How much life do I gain?
Asked by MindAblaze 9 years ago
So this happened tonight and I just want to know who was right.
I cast a Gray Merchant of Asphodel with 12 devotion. One opponent has 8 life left, the other has 26. Do I gain 20 or 24 life?
Raging_Squiggle says... Accepted answer #2
Scratch my post. I am wrong. Here is a ruling for Exsanguinate which is essentially the same effect.
1/1/2011 Players can lose more life than they have. For example, say you're playing a multiplayer game in which one of your opponents has 3 life and your other opponent has 10 life. If you cast Exsanguinate with 
= 
, your opponents will wind up at -1 life and 6 life, respectively. You'll gain 8 life.
So you will gain the full 24 life and one of your opponents will be at -4 life for a split moment before losing.
December 11, 2015 3:04 a.m.
MindAblaze says... #3
Some cards specify that you can't gain more life than the opponent lost this way, I guess gray merchant isn't one of them. Well, that's fine. Makes sense but I could have seen it to the other way too.
December 11, 2015 5:46 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #4
Ultimately, it's up to you and your fellow players to decide. Personally, I think they can't continue to lose life they don't technically have.
Raging_Squiggle says... #1
Each opponent can only lose as much life as they have. They can't lose negative life. Assuming nothing else happens, one opponent will lose their remaining 8 life, and the second opponent will lose the full 12 life. You will gain 20 life total. The player that lost 8 life will then lose for having 0 life.
December 11, 2015 2:57 a.m.