Rhox Faithmender/Tree of Redemption for insane life gain?

Asked by Joshuawesome 12 years ago

Do Rhox Faithmender and Tree of Redemption combo together?

I ask solely based on an encounter I had on MtG Online the other night. I was playing against a fellow using a green/white deck featuring both of these cards and each turn his life was doubling to ridiculous proportions. I wansn't paying much attention at the time as to exactly how he was doing it, but I was assuming it was do to using both of the aforementioned cards together. Am I correct in assuming it goes a little something like this?:

Player has 20 life, has Rhox Faithmender in play, taps Tree of Redemption to swap his 20 for 13. Next turn, he taps Tree of Redemption again, and now has 40 life (I think). Rinse and repeat.

aavb132 says... Accepted answer #1

You would be correct. The alterations made to your life total by way of Tree of Redemption count as life loss/gain.

Here's the relevant ruling:

• 9/22/2011 When the ability resolves, Tree of Redemption's toughness will become your former life total and you will gain or lose an amount of life necessary so that your life total equals Tree of Redemption's former toughness. Other effects that interact with life gain or life loss will interact with this effect accordingly.

And also this one might have something to do with what you were seeing.

• 9/22/2011 Any toughness-modifying effects, counters, Auras, or Equipment will apply after its toughness is set to your former life total. For example, say Tree of Redemption is enchanted with Spectral Flight (which makes it 2/15) and your life total is 7. After the exchange, Tree of Redemption would be a 2/9 creature (its toughness became 7, which was then modified by Spectral Flight) and your life total would be 15.

So, the Faithmender interacts with the Tree close to how you think it does, it's just that when he would gain the 7 from the 13:20 switch, he would instead gain 14, and then two turns later, he would gain 28.

That is unless you specifically saw it doubling, in which case you are entirely correct.

April 6, 2013 1:09 p.m.

Joshuawesome says... #2

Thank you for the in depth answer :D Much appreciated!

April 6, 2013 1:11 p.m.