Curious about +1/+1 counters and effects that give -x-x
Asked by polydeuces17 5 years ago
Say I have Atraxa with a +1/+1 counter... Would using Ruthless Disposal kill her?
Linking all the cards in your question will help people to better answer it.
+1/+1 counters raise a creature's power and toughness for as long as the counter remains on the creature. In Atraxa's case, she would be a 5/5 for as long as she has the counter.
Ruthless Disposal gives a creature -13/-13. Unless a creature has 14 or more toughness, Ruthless Disposal will kill it. However, since you target two creatures with Ruthless Disposal , you don't have to choose Atraxa (unless you have no other options when you cast this spell). Ruthless Disposal is not a sweep effect.
If you're the one casting Ruthless Disposal , you will need to sacrifice a creature as part of the additional cost to cast it. If Atraxa is your only creature, you will have to sacrifice her, and her having a +1/+1 counter won't solve that.
April 27, 2019 7:44 p.m.
Ruthless Disposal will actually reduce it's toughness to 0 or less and SBA will destroy it. This is relevant if for example Atraxa's controller also controls Karmic Justice and their opponent casts Ruthless Disposal .
April 28, 2019 10:07 a.m.
- 704.5f If a creature has toughness 0 or less, it's put into its owner's graveyard. Regeneration can't replace this event.
A creature with toughness of 0 or less is not destroyed. It is put into the graveyard as a state-based action and this triggers things that look for creatures "dying," but it is not destruction and will not trigger cards like Karmic Justice that look for creatures being destroyed. Destruction causes a creature to die, but not all forms of dying are destruction.
Creatures with indestructible can't be destroyed. Creatures with indestructible can be killed via cards like Ruthless Disposal , because it isn't destroying. It's an important distinction.
April 28, 2019 12:10 p.m.
In the future, please remember to hit the “Mark as Answer” button once your question has been resolved. As this thread has been answered for several days, I’ve gone ahead and marked an answer on your behalf.
2Clement says... #1
I'm confused as to the exact question you want answered.
If an Atraxa with a +1/+1 counter (making her a 5/5) gets -13/-13 from Ruthless Disposal she will die.
If an Atraxa with a +1/+1 counter is sacrificed to use Ruthless Disposal she will die.
If the question is "will enough +1/+1 counters to make Atraxa a 14/14 cause her to not die from Ruthless Disposal then yes, she would live and keep the counters.
If I'm misinterpreting your question, please let me know.
April 27, 2019 4:58 p.m.