please clarify how trample works

Asked by Psyloarchy 9 years ago

Today, I had an argument with my friend over how trample works. I attacked with a 2/1 with trample, and he blocked with a 1/1. he then said he says that he doesn't take damage, because the trampler died, but I said is that trample is just the attacking creatures damage minus the defending creatures thoughness. Is there something about about trample I don't know.

Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #1

Your friend is incorrect. Damage is assigned simultaneously and then dealt simultaneously. Your creature won't be dead while you're assigning damage, which is the point at which you specify how much is to be dealt to each creature and how much will trample over.

June 9, 2015 1:27 p.m.

TheRedMage says... #2

Combat is a five-steps process in magic, these five steps being beginning of combat, declare attackers, declare blockers, damage, and end of combat. The way that trample operates has to do with what happens during the combat damage step.

Let's consider an example similar to yours. If you attack with Alpha Myr and I block with Fugitive Wizard, when we get to the damage step, you will have to assign damage (in this case, each creature assign all of its damage to the other), then all damage is dealt at the same time. That's the key part and that is why things don't quite work the way your friends suggested.

Let's throw trample in the picture - you attack with Satyr Rambler and your opponent blocks with Fugitive Wizard. Trample changes the way that damage assignment order to say that, after you have assigned enough damage to kill every blocker, you can assign the rest to your opponent. In this example, there are two legal damage assignments:

• Satyr Rambler deals one damage to Fugitive Wizard and one damage to your opponent. This is legal as one damage constitutes "lethal damage" as the wizard only has one toughness.
• Satyr Rambler deals two damage to Fugitive Wizard (you can always assign more than needed, although it is usually strategically unsound).

Let's say you go with the first because why wouldn't you. Once you and your opponent have decided your damage assignments, damage finally happens, once again, all at the same time. Your opponent is dealt one damage, and so is each of the creatures. Immediately after, both creatures die as they have received lethal damage.

A few other notable trample interactions:

• In the case of multiple blockers, you need to assign lethal damage to all before you start damaging your opponent. For example, if you are attacking your Pelakka Wurm into their 1/1 squirrel token, 2/2 wolf token and 3/3 elephant token (you drafted Modern Masters 2015, and they just resolved a Bestial Menace against you, or, as I like calling it, "cone of tokens"). You will need to assign 1 damage to the squirrel, 2 to the wolf, 3 to the elephant and there will only be 1 leftover damage.
• If your opponent's blocker has protection from your creature (still the same Modern Master 2015 draft, now you are attacking your Pelakka Wurm into their Mirran Crusader) "lethal damage" is still damage equal to their toughness. You can assign 2 damage to the crusader and 5 to your opponent (you can also assign more than two to the crusader if you really want to, but in almost all cases, you shouldn't). This holds true if the opponent's creature has some other damage prevention effect a la Fog Bank.
• If your creature has deathtouch, any amount of damage is lethal damage. If your opponent blocks your Nylea's Emissary with two 4/4 sphinx tokens, and you cast Necrobite, you will be able to assign one damage to each sphinx and 1 to your opponent, as 1 damage is enough to kill a creature since your creature has deathtouch.

June 9, 2015 1:37 p.m.