Reflect Damage

Instant

The next time a source of your choice would deal damage this turn, that damage is dealt to that source's controller instead.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (34)

Rhadamanthus on Most non-infinite damage you've ever …

1 year ago

900-something damage to myself, unintentionally. I was hiding behind Fog effects including Constant Mists against a horde of flying Slivers. I went for a big Hurricane to clear the board and my opponent hit it with Reflect Damage.

um_fido on Yes, Honey

1 year ago

alexjustdoit Ah, i see what you're talking about, but even though Reflect Damage counts only one source, if something hits multiple objects/players at the same time, the source still the same, like Blasphemous Act, and all the damage will be redirect.

So, if we have 4 creatures in the board, it will be 13*4 = 52 damage reflected and not just 13, cause it's not procing multiple times, just once.

I think the difference between Reflect Damage and Deflecting Palm is that "Redirect all damage" part and that Reflect doesn't prevent the damage, bypassing "damage cannot be prevented" cards, since it's a replace effect.

alexjustdoit on Yes, Honey

1 year ago

Either I'm misunderstanding you, or you may have a misconception about Reflect Damage - it only counts one source. It is a 5 cmc Deflecting Palm - is it not? If thats what you want, then fair, just wanted to make sure you weren't thinking it would stop multiple instances of damage.

In my decks like this (I have 3) I rarely need more than 1 or 2 Deflecting Palm type effects so I find that between Palm, Boros Fury Shield, and Mirror Strike, its kinda all covered.

Also FYI - boros fury shield doesnt redirect the dmg when sunforged.

um_fido on Yes, Honey

1 year ago

Hey alexjustdoit i like Boros Fury-Shield and I've been thinking in replace Mirror Strike with it, since I can use it when one of my opponents is attacking another opponent.

Even though Reflect Damage is not tutorable through Sunforger and it's little more expensive, mana and financially, i feel that it can be useful, not only to protect me from creature damage, but also in situations where someone casts a damage boardwipe like Blasphemous Act or Chain Reaction or when someone casts a big X damage spell, like Crackle with Power, we will reflect all the damage back at the caster.

Not related, but i just found Equal Treatment, which i think can be useful against Craterhoof Behemoth like strategies or to pump 1/1 wide tokens. And draws us a card.

alexjustdoit on Yes, Honey

1 year ago

Boros Fury-Shield seems to me a more efficient and more flexible Reflect Damage if you're looking for more of that effect but without having to hold up way too much mana

Rhadamanthus on reflect damage & halvar, god …

2 years ago

Sun Titan is the source of all the damage, but you still take 10. It has to do with how Reflect Damage actually works versus what the printed text appears to say.

Reflect Damage was printed at a time when the rules worked a little differently and the standards for rules text on cards weren't as formalized. Its current Oracle text (viewable in Gatherer) has been updated to be more clear about exactly what it does:
The next time a source of your choice would deal damage this turn, that damage is dealt to that source's controller instead.

Because a creature with double strike deals its damage in two different combat damage steps, the "next time" part of Reflect Damage's text means it will only affect the first of those damage events. The second damage event will happen normally.

Neotrup on reflect damage & halvar, god …

2 years ago

Reflect Damage's oracle text reads:

"The next time a source of your choice would deal damage this turn, that damage is dealt to that source's controller instead."

Because double strike causes damage to be dealt in two instances, once during the first strike damage step and once during the regular damage step, Reflect Damage will only cause the damage during the first strike damage step to be redirected. Sun Titan is the source of all the damage though.

Gleeock on reflect damage & halvar, god …

2 years ago

I'm no judge... but it seems like the player was incorrect. Halvar states: "creatures you control that are ench. or equipped have double strike", the source of the dmg is Sun Titian (not Halvar). All that being said; if the 20 dmg was not lethal for the player that you used Reflect Damage on, then the player's life total would go nowhere basically, since the Titan had lifelink; however your lifetotal would have been spared as well.