Does Pariah alter damage type?
Asked by luslakhan 7 years ago
I've been theory-crafting a deck for kitchen table Magic, and ran into a question about the interaction between Pariah and Mark of Asylum. Pariah redirects all damage that would be dealt to me over to the enchanted creature, regardless of what kind of damage it is (referring to combat versus noncombat damage). Mark of Asylum prevents noncombat damage specifically. If I take combat damage from a creature while both cards on the field, will the damage redirected to the creature enchanted by Pariah be prevented by Mark of Asylum, since the damage is being dealt to the creature by the enchantments effect, or will it still be considered combat damage since it was originally dealt as such?
That makes sense. I'm willing to accept that until a judge rules differently. Thanks for the clarification!
December 10, 2016 5:18 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #3
Note that one doesn't have to be a judge to understand and interpret rules. Judges also aren't always correct.
As Quantumsandwich said, Pariah only redirects the damage. It doesn't change anything about the damage itself.
Compare Pariah to a card, such as Deflecting Palm, that prevents the damage rather than redirecting it. With Deflecting Palm, the original damage is prevented, and Deflecting Palm itself deals damage to the new recipient. Any characteristics of the original damage (e.g., deathtouch or lifelink) are lost.
Note, however, that 119.2a isn't really the relevant rule here. That's just the definition of combat damage. Pariah uses the rules for damage redirection.
614.9. Some effects replace damage dealt to one creature, planeswalker, or player with the same damage dealt to another creature, planeswalker, or player; such effects are called redirection effects. If either creature or planeswalker is no longer on the battlefield when the damage would be redirected, or is no longer a creature or planeswalker when the damage would be redirected, the effect does nothing. If damage would be redirected to or from a player who has left the game, the effect does nothing.
Redirect (Obsolete) Some older cards were printed with the term "redirect" to indicate a redirection effect. Such cards have received errata in the Oracle card reference so they explicitly state that damage that would be dealt to one object or player is dealt instead to another. See Redirection Effect.
December 10, 2016 6:30 p.m.
I see! So the damage is unmodified, merely the recipient of that damage is replaced. Thank you both for your assistance!
Quantumsandwich says... #1
I believe the answer here lies in rule 119.2a.
119.2a Show
Because the damage is dealt as a result of combat, the damage is "combat damage." Pariah uses the word instead so that makes it a replacement effect, but all the replacement effect does is change who is being damaged, not what causes the damage (that being combat). As such, I believe the damage is still combat damage and therefore not prevented by Mark of Asylum.
That said, I am not a certified judge, merely a rules enthusiast. If a judge wants to say otherwise I'd trust them over my reasoning.
December 10, 2016 4:40 p.m.