Replacing vs Preventing damage
Asked by MSU_Iced_Z 6 years ago
Soul-Scar Mage has a replacement effect, where the damage a spell would cause is changed into -1/-1 counters. This means, for example, that you don't gain life with a Soulfire Grand Master in play, because the damage was never dealt.
My question is, does this replacement count as the original damage being prevented? What is the interaction with, say, Leyline of Punishment?
Leyline of Punishment would stop Hostility's ability from working. It's functionally similar to a replacement effect, but because it does use the term prevent, it doesn't work when prevention is stopped.
Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #1
A damage prevention effect will specifically use the word "prevent" in its rules text to describe what it's doing. This distinction can matter in certain situations, like the one you're asking about here. Though Soul-Scar Mage's ability does replace damage being dealt with something entirely different, it's not a damage prevention effect. Leyline of Punishment won't interfere with it.
May 26, 2017 12:55 p.m.