Can an opponent's tapped creature be forced to block?
Asked by Calculusman08 12 years ago
I was playing an EDH game last night and my friend said that if a creature's ability forces an opponent's creature to block, that the targeted blocker must block, even if it is tapped. Is this true?
Calculusman08 says... #2
Okay I was just curious because I know that other rules state that if a creature's ability would overrule the rule book, that whatever the ability is trumps. Ex, a card that says you have no maximum hand size contradicts the rules, but it trumps.
July 23, 2012 1:30 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... Accepted answer #3
Note also that any effect forcing a creature to block always says "if able" somewhere in its full rules text. A tapped creature isn't able to block, so the effect doesn't do anything to it. Because of that, this particular situation doesn't fall under the "Golden Rule of Magic" (about a card contradicting the rules).
July 23, 2012 1:34 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #4
Also also, because of the "if able" clause, such an effect can't be used to create an illegal block.
July 23, 2012 1:35 p.m.
GoblinsInc says... #7
Provoke is not an exception. It untaps the creature when it resolves, but if the creature is tapped again before blockers are declared, it cannot be declared as an attacker. This is why targetting something like Llanowar Elf with provoke is pointless
702.37. Provoke
702.37a Provoke is a triggered ability. Provoke means Whenever this creature attacks, you may choose to have target creature defending player controls block this creature this combat if able. If you do, untap that creature.
Rhadamanthus says... #1
Tapped creatures can't block. If part of an effect gives you an impossible instruction, you ignore that part and do as much as you can of the rest.
July 23, 2012 1:25 p.m.