What happens with +1 and -1 counters

Asked by Sismir 6 years ago

If a creature has a +1+1 and gets a -1-1 what happens then? I have been told they Will cancel eachother out, and “disapear” all togeather. But i read The oracle text on Arcbound Ravager that States if it get enough -1counters to die it Will still pass on its +1 counters. So what actually happens with The counters and when?

Boza says... Accepted answer #1

704.5q If a permanent has both a +1/+1 counter and a -1/-1 counter on it, N +1/+1 and N -1/-1 counters are removed from it, where N is the smaller of the number of +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters on it.
704.5f If a creature has toughness 0 or less, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard. Regeneration can’t replace this event.

These are state-based actions - all of these (there a lot more) happen at the same time and happen any time a player would receive priority, ie after a spell's resolution. Normally, it does not matter that a creature a creature has both types of counters at the same time. However:

704.7. If a state-based action results in a permanent leaving the battlefield at the same time other state-based actions were performed, that permanent’s last known information is derived from the game state before any of those state-based actions were performed. Example: You control Young Wolf, a 1/1 creature with undying, and it has a +1/+1 counter on it. A spell puts three -1/-1 counters on Young Wolf. Before state-based actions are performed, Young Wolf has one +1/+1 counter and three -1/-1 counters on it. After state-based actions are performed, Young Wolf is in the graveyard. When it was last on the battlefield, it had a +1/+1 counter on it, so undying will not trigger.

Young Wolf and Arcbound Ravager have the exact same situation.

December 14, 2018 3:29 a.m.