Does Annihilator happen before blocking?

Does Annihilator Happen Before Blocking?

Annihilator is a unique keyword ability in Magic: The Gathering that allows a creature to destroy a specified number of permanents when it attacks. It’s an exciting ability that can give an unfair advantage to the attacking player if not handled properly by the defending player. But does it happen before blocking?

To answer this question, let’s break down the sequence of events in a combat phase:

1. Declare Attackers: The attacking player declares which creatures they want to attack with.
2. Annihilator Trigger: Whenever a creature attacks with annihilator, the triggered ability kicks in and resolves.
3. Declare Blockers: The defending player can declare which creatures they want to block.
4. Combat Damage: The combat phase resolves, and creatures with toughness greater than zero deal damage to each other.

Now, to the question: does annihilator happen before blocking? The answer is yes, annihilator does happen before blocking.

According to the Magic: The Gathering comprehensive rules (CR) article 702.86a, annihilator is a triggered ability that resolves during the Declare Attackers step of the combat phase. This means that when the player declares their attackers, the annihilator trigger is already on the stack, ready to be resolved.

Here’s a table to summarize the events:

The article also states that annihilator does not target a creature or player, but instead requires the creature to be attacking. This makes it immune to effects that can target a creature, such as removing it from combat.

However, a question arises: can we sacrifice a creature with hexproof, or a creature with protection from color? The answer is no. According to CR 702.86, annihilator does not care about protection or hexproof.

Annihilator also does not have an exception clause for blocking. Even if the defending player has blockers in play, annihilator will still destroy the specified number of permanents.

Another aspect to consider is double strike and first strike. Double strike works while blocking, and annihilator can still trigger during the attack step, destroying permanents.

The same goes for Hexproof: if a creature with hexproof is being attacked and would be destroyed, it cannot be targeted and removed. However, the game still moves forward with annihilator triggering and resolving as per the usual rules.

In summary, Does Annihilator happen before blocking? Yes, annihilator is triggered before the defending player declares their blockers.

We hope this article has provided a thorough breakdown of the rules surrounding annihilator in Magic: The Gathering. For a comprehensive guide to the topic, here are some key points to keep in mind:

• Annihilator triggered ability resolves during the Declare Attackers step of the combat phase.
• Annihilator does not target a creature or player, but requires the creature to be attacking.
• Annihilator cannot be stopped by protection or hexproof.
• Double strike works while blocking, and annihilator can still trigger during the attack step.
• Hexproof allows a creature to not be targeted and removed, but the game still moves forward with annihilator triggering and resolving as per the usual rules.

Conclusion

Annihilator is a powerful and intriguing keyword ability that can significantly impact a game of Magic: The Gathering. Understanding its placement in the combat phase and interactions with other abilities is crucial for strategic planning and successful gameplay. We hope this article has provided a thorough understanding of annihilator and its behavior, and we encourage players to put this knowledge to the test on the table.