Explain Starstorm damage please
Asked by patrickolson 11 years ago
Hello all,
I am looking for a clarification on Starstorm.
The card reads "deals X damage to each creature." I read this as it deals X damage to all creatures at the same time....effectively clearing the board.
My friends interpret this as All the creatures go on a stack and are death damage one at a time.
The difference meaning that a creatures ability might be able to save another creature. For example, someone has 2 creatures on the board.
Hua Tuo, Honored Physician and someone else.
If damage is dealt on a stack, Hua Tuo would take damage second, but activate his ability prior to taking damage, thus saving the first card that took damage.
Does the clarification I am looking for make sense?
patrickolson says... #2
Although the commander deck version text is a bit different. (Still learning all the rule, bear with me).
April 8, 2014 1:11 p.m.
GreatSword says... Accepted answer #3
No, that's wrong.
All damage from Starstorm is dealt at the same time (when Starstorm resolves). The damage for each creature does not go on the stack separately. You could not save a creature on the battlefield with Hua Tuo, Honored Physician this way, because you must choose a creature card in the graveyard to target when you activate his ability. You can't activate him after Starstorm resolves because he will be dead by the time you get priority again (because state-based actions are checked right before players receive priority).
April 8, 2014 1:17 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #4
The word "each" in doesn't mean "process each one separately". Your initial thoughts about Starstorm were right.
There's no functional difference between the words "each" and "all" in card text. Whether one or the other gets used just depends on style and grammar conventions for standard English.
patrickolson says... #1
Hua Tuo, Honored Physician
April 8, 2014 1:10 p.m.