Do death triggers happen if a player dies to trample damage?

Asked by LionMcTastic 1 year ago

This was part of a casual EDH game where 3 out of 4 players were still alive.

The situation was that my opponent full swung at me with a lot of tokens being pumped up by Jetmir, Nexus of Revels (all of their creatures had +3/+0 and vigilance, trample, double strike). I had 3 blockers, and several death trigger effects on the field. Mathematically, I wasn't going to survive the attack.

My question is, if I blocked with my creatures, would I still get my death triggers before dying? I thought that their creatures would damage mine until lethal, my creature would die, then trample damage would get through. But I was told that it all happens at the same time, so I would die before death triggers happen.

Rhadamanthus says... #1

Some of the results depend on the specifics of the situation, but the rule is that losing the game for having 0 or less life is a state-based action and will be dealt with before any creature-death triggers that happened at the same time are even put onto the stack. When a player leaves the game, so does all of their stuff, including any of their triggers currently on the stack or waiting to go onto the stack.

HOWEVER, the fact that the attacking creatures have double strike in your example can matter depending on whether they only needed one strike or both strikes to make you lose. Double strike damage is dealt in two separate steps of the combat phase: the first strike combat damage step and the regular combat damage step. If some of your creatures die in the first strike damage step but you haven't lost yet then any death triggers that would apply will go onto the stack and resolve before the game can move on to the regular combat damage step.

June 28, 2023 1:43 p.m.

Spisepinden says... Accepted answer #2

Assuming the creatures die from the first strike damage, and assuming that you survive the first strike trample damage, your creatures will be sent to the graveyard and their abilities will trigger before the second damage step begins.

Furthermore, because first strike and normal damage is resolved in two different steps, all players get a turn of priority in between the two. This means you're free to cast instants/spells with Flash, as well as activate abilities before the normal damage step begins.

Example:

I have 3 hit points left, and I've got a tapped Fangren Marauder and three untapped Copper Myrs on the battlefield.

1. My opponent moves to their combat phase and attacks me with three 1/1 creatures with double strike and trample.
2. I block with my Myrs.
3. The first strike damage step is resolved, killing my Myrs.
4. Fangren Marauder sees them hitting the graveyard, triggering its ability 3 times. I gain a total of 15 life when those triggers are resolved, putting me at 18.
5. The normal damage step is resolved, and I take 3 damage from the attacking creatures because they have trample, putting me at 15.
6. I pat myself on the back for knowing the rules.

The double strike rule Show

702.4b If at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike (see rule 702.7) or double strike as the combat damage step begins, the only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are those with first strike or double strike. After that step, instead of proceeding to the end of combat step, the phase gets a second combat damage step. The only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are the remaining attackers and blockers that had neither first strike nor double strike as the first combat damage step began, as well as the remaining attackers and blockers that currently have double strike. After that step, the phase proceeds to the end of combat step.

June 29, 2023 12:05 p.m.

Rhadamanthus says... #3

LionMcTastic: Answers to your question have been up for a while. Since there don't seem to be any follow ups or corrections that need to be made, I marked one of them as the "Accepted answer" so this topic can move out of the list of unanswered questions. In the future you can take care of this yourself using the "Mark as Answer" button on the response that you feel best answers your question.

July 7, 2023 9:24 a.m.