Can I use "Rakdos Charm" third effect on an opponents tapped creature?
Asked by SmokeyShadowZ 1 year ago
I was playing with my friends and I brought my friend down to 1 health and he has a creature that was tapped (couldn't block or do anything) so I used Rakdos charms third effect which states "Each creature deals 1 damage to its controller" and since he had one creature it would've took his remaining health and he would've lost, I was at 1 hp too so I would've went out swinging but he said that that instant effect didn't work on his creature because his creature was tapped and couldn't attack him. I'm new to mtg and I just want to know if being tapped really means that my instant effect didn't work, there was no other effect at play to stop my instants effect just my friend saying that his creature was tapped and that my effect couldn't work. Please clear this up for me he's played it longer and is trying to pull that veteran card on me
plakjekaas says... #2
My last paragraph was not technically true, there's an additional way to survive: if his last remaining creature had lifelink. Rakdos Charm makes the creatures do the damage, so if the creature had lifelink, and then did 1 damage to its controller, the controller would lose 1 life and gain 1 life at the same time, effectively changing nothing.
December 10, 2022 6:01 a.m.
As a note you can surround card names with double square brackets (these guys [ ] ) to better help everyone know what's happening
December 10, 2022 3:34 p.m.
I’m the future, please use the green “mark as answer” button to indicate your question was resolved. Since this has been answered for a few days, I have gone ahead and marked an answer on your behalf.
December 15, 2022 11:05 a.m.
As a point of clarification for the accepted answer, you would have died at the same time, and thus would not have won the game. Losing the game is a state based action (R. 704.5A) which are checked simultaneously (R. 704.3). Since both of you were at 1 health and controlled a creature, outside of any extenuating circumstances you both would have zero life when State Based actions are checked. It sounds like you had more than two players based on your post, so you and the other one-life person would lose the game and the others would continue playing. If it were a two player game and you both lost (or you were the two last players in a multiplayer game), the game would be a draw (R. 104.4a).
plakjekaas says... Accepted answer #1
Rakdos Charm doesn't state: "each creature attacks their controller"
It says: "each creature deals 1 damage to its controller." Tapped creatures are not exempt from doing damage. A Prey Upon could still target your own tapped creature, and it would still deal damage to another creature (and be dealt damage back).
Also, if the creatures would actually attack their owners by the effect of Rakdos Charm, they would deal damage equal to their power. The spell says it just deals 1 damage, no matter its power.
The only way to survive the Rakdos Charm in the situation you described, is to get rid of every creature you have, before the spell resolves. Either by sacrificing them, using an instant speed removal spell on them, or phase them out (like with a Slip Out the Back).
You did win that game.
December 10, 2022 5:57 a.m.