I get lost when it comes to the combat phase. If I attack and the opponent blocks then what? I need someone with patience to go through this with me. I know there are a lot of variables but I need help, please. I played one game open-handed and I won but I think they were being nice to me. I really enjoyed myself though.
You’re probably better off posting in magic rules if you’ve got questions. But I’d recommend reading the rule book, or better yet play mtg arena, which will coach you through the rules as well as enforce them.
Let’s say you attack an opponent with a creature that has “3/2” at the bottom right of said creature’s card.
The first number, 3, is that creature’s “power” or how much damage it deals if it participates in combat (generally).
If the opponent does not block nor do anything else, it would deal 3 damage to your opponent.
However you opponent blocks. The biggest question is what is blocking your creature.
If your opponent blocks, ignoring abilities, your creature will deal it’s total power spread out to its blockers (yes, an opponent can block one attacker with multiple creatures, this is called joint blocking) the way of your choosing. Your opponent’s blockers will deal their power to the attackers they are blocking.
The second number is the toughness. Your 3/2 creature’s toughness is 2 to in this example. the number on the right. This is how much damage it takes to kill your creature in a single turn.Surviving creature’s are healed after EVERY turn, not just yours. Please note that damage does not lower a creature’s toughness, but the cumulative damage dealt to a creature is to be tracked. Damage is also not dealt by placing “damage counters” on a creature. Most players just track it mentally, since the damage is reset at the end of each turn, which saves paper and pencil. This may seem like a daunting task, but typically if someone wants your creature dead, it is usually going to be dealt lethal damage within a single phase.
Lethal damage is the amount of damage needed to kill your creature. Typically, this is your creature’s toughness, in the example, 2. Certain abilities change this, but that is for a later time.
So your 3/2 is dealing 3 damage to the opponent’s 1/1 creature that has 1 toughness at the same time said blocking creature is dealing 1 damage to your creature’s 2 toughness. 1-3=-2. That blocker has been dealt lethal damage, well, BEYOND lethal damage so it that blocker is probably going to die (be sent to the discard pile). As for your attacker, 2-1=1, so your attacker is still alive as long as it does not take any more damage this turn.
What about the opponent, are they taking any damage? No. Your attacker dealt all three damage to the blocker. It doesn’t have anymore damage to deal to the opponent. If your creature had trample however, the damage that other 2 damage unused after dealing the lethal 1 damage would have carried on to the opponent. Trample only matters if an attacker has trample. If a blocker has trample, the trample ability for that blocker is ignored.
Let’s say the opponent blocker your 3/2 trample attacker. with two 1/1 blockers. You would deal 1 damage to both blockers and have 1 damage left over to hit the opponent! However both 1/1 blockers still deal their damage to your attacker, 1+1 is 2, and 2 is lethal damage for your creature. So in this example all three creatures die and your opponent takes 1 damage.
What if your 3/2 trample attacker is blocked by an 0/4? 3 damage is less than lethal to the blocker so the blocker lives. The 0/4 has 0 power, so it does not even deal any damage to your attacker. Both creatures live and no damage is dealt to the opponent.
What if your 3/2 trample attacker is blocked by two 1/2s? The combined power of the blockers is enough to deal lethal damage to your attacker. Your attacker, even though it has trample, has to get through all the creatures blocking it before it can damage the opponent and in this scenario only has enough power to deal lethal damage to one of the blockers and deal 1 damage to the second blocker. Your attacker dies and one of the blockers dies, the other takes 1 damage, and the opponent takes no damage from this exchange.
There are many more scenarios that add layers to combat, but this is a good starting point. Is there a particular scenario that occurred that you would like us to review?
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
The first number, 3, is that creature’s “power” or how much damage it deals if it participates in combat (generally).
If the opponent does not block nor do anything else, it would deal 3 damage to your opponent.
However you opponent blocks. The biggest question is what is blocking your creature.
If your opponent blocks, ignoring abilities, your creature will deal it’s total power spread out to its blockers (yes, an opponent can block one attacker with multiple creatures, this is called joint blocking) the way of your choosing. Your opponent’s blockers will deal their power to the attackers they are blocking.
The second number is the toughness. Your 3/2 creature’s toughness is 2 to in this example. the number on the right. This is how much damage it takes to kill your creature in a single turn.Surviving creature’s are healed after EVERY turn, not just yours. Please note that damage does not lower a creature’s toughness, but the cumulative damage dealt to a creature is to be tracked. Damage is also not dealt by placing “damage counters” on a creature. Most players just track it mentally, since the damage is reset at the end of each turn, which saves paper and pencil. This may seem like a daunting task, but typically if someone wants your creature dead, it is usually going to be dealt lethal damage within a single phase.
Lethal damage is the amount of damage needed to kill your creature. Typically, this is your creature’s toughness, in the example, 2. Certain abilities change this, but that is for a later time.
So your 3/2 is dealing 3 damage to the opponent’s 1/1 creature that has 1 toughness at the same time said blocking creature is dealing 1 damage to your creature’s 2 toughness. 1-3=-2. That blocker has been dealt lethal damage, well, BEYOND lethal damage so it that blocker is probably going to die (be sent to the discard pile). As for your attacker, 2-1=1, so your attacker is still alive as long as it does not take any more damage this turn.
What about the opponent, are they taking any damage? No. Your attacker dealt all three damage to the blocker. It doesn’t have anymore damage to deal to the opponent. If your creature had trample however, the damage that other 2 damage unused after dealing the lethal 1 damage would have carried on to the opponent. Trample only matters if an attacker has trample. If a blocker has trample, the trample ability for that blocker is ignored.
Let’s say the opponent blocker your 3/2 trample attacker. with two 1/1 blockers. You would deal 1 damage to both blockers and have 1 damage left over to hit the opponent! However both 1/1 blockers still deal their damage to your attacker, 1+1 is 2, and 2 is lethal damage for your creature. So in this example all three creatures die and your opponent takes 1 damage.
What if your 3/2 trample attacker is blocked by an 0/4? 3 damage is less than lethal to the blocker so the blocker lives. The 0/4 has 0 power, so it does not even deal any damage to your attacker. Both creatures live and no damage is dealt to the opponent.
What if your 3/2 trample attacker is blocked by two 1/2s? The combined power of the blockers is enough to deal lethal damage to your attacker. Your attacker, even though it has trample, has to get through all the creatures blocking it before it can damage the opponent and in this scenario only has enough power to deal lethal damage to one of the blockers and deal 1 damage to the second blocker. Your attacker dies and one of the blockers dies, the other takes 1 damage, and the opponent takes no damage from this exchange.
There are many more scenarios that add layers to combat, but this is a good starting point. Is there a particular scenario that occurred that you would like us to review?
Glad to help. I also found this from the game maker company itself. It goes into a little bit more detail and also covers combat tricks.