I purchased the Defeat a God challenge deck, and my wife and I played it last night. Using the multiplayer rules, we used a shared life total (20 life to begin). Here's my question: when a spell or effect says that "each player" loses life (such as with Xenagos's Strike, which deals 4 damage to each player), I had us lose 4 life (which would bring us down to 16 life, for example). However, if a hero's reward effect said that each player should draw a card, each of us would draw. That means that detrimental effects (life loss) were applied once, but beneficial effects (draw a card) were applied twice.
Is this correct, or should, for example, Xenagos's Strike deal 4 damage for each player (in our case, 8 damage)? This seems more in line with the beneficial effects, but it seems to really punish playing multiplayer. This question would also pertain to Battle the Horde, which also uses a shared life total of 20 for multiplayer games (the Hydra deck does not use a shared life total).
I purchased the Defeat a God challenge deck, and my wife and I played it last night. Using the multiplayer rules, we used a shared life total (20 life to begin).
[quote] Here's my question: when a spell or effect says that "each player" loses life (such as with Xenagos's Strike, which deals 4 damage to each player), I had us lose 4 life (which would bring us down to 16 life, for example). However, if a hero's reward effect said that each player should draw a card, each of us would draw. That means that detrimental effects (life loss) were applied once, but beneficial effects (draw a card) were applied twice.
Is this correct, or should, for example, Xenagos's Strike deal 4 damage for each player (in our case, 8 damage)?
The rules for Shared Life Total in Two-Headed Giant says your team should lose 8 life total, not 4. The Challenge deck uses the same rule.
810.9. Damage, loss of life, and gaining life happen to each player individually. The result is applied to the team's shared life total.
Example: In a Two-Headed Giant game, a player casts Flame Rift, which reads, "Flame Rift deals 4 damage to each player." Each team is dealt a total of 8 damage.
This seems more in line with the beneficial effects, but it seems to really punish playing multiplayer.
Well, playing as two players means you are drawing and using twice the number of cards. Being dealt twice the damage sounds just fair for me.
Anyway, Challenge Decks use very loose rules. You won't find anything about them in the real game rules. So you are very welcome in using house rules if you find they lead to a better gameplay.
This question would also pertain to Battle the Horde, which also uses a shared life total of 20 for multiplayer games (the Hydra deck does not use a shared life total).
By the way, the rule above applies only to the "each player loses life / is dealt damage" effects. In both decks, when creatures attack they attack one player only, so the team don't lose double life to them.
The multiplayer rules for Defeat a God (from the Daily MTG article that announced the deck) are as follows:
Multiplayer rules: Follow the rules as printed on the playmat for Xenagos's deck. All players facing Xenagos and his revelers have a shared life total of 20 life. For each additional player in the game, the Xenagos deck starts with one additional Rollicking Throng on the battlefield.
So, should rule 810.9 mean that we would take the 4 damage from Xenagos's Strike twice?
You're right, it does use shared life total. I found out and edited my mistake out of the post before seeing you had answered, sorry.
For the question, yes, that's how shared life total work. Xenagos's Strike deals 8 damage to a two-player team sharing life.
But if you don't like it, just house rule it. Challenge Decks don't use regular rules anyway, you're more than welcome in changing them if you think it will player better that way. Play with no shared life, or change how the spell work, or just start with more life if playing in a big team (so the Strike don't one-shot win against a 4-players team).
Is this correct, or should, for example, Xenagos's Strike deal 4 damage for each player (in our case, 8 damage)? This seems more in line with the beneficial effects, but it seems to really punish playing multiplayer. This question would also pertain to Battle the Horde, which also uses a shared life total of 20 for multiplayer games (the Hydra deck does not use a shared life total).
Thanks!
The rules for Shared Life Total in Two-Headed Giant says your team should lose 8 life total, not 4. The Challenge deck uses the same rule.
810.9. Damage, loss of life, and gaining life happen to each player individually. The result is applied to the team's shared life total.
Example: In a Two-Headed Giant game, a player casts Flame Rift, which reads, "Flame Rift deals 4 damage to each player." Each team is dealt a total of 8 damage.
Well, playing as two players means you are drawing and using twice the number of cards. Being dealt twice the damage sounds just fair for me.
Anyway, Challenge Decks use very loose rules. You won't find anything about them in the real game rules. So you are very welcome in using house rules if you find they lead to a better gameplay.
By the way, the rule above applies only to the "each player loses life / is dealt damage" effects. In both decks, when creatures attack they attack one player only, so the team don't lose double life to them.
Multiplayer rules: Follow the rules as printed on the playmat for Xenagos's deck. All players facing Xenagos and his revelers have a shared life total of 20 life. For each additional player in the game, the Xenagos deck starts with one additional Rollicking Throng on the battlefield.
So, should rule 810.9 mean that we would take the 4 damage from Xenagos's Strike twice?
For the question, yes, that's how shared life total work. Xenagos's Strike deals 8 damage to a two-player team sharing life.
But if you don't like it, just house rule it. Challenge Decks don't use regular rules anyway, you're more than welcome in changing them if you think it will player better that way. Play with no shared life, or change how the spell work, or just start with more life if playing in a big team (so the Strike don't one-shot win against a 4-players team).