Phyrexian Unlife + Moltensteel Dragon
Asked by IconicCure 14 years ago
Just now got into this dispute, there have been multiple rulings on it.
I have the Moltensteel Dragon turn two, and lose four life.Turn three I cast Phyrexian Unlife, and attack with the Moltensteel. Can I pay my remaining 16 life, then continue paying life to dip into my infect counters to kill my opponent?
evil_monkey says... #2
Um. Isn't paying life different than having damage dealt though? From my understanding you can't pay life unless you have actual life to pay.
July 9, 2011 6:49 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #3
Nobilior is wrong. The comprehensive rules excerpt:
118.4. If a cost or effect allows a player to pay an amount of life greater than 0, the player may do so only if his or her life total is greater than or equal to the amount of the payment. If a player pays life, the payment is subtracted from his or her life total; in other words, the player loses that much life. (Players can always pay 0 life.)
Phyrexian Unlife does not convert your life payments into poison counters, it converts damage into poison damage. Life loss is not the same as damage, although damage (usually) causes life loss.
Therefore, you may pay life for Moltensteel Dragon until you are at 0 life, but you must use the appropriate mana afterwards because you do not have enough life to make payments other than 0.
July 9, 2011 6:53 p.m.
xxxxxxCronoxxxxxx says... #4
you can still kill him in 3 attacks if you have red mana
just out of curiosity how do you get him out on the 2nd turn?
Nobilior says... #1
Yep, you can. As you know Phyrexian Unlife says;
You don't lose the game for having 0 or less life. As long as you have 0 or less life, all damage is dealt to you as though its source had infect. (Damage is dealt to you in the form of poison counters.)
and the dragon...
(P/R can be paid with either R or 2 life.)
P/R: Moltensteel Dragon gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
You can still pay the life even though it is 0 or less. The life is just converted into poison counters.
Hope this helped. :)
July 9, 2011 6:11 p.m.