How exactly does chump blocking work?
Asked by Awded 11 years ago
In the rulebook, at page 13, left column about middle of the page, it says: "Each creature can block only one attacker, but multiple blockers can gang up on a single attacking creature. If that happens, the attacking player orders the blockers to show which is first in line fordamage, which is second, and so on."
Followed by:"An attacking creature that is blocked deals damage to the blocking creatures. If one of your attacking creatures is blocked by multiple creatures, you decide how to divide its combat damage among them. You must assign at least enough damage to the first blocking creature in line to destroy it before you can assign damage to the next one in line, and so on.
So say that I attack with a 5/5 and am blocked by a 3/3, 1/2 and 1/1 and I have no other source other than my creature to assign damage. According to what I understand from the rulebook, if the defender wants to kill my creature but keep his 1/1 alive, if would use them all to defend in the previously stated order and I would have to assign damage to kill the 3/3 and 1/2, leaving the 1/1 creature alive.
However, from another Q&A on this website ( http://tappedout.net/mtg-questions/how-does-assigning-damage-work/ ), it is said to be the other way around in the chosen answer which includes references to the rules. If that's true, then what is the point of having the option to choose first in line if it does nothing per the fact that the attacker assigns damage however he sees fit?
Thanks in advance guys!
Gidgetimer says... Accepted answer #2
From the basic rulebook that you quoted:
If that happens, the attacking player orders the blockers to show which is first in line for damage
If one of your attacking creatures is blocked by multiple creatures, you decide how to divide its combat damage among them.
so there is no discrepancy. The defender doesn't get the option to choose the order. They simply declare that all the creatures block and then the attacking player decides damage distribution.
For reference "chump blocking" is the action of putting a small creature in front of a larger one simply to prevent the combat damage since a 1/1 can prevent all the damage from a 6/6 as long as the larger creature doesn't have trample.
January 9, 2014 10:58 a.m.
re: "For reference "chump blocking" is . . ."
- Right, what is being described in this thread is "gang blocking."
If a chump blocker does block a creature that has trample, then it is known as a "speed bump."
The defender only chooses the order of damage assignment if the gang of blockers has banding (e.g. Benalish Hero )
Sam_I_am says... #1
Yes the attacker does get to decide the order that damage occurs in, this is part of the rules. I don't know where you got your explanation from. I know of no official rules book that says that the blocker makes the decision
The reason why the blocker would do that is probably because he has no other way to stop the attacking creature, and the attacking creature can only kill 2 of the 3 creatures he's blocked with.
This is a very important part of the game, and adds some depth to decks that run mostly creatures.
It might be assumed that the 1/1 survives because it's actually the worst, and the attacker would rather kill the 3/3 and the 1/2.
January 9, 2014 10:56 a.m.