How do damage reductions and increases stack?
Asked by meecht 2 years ago
If I control Benevolent Unicorn and my opponent casts Flame Jab while controlling Torbran, Thane of Red Fell, how much damage is dealt?
Current Oracle text for the Unicorn is "If a spell would deal damage to a permanent or player, it deals that much damage minus 1 to that permanent or player instead."
Gidgetimer says... Accepted answer #1
Second Oracle ruling on Torbran, Thane of Red Fell:
If another effect modifies how much damage your red source would deal, including preventing some of it, the player being dealt damage or the controller of the permanent being dealt damage chooses an order in which to apply those effects. If all of the damage is prevented, Torbran's effect no longer applies.
To expand it to the more general case- the affected player or the affected object's controller chooses the order in which to apply replacement effects. Earlier applied replacement effects may change an event sufficiently that other effects may no longer apply to the event.
616.1. If two or more replacement and/or prevention effects are attempting to modify the way an event affects an object or player, the affected object’s controller (or its owner if it has no controller) or the affected player chooses one to apply, following the steps listed below. If two or more players have to make these choices at the same time, choices are made in APNAP order (see rule 101.4).
616.1a If any of the replacement and/or prevention effects are self-replacement effects (see rule 614.15), one of them must be chosen. If not, proceed to rule 616.1b.
616.1b If any of the replacement and/or prevention effects would modify under whose control an object would enter the battlefield, one of them must be chosen. If not, proceed to rule 616.1c.
616.1c If any of the replacement and/or prevention effects would cause an object to become a copy of another object as it enters the battlefield, one of them must be chosen. If not, proceed to rule 616.1d.
616.1d If any of the replacement and/or prevention effects would cause a card to enter the battlefield with its back face up, one of them must be chosen (See rule 701.28, “Transform,” and rule 701.50, “Convert.”). If not, proceed to 616.1e.
616.1e Any of the applicable replacement and/or prevention effects may be chosen.
616.1f Once the chosen effect has been applied, this process is repeated (taking into account only replacement or prevention effects that would now be applicable) until there are no more left to apply.
October 5, 2023 10:58 p.m.