, in this situation.

> My
>opponent thinks he should be able to kill my 5/5 with 2 3/3's. Who is right?

You are. Your opponent doesn't appear to have fully grasped first strike
damage as a concept: an entire combat-damage step that takes place only for
first-strike/double-strike damage, without any "normal" combat damage involved.
After which there's another entire combat damage step, this one for any
REMAINING combatants that didn't get to assign combat damage the first time
around (plus any _remaining_ double-strikers).

One of his 3/3 creatures will die in first-strike combat damage step, so will
not survive to assign its own combat damage; the 5/5 will end up taking only
3 combat damage, from the surviving 3/3 blocker.

Dave
--
\/David DeLaney posting from dbd@vic.com "It's not the pot that grows the flower
It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
Love is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>
http://www.vic.com/~dbd/ - net.legends FAQ & Magic / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.