I recently encountered the rule that says if an attacking creature with double strike would kill any creatures blocking it with its "first strike" damage, it does not deal damage to the player with its "second strike" because it is still considered "blocked" despite the fact its blockers died.
This leaves me with the following question (and perhaps it's a stupid question): What is the benefit of having a creature with double strike over having a creature with twice the power but only first strike?
For instance: Say I have a 2/x creature with double strike, vs a 4/x creature with first strike. Is the only benefit to having the double strike creature over the high power first strike creature the fact that it procs "when this creature deals combat damage" effects twice? Or what's the point in having double strike over a high powered first strike? What can I do with the double strike creature that isn't already being done with the high power first strike creature?
I recently picked up Animar, Soul of Elements, and have been trying to think of an interesting way to build it.
All I've really seen looking around is variations on Morph and Eldrazi/Artifact decks, running the exact same strategy: Play something like Soul of the Harvest, play out creatures, draw creatures, play creatures, draw creatures, and spiral into a huge board to win in one or two turns.
I get this is obviously Animar's most efficient modus operandi, and kinda what he's made to do, but I'm trying to avoid having too easy a path to victory/the same path to victory every game, and/or instantly becoming public enemy #1 just for playing Animar. I enjoy the casual side of the format and like games where there's a lot of dynamic interplay between everyone and each player has a chance to show off what their decks do, and we don't end up playing Archenemy after turn 3. I don't want to lean so heavily into Animar's strengths that I'm stifling the frequency of such games, and doing his usual thing feels like I'd be doing just that. It also feels like I'd effectively be doing the same thing every game, and I don't want every game to feel like a repeat (I'm the kinda guy who avoids including more than 1-2 tutors to keep the game spontaneous).
So what I'm looking for is some inspiration for alternate ways to play Animar that are fun without being completely jank, and that aren't just gonna be me churning out effectively the same combo every match at lightning speed. Or to be shown that my worries are unmerited and that it's not gonna be as big of an issue as I think it is in casual play.
My first thought is a Hydra tribal, focusing on X costs with includes like Doubling Season, Death's Presence, and Simic Ascendancy. It still operates similar to most Animar decks, but not quite as explosive. But that's the only thing I've thought of so far.
I'm guessing the answer to this is "no", but I feel it necessary to double-check.
If I have both Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow and Sower of Discord out, and Yuriko's ability triggers that causes the life loss on opponents, does Sower of Discord's ability count that as "damage" in order to cause additional life loss? Or because Yuriko's ability simply says "loses life", does Sower of Discord not recognize it?
Thank you for the reply. Allow me to revise my question somewhat, as I realize I made an error in timing in my previous iteration when attempting to ask the question, and would like the answer clarified after revision:
If I were to have the Doppelganger as a copy of Etrata hit someone, put Etrata's ability on the stack, then change the Doppelganger to something else (allowing the Doppelganger's ability to resolve first), then would it count as a different entity than Etrata's ability is searching for when it resolves, or does "C.R. 201.4" still cause the shuffle?
Constructing an Etrata, the Silencer deck and for EDH and trying to determine if it'd be worth including Dimir Doppelganger. My question is if I have a Dimir Doppelganger who is currently copying Etrata, after I've swung, dealt damage, and placed a hit counter with it, could I change the Doppelganger's copy target to avoid it being shuffled back into the deck since it's no longer the same card? Or would it still be shuffled back into the library?
This leaves me with the following question (and perhaps it's a stupid question): What is the benefit of having a creature with double strike over having a creature with twice the power but only first strike?
For instance: Say I have a 2/x creature with double strike, vs a 4/x creature with first strike. Is the only benefit to having the double strike creature over the high power first strike creature the fact that it procs "when this creature deals combat damage" effects twice? Or what's the point in having double strike over a high powered first strike? What can I do with the double strike creature that isn't already being done with the high power first strike creature?
All I've really seen looking around is variations on Morph and Eldrazi/Artifact decks, running the exact same strategy: Play something like Soul of the Harvest, play out creatures, draw creatures, play creatures, draw creatures, and spiral into a huge board to win in one or two turns.
I get this is obviously Animar's most efficient modus operandi, and kinda what he's made to do, but I'm trying to avoid having too easy a path to victory/the same path to victory every game, and/or instantly becoming public enemy #1 just for playing Animar. I enjoy the casual side of the format and like games where there's a lot of dynamic interplay between everyone and each player has a chance to show off what their decks do, and we don't end up playing Archenemy after turn 3. I don't want to lean so heavily into Animar's strengths that I'm stifling the frequency of such games, and doing his usual thing feels like I'd be doing just that. It also feels like I'd effectively be doing the same thing every game, and I don't want every game to feel like a repeat (I'm the kinda guy who avoids including more than 1-2 tutors to keep the game spontaneous).
So what I'm looking for is some inspiration for alternate ways to play Animar that are fun without being completely jank, and that aren't just gonna be me churning out effectively the same combo every match at lightning speed. Or to be shown that my worries are unmerited and that it's not gonna be as big of an issue as I think it is in casual play.
My first thought is a Hydra tribal, focusing on X costs with includes like Doubling Season, Death's Presence, and Simic Ascendancy. It still operates similar to most Animar decks, but not quite as explosive. But that's the only thing I've thought of so far.
If I have both Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow and Sower of Discord out, and Yuriko's ability triggers that causes the life loss on opponents, does Sower of Discord's ability count that as "damage" in order to cause additional life loss? Or because Yuriko's ability simply says "loses life", does Sower of Discord not recognize it?
If I were to have the Doppelganger as a copy of Etrata hit someone, put Etrata's ability on the stack, then change the Doppelganger to something else (allowing the Doppelganger's ability to resolve first), then would it count as a different entity than Etrata's ability is searching for when it resolves, or does "C.R. 201.4" still cause the shuffle?
Thanks in advance for any insights given.