How does first strike work?
Asked by xeneizeruloso 10 years ago
As I'm rather new to magic, I do not fully understand how first strike works, does it mean that you can attack before anything can block you, or just that the creature with first strike attacks before your other creatures?
GreatSword says... #2
The combat phase of Magic is usually divided into 5 steps: beginning of combat, declare attacks, declare blocks, combat damage, and end of combat. Creatures without first strike (or double strike) deal combat damage to one another simultaneously in the combat damage step. However, if there is a creature with first strike or double strike in combat at that point, there is a first strike combat damage step before the "normal" combat damage step. Only creatures with first strike or double strike deal their damage in this step. If this damage is enough to kill the opposing creature, it will die and won't be around to deal it damage in the "normal" combat damage step.
So if you have a White Knight attacking and a Bear Cub blocks it, the White Knight will deal its damage first, and the Bear Cub will die. The White Knight will survive, as no damage has been dealt to it.
If we instead block with a 2/3 Kragma Butcher , the butcher won't die from the 2 damage and will survive to deal it's damage in the normal combat damage step. Our White Knight will die as it takes 2 damage from the Butcher.
August 29, 2014 10:55 a.m.
Gidgetimer says... Accepted answer #3
Creatures with first strike attack and can be blocked as normal. Where first strike comes into play is during combat damage. Normally all creatures deal their damage at the same time on the combat damage step.
A creature with first strike deals its damage during a separate combat damage step that happens before the normal one. All creatures dealing damage during this step do it at the same time, but it is before normal damage would be dealt. This allows a creature with first strike to possibly kill the creature it is in combat against before that creature can deal any damage to it.
A related ability that also has to do with the combat damage steps is double strike. A creature with double strike deals damage during both the first strike combat damage step and the normal combat damage step allowing it to strike twice in a single combat phase.
August 29, 2014 10:57 a.m.
Gidgetimer says... #4
Also here is a link to the basic rulebook. It covers the basics of Magic and will allow you to easily start playing and be able to understand all of the most common things that affect the game.
It is 16 pages long but with all the illustrations and graphics its closer to 6 pages of actual text.
Devonin says... #1
You declare all of your attackers at once, they declare all of their blockers at once.
Then, instead of the combat damage step, where all creatures would deal their damage at once, if there are creatures with first strike or double strike involved in combat, there is a First Strike damage step, where they all deal their damage.
Then, any creatures which die as a result of that first strike damage die, and are thus removed from combat, and any creatures who are alive, in combat, and either have double strike, or haven't dealt damage yet deal damage.
August 29, 2014 10:52 a.m.