Dictate of the Twin Gods and trample
Asked by fivestar 9 years ago
I flashed in Dictate of the Twin Gods after opponent line up blockers. If he blocks my 3 power trample creature with a 2 toughness creature, do I get to trample 4 damage to the player? 3x2-2=4 Or is it just 2 damage assigned to the player? (3-2)x2=2 And would the result differ if my creature has first strike, thanks!
Thanks for your thorough explanation. A small follow-up, the 2 damage "overkill" on the creature will not again trample to the player because the step of assigning damage to player is already passed?
May 29, 2014 11:01 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #3
That is correct. At the beginning of the combat damage step two turn based actions happen in order. Damage is assigned and then damage is dealt.
Trample changes how you can assin damage. You must first assign leathal damage to all creatures and then you may assign the remainder of the damage to the defending player. In this case that is 2 to the creature and then 1 to the player.
Dictate of the Twin Gods
has a static ability that replaces damage with twice that much damage. This is going to apply when the damage is dealt making it 4 to the creature and 2 to the player. Because the damage has already been assigned you cannot change where it is to be dealt. This is the same as you could not kill 2 3/3 creatures with a Flames of the Firebrand
with Dictate of the Twin Gods
out because you have to assign whole numbers of damage.
Drilnoth says... Accepted answer #1
Effects that double damage, like Dictate of the Twin Gods (as well as effects that prevent damage) are not taken into account when determining how much damage must be assigned to creatures in combat in order to kill them (this amount is called "lethal damage").
If you have the Dictate out along with a 3/3 trampler, and it gets blocked by a 2/2 which has no damage marked on it from earlier in the turn, then the 3/3 must assign 2 damage to the 2/2. It can, thanks to trample, assign the other 1 damage to the player or planeswalker it is attacking. The damage then gets doubled, so the 2/2 will take 4 damage. A bit overkill? Yes. But that's how it works, because the game cannot "plan for" things that modify damage. It is similar to if your 3/3 trampler was blocked by a 2/2 with "protection from creatures with power 3 or greater" (for example). Although the damage dealt to the 2/2 will be prevented, the 3/3 still must assign at least 2 damage to it, with the rest going to the player or planeswalker being attacked.
The result would be the same if your creature had first strike, except that the 2/2 would not deal damage to your 3/3 unless it also had first strike.
TL;DR: The player will take 2, not 4.
May 29, 2014 10:53 p.m.