How does lifelink work exactly?
Asked by SabbothO 9 years ago
So a friend was told by a judge recently at my LGS that if a creature with lifelink also has trample, only the damage that makes it to the opponent gets the life back. I thought that this seemed strange when you read the rulings for lifelink.
702.15a. Lifelink is a static ability.
702.15b. Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source's controller, or its owner if it has no controller, to gain that much life (in addition to any other results that damage causes).
It simply says "damage dealt" as in all damage, through combat or not. If a creature that has trample also has lifelink, damage has been dealt to both the blocking creature and possibly the defending player. Why would the judge claim that only the damage dealt to the defending player count, when the damage was still dealt to the creature?
This raises other questions about damage in my mind. I use Butcher of the Horde, he's 5/4 and I just gave him lifelink after a sacrifice. If I attack and the defending player blocks with a 3/3, does the blocker only take 3 damage to be reduced to 0 toughness, or does it take 5 damage to be reduced to -2 toughness? In this case do I receive only 3 or 5 life through lifelink this way respectively? If my butcher somehow had trample, would I receive 3 life from the blocker and 2 from the player, or 5 from the blocker and an extra 2 from the player?
If all damage dealt by a creature with lifelink gains life for the controller, could I cast Tail Slash on my Butcher of the Horde as he attacks for a total of 10 life gained?
Just some things I've been thinking about!
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #2
First, lifelink applies to all damage dealt by the source. It doesn't matter what received the damage as long as the damage was dealt. Without knowing the full extent of the circumstances of your friend's claim, it's hard to know why he or she said that lifelink wouldn't apply to damage dealt to creatures.
However, there was a question recently on lifelink, trample, and Fog Bank. Damage that is prevented is not dealt, so if lifelink damage that would be dealt to something is prevented, you don't gain life from it.
For your other question:
Damage dealt to a creature does NOT reduce that creature's toughness. Damage is simply marked on the creature. Only -X/-X effects and -1/-1 counters reduce a creature's toughness (ignoring, for the moment, effects that set a creature's toughness to a certain value).
Now, assuming that the blocker is actually able to block Butcher of the Horde (which has flying), you will gain 5 life. A creature always deals combat damage equal to its power, even if a portion of that damage is sufficient to kill the blocking creature or defending player.
With trample, you divide the damage that your attacking creature could possible deal between the creatures blocking it and the defending player. You must assign lethal damage to a blocking creature before you can assign any damage to the next blocker (if there are multiple blockers) or to the defending player. You don't magically generate extra damage, so you wouldn't be gaining 5 from the creature and 2 from the player. You would deal 5 damage divided between the creature and player and gain 5 life.
As for Tail Slash, yes. Lifelink affects all damage, not just combat damage.
canterlotguardian says... #1
Lifelink applies to any damage dealt by that creature. In the case of trample, it applies to damage dealt to the creature and damage dealt to the player/Planeswalker as a result of trample. Whoever told them that lifelink only applied to damage dealt post-creature was either a) horribly misinformed or b) lying.
December 1, 2015 5:54 p.m.