If I chose the source "combat damage" for Deflecting Palm during battle phase, would it apply to one creature of my choice or all of them?
Asked by Randompanda88 10 years ago
I used deflecting palm against a friend who had infinite 1/1 elves in play attacking. After a little debate and looking up how combat damage is assigned, I believe it would affect all creatures since they deal damage at the same time. We both agreed on that ruling (him begrudgingly) but would like an outside ruling on whether or not we were correct.
GreatSword says... #2
You were not correct. Deflecting Palm says "The next time a source of your choice would deal damage to you, prevent that damage". "A source" is 1 source of damage, or 1 object that deals damage. Deflecting Palm in your situation would only prevent the damage from 1 elf, and then deal that amount of damage back to your opponent.
October 13, 2014 6:16 a.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #3
A "source" is a specific game object, and "combat damage" isn't a valid choice for a source of damage. The following rule describes how a player chooses a source:
609.7a If an effect requires a player to choose a source of damage, he or she may choose a permanent; a spell on the stack (including a permanent spell); any object referred to by an object on the stack, by a replacement or prevention effect that's waiting to apply, or by a delayed triggered ability that's waiting to trigger (even if that object is no longer in the zone it used to be in); or, for certain casual variant games, a face-up card in the command zone. A source doesn't need to be capable of dealing damage to be a legal choice. The source is chosen when the effect is created. If the player chooses a permanent, the effect will apply to the next damage dealt by that permanent, regardless of whether it's combat damage or damage dealt as the result of a spell or ability. If the player chooses a permanent spell, the effect will apply to any damage dealt by that spell and any damage dealt by the permanent that spell becomes when it resolves.
October 13, 2014 9:31 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
@Boza: Note that Deflecting Palm does not redirect damage. Redirecting damage means it's still coming from the same source and therefore has the same properties. Deflecting Palm prevents the damage and then deals the same amount of damage to something else.
October 13, 2014 10:15 a.m.
just to add to the discussion, is deflecting palm used as a preemptive measure, or does it prevent-then-deals the damage the moment its cast? so like lets say my opponent has 21 goblin tokens, casts Voracious dragon and devours all goblins
does it go:
opponent: casts voracious dragon
player: casts deflecting palm
opponent: takes # damage
Im still new and just unsure of the timing and the wording of the card, if "a source" is anything or if the damage being "stopped-then-dealt-in-equal-power" has to be coming from a permanent
August 29, 2015 9:45 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #6
@2guard: Please read the post dates before commenting. This thread is from a year ago. In the future, ask a new question rather than replying to an old one.
A prevention effect can't apply until the event that would be prevented would occur. Further, nothing happens the moment something is cast; a spell doesn't have any effect until it resolves. Deflecting Palm doesn't do anything when cast or when it resolves (besides set up a latent replacement effect that will apply later). It doesn't prevent anything immediately, nor does it deal any damage immediately (it wouldn't know how much damage to deal anyway; no damage has been prevented yet).
So here's what actually happens in your situation.
Your opponent casts Voracious Dragon.
Voracious Dragon resolves, devouring N creatures as it enters the battlefield (devour does NOT happen during casting). Voracious Dragon's ETB ability triggers.
In response, you cast Deflecting Palm.
Deflecting Palm resolves. You choose Voracious Dragon as the source.
Voracious Dragon's ability resolves. The N damage it would deal is prevented, and Deflecting Palm deals that much damage to your opponent.
And yes, a source can be anything: a spell, ability, permanent, etc. You can even choose something that wouldn't normally deal you damage (although it probably isn't advantageous for you to do so).
August 29, 2015 10 p.m.
@Epochalyptik
thank you very very much, sorry about replying to an old post
Boza says... Accepted answer #1
Every single creature is a separate source of damage and Deflecting Palm would apply to just one of them. The fact that damage is dealt simultaneously has no relation to this.
Similarly, if your opponent cast Lightning Strike and you responded with Deflecting Palm , then later in the turn he cast another Lightning Strike , the damage prevention and redirection would not be applied to the second, since they are different sources, albeit with the same name.
October 13, 2014 6:11 a.m.