Lethal Damage vs. Lifelinking Blockers
Asked by GeminiSpartanX 8 years ago
So the situation came up last FNM where I was attacking for lethal but my opponent had a Dragonlord Dromoka left back to block. I was under the impression that the lifegain from lifelink would happen after damage, so he would be dead as a game-state action before going back up to the 3-4 life he would be at otherwise. Since I can't check the official rules from this computer, I thought I'd ask someone here to help look up that interaction if possible. Thanks!
GeminiSpartanX says... #2
Ah I see. I started playing magic around Timespiral/10th Edition and I remember the Spirit Link situation you mentioned happening then, so I was a little confused now. Thanks for your help!
October 21, 2015 10:39 a.m. Edited.
Raging_Squiggle says... #3
To help give some additional insight as to why the defending player with the lifelink creature would survive:
119.4. Damage is processed in a three-part sequence.
119.4a First, damage is dealt, as modified by replacement and prevention effects that interact with damage. (See rule 614, Replacement Effects, and rule 615, Prevention Effects.) Abilities that trigger when damage is dealt trigger now and wait to be put on the stack.
119.4b Next, damage thats been dealt is processed into its results, as modified by replacement effects that interact with those results (such as life loss or counters).
119.4c Finally, the damage event occurs.
example: The defending player controls a creature and Worship, an enchantment that says If you control a creature, damage that would reduce your life total to less than 1 reduces it to 1 instead. That player is at 2 life, and is being attacked by two unblocked 5/5 creatures. The player casts Awe Strike, which says The next time target creature would deal damage this turn, prevent that damage. You gain life equal to the damage prevented this way, targeting one of the attackers. The damage event starts out as [10 damage is dealt to the defending player]. Awe Strikes effect is applied, so the damage event becomes [5 damage is dealt to the defending player, the defending player gains 5 life]. Thats processed into its results, so the damage event is now [the defending player loses 5 life, the defending player gains 5 life]. Worships effect sees that the damage event would not reduce the players life total to less than 1, so Worships effect is not applied. Then the damage event occurs.
Long story short, both the lethal damage and lifelink happens simultaneously, and as long as the life gain is equal to or greater than the damage taken, the specified player will survive.
Slycne says... Accepted answer #1
That is incorrect. Lifelink happens simultaneously with the damage. Because all the damage is being done at the same time there isn't a point where state based actions see someone below zero life.
What you may be confusing is the difference between lifelink and effects like Spirit Link. In the case of Spirit Link that person would die since that's a triggered ability. They would be at zero life and before getting a chance to even put the trigger on the stack state based actions would remove them from the game.
October 21, 2015 10:30 a.m.