If I have a board with 5 creatures and OP has a board with 10 creatures and I play Ochran Assassin and the card resolves. I get that all creatures that need to block it do so, but are those creatures still able to block during the combat phase when my creatures enter combat?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"To keep things 100, anything I state is an opinion and not intended to be a fact. Any and all suggestions I give are a 100% opinion. If you need further clarification take the conversation to a PM. I am not in the business of assuming things. I'm only interested in 1 business and that business serves 2 things, Cold L's and Hot Dub's."
Not sure what you're asking. I can tell you that barring other abilities whatever creatures your opponents control that are untapped during the declare blockers step of a combat when the Assassin attacks will have to block the Assassin, even if it can't assign all of them combat damage.
EDIT: Do you mean like Spike-Tailed Ceratops? That can block another creature of its controller's choice but MUST block the Assassin.
No, not usually. If all of your creatures, including Ochran Assassin, attack at the same time, then all of your opponent's creatures are forced to block the creature with the Lure effect. Normally, creatures can only block one creature at a time, so all of your other creatures would go through unblocked. There are two exceptions, though. One is that some creature, such as Palace Guard, can block more than one attacker each combat. The other is that, if you attack with multiple creatures with Lure effects, then your opponent can choose which creature is forced to block each lure.
The way you wrote this, you seems to be under the impression that the ability does something when the Assassin enters the battlefield, but it doesn't, all it does is force your opponent's blocking choices in the declare blockers step after you attack with the Assassin. Blocking is something that only happens in the combat phase. An ability that does something when the creature with it enters the battlefield will be clear about that. EDIT: Note, in case you didn't know, that there is only one declaration of blockers for a given combat phase (of which there normally is only one per turn) and that all blocks are declared at the same time.
When the combat phase, the declare blockers step in particular, rolls in, your opponent has to block the Assassin with all their available blockers. And normally, that's the only creature that they will be able to block, since each blocker can only block one creature, barring a special ability that allows it to block more (e.g. Palace Guard). So your other attackers would usually go through.
Normally, unless you somehow raise the Assassin's power, it will only be able to kill one blocker since you only have 1 power to assign among the blockers. But each addtional point of power you grant to the Assassin with effects allows you to assign one additional point of deathtouch-bearing damage to another blocker.
I'm a former judge (lapsed), who keeps up to date on rules and policy. Keep in mind that judges' answers aren't necessarily more valid than those of people who aren't judges; what matters is we can quote the rules to back up our answers. When in doubt, ask for such quotes.
Normally, unless you somehow raise the Assassin's power, it will only be able to kill one blocker since you only have 1 power to assign among the blockers. But each addtional point of power you grant to the Assassin with effects allows you to assign one additional point of deathtouch-bearing damage to another blocker.
I don't really get this, it seems that raising the power wouldn't do much...further clarification is needed. Also giving the creature First Strike allow it to kill all respective blockers?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"To keep things 100, anything I state is an opinion and not intended to be a fact. Any and all suggestions I give are a 100% opinion. If you need further clarification take the conversation to a PM. I am not in the business of assuming things. I'm only interested in 1 business and that business serves 2 things, Cold L's and Hot Dub's."
Normally, unless you somehow raise the Assassin's power, it will only be able to kill one blocker since you only have 1 power to assign among the blockers. But each addtional point of power you grant to the Assassin with effects allows you to assign one additional point of deathtouch-bearing damage to another blocker.
I don't really get this, it seems that raising the power wouldn't do much...further clarification is needed. Also giving the creature First Strike allow it to kill all respective blockers?
You may misunderstand how deathtouch works. Deathtouch means that any positive amount of damage dealt by the source with deathtouch is considered lethal damage. But the source still needs to deal at least 1 point of damage to each creature that you want to die, (a creature in combat with a deathtouch source, but being assigned no damage points will not die). Since the Assassin's base power is 1, it has only 1 point of damage to deal in each combat damage step. Which means only one of the blocking creatures will die.
Increasing its power means more points of damage it can assign, which means more creatures can die.
You may misunderstand how deathtouch works. Deathtouch means that any positive amount of damage dealt by the source with deathtouch is considered lethal damage. But the source still needs to deal at least 1 point of damage to each creature that you want to die, (a creature in combat with a deathtouch source, but being assigned no damage points will not die). Since the Assassin's base power is 1, it has only 1 point of damage to deal in each combat damage step. Which means only one of the blocking creatures will die.
Increasing its power means more points of damage it can assign, which means more creatures can die.
Still not seeing it, I don't think raising the power does much because it's just dead to next creature that blocks it. If I raise Ochran Assassin to 4/2 but yet the 10 creatures are all 1/1's it would just be dead to the 2nd creature right? Which in that case would adding first strike be reasonable in order to kill all respective blockers?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"To keep things 100, anything I state is an opinion and not intended to be a fact. Any and all suggestions I give are a 100% opinion. If you need further clarification take the conversation to a PM. I am not in the business of assuming things. I'm only interested in 1 business and that business serves 2 things, Cold L's and Hot Dub's."
Still not seeing it, I don't think raising the power does much because it's just dead to next creature that blocks it. If I raise Ochran Assassin to 4/2 but yet the 10 creatures are all 1/1's it would just be dead to the 2nd creature right? Which in that case would adding first strike be reasonable in order to kill all respective blockers?
Not necessarily. except for first strike damage, all damage is dealt at the same time. The thing you might be confused about is how assigning damage works.
If an Ochran Assassin that's been pumped to 4/2 somehow is blocked by 10 1/1s first you assign damage, then everything deals combat damage at the same time. That first step is where you choose how damage is going to be dealt, including splitting the assassin's damage among 4 of the 1/1s. Then everything gets dealt damage at once; 4 1/1/s take 1 damage from Ochran Assassin and die, and Ochran Assassin takes 10 and perishes at the same time. Giving Ochran Assassin first strike in this scenario wouldn't save it from dying or let it take out any more creatures.
If Ochran Assassin's power is 4, it can kill at most 4 creatures, however big they are. It won't kill all 10 blockers.
Deathtouch does nothing to blocking creatures. Deathtouch only kills those creatures that actually receive damage.
If I have a board with 5 creatures and OP has a board with 10 creatures and I play Ochran Assassin and the card resolves. I get that all creatures that need to block it do so, but are those creatures still able to block during the combat phase when my creatures enter combat?
-Stay Frosty
EDIT: Do you mean like Spike-Tailed Ceratops? That can block another creature of its controller's choice but MUST block the Assassin.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
When the combat phase, the declare blockers step in particular, rolls in, your opponent has to block the Assassin with all their available blockers. And normally, that's the only creature that they will be able to block, since each blocker can only block one creature, barring a special ability that allows it to block more (e.g. Palace Guard). So your other attackers would usually go through.
Normally, unless you somehow raise the Assassin's power, it will only be able to kill one blocker since you only have 1 power to assign among the blockers. But each addtional point of power you grant to the Assassin with effects allows you to assign one additional point of deathtouch-bearing damage to another blocker.
I don't really get this, it seems that raising the power wouldn't do much...further clarification is needed. Also giving the creature First Strike allow it to kill all respective blockers?
-Stay Frosty
You may misunderstand how deathtouch works. Deathtouch means that any positive amount of damage dealt by the source with deathtouch is considered lethal damage. But the source still needs to deal at least 1 point of damage to each creature that you want to die, (a creature in combat with a deathtouch source, but being assigned no damage points will not die). Since the Assassin's base power is 1, it has only 1 point of damage to deal in each combat damage step. Which means only one of the blocking creatures will die.
Increasing its power means more points of damage it can assign, which means more creatures can die.
Still not seeing it, I don't think raising the power does much because it's just dead to next creature that blocks it. If I raise Ochran Assassin to 4/2 but yet the 10 creatures are all 1/1's it would just be dead to the 2nd creature right? Which in that case would adding first strike be reasonable in order to kill all respective blockers?
-Stay Frosty
Not necessarily. except for first strike damage, all damage is dealt at the same time. The thing you might be confused about is how assigning damage works.
If an Ochran Assassin that's been pumped to 4/2 somehow is blocked by 10 1/1s first you assign damage, then everything deals combat damage at the same time. That first step is where you choose how damage is going to be dealt, including splitting the assassin's damage among 4 of the 1/1s. Then everything gets dealt damage at once; 4 1/1/s take 1 damage from Ochran Assassin and die, and Ochran Assassin takes 10 and perishes at the same time. Giving Ochran Assassin first strike in this scenario wouldn't save it from dying or let it take out any more creatures.
Deathtouch does nothing to blocking creatures. Deathtouch only kills those creatures that actually receive damage.
RULES OF MAGIC :
http://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/rules