Stack sacrifice
Asked by fireflamedark 14 years ago
Are you able to activate a creatures ability before the damage phase as a result of attacking or blocking? If so, can a blocking creature be sacrificed during that moment by its own/friendly creatures ability without any damage being dealt to said defending or being passed to you if it's your creature?
fireflamedark says... #2
So the attacker wasted its tap, and helped me at the same time?
January 11, 2012 10:35 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #3
Essentially.
Take the following scenario:
Your opponent attacks you with a Goblin Piker . You control a Viscera Seer , which you block with. Then, before combat damage, you activate Viscera Seer's ability, sacrificing Viscera Seer itself. The Goblin Piker is still blocked, and it will not deal combat damage to you unless it somehow gains trample before combat damage is dealt (your opponent casts Unnatural Predation on it, for example).
January 11, 2012 10:55 p.m.
kevinisg0d says... #4
Is this correct?
This question has been bugging me but I thought that I read somewhere that the rules had been changed in M10 so that damage is done instantly and you can only activate abilities/ cast spells BEFORE blockers are assigned.
January 12, 2012 3:12 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #5
You're half right. There was a change to the rules in M10 which affected the way combat damage was dealt. HOWEVER, this change did not act in the way you describe. Previously, combat damage was assigned and then put onto the stack.
Continuing my example from post 3, assume that the old rules are in effect. Viscera Seer blocks Goblin Piker , and once damage is on the stack, the defending player sacrifices Seer to its own ability. The Piker will still take combat damage because that damage is on the stack. This means that the defending player will kill the attacking creature AND get the benefit of the ability. This way of doing things made cards like Mogg Fanatic great.
After the M10 rules change, combat damage is dealt simultaneously and immediately during the Combat Damage Step. Note that for the game to move to the next step or phase, all players must pass priority in turn over an empty stack. Therefore, players have the chance to cast spells and activate abilities before the game moves from the Declare Blockers Step to the Combat Damage Step.
January 12, 2012 3:27 a.m.
kevinisg0d says... #6
So if blockers are declared and you decide to let one through and then someone used Giant Growth to damage you directly for more would that be legal?
January 15, 2012 4:34 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #7
Yes. That's actually the most common use for Giant Growth besides protecting creatures by making them bigger. It essentially turns it into a green Lightning Bolt .
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #1
Yes. After the Declare Blockers step, players have a chance to cast spells and activate abilities before combat damage happens.
An attacking creature becomes a blocked creature once a blocker has been assigned to it, and removing that blocking creature does not change that the attacker is blocked. The attacker will only assign combat damage if another creature is still blocking it or if it has trample.
January 11, 2012 10:31 p.m.