What happens if double strike kills blocker on the first strike?

What Happens if Double Strike Kills Blocker on the First Strike?

Double strike is a unique and powerful ability in Magic: The Gathering that allows creatures to deal damage twice – once during the first strike damage step and again during the regular combat damage step. But what happens if a creature with double strike kills a blocker on the first strike? In this article, we’ll dive into the rules and answer this question.

Divided Damage

When a creature with double strike kills a blocker on the first strike, it doesn’t immediately mean that the rest of the damage is negated. According to the rules, the damage is simply divided between the blockers.

• First Strike: The creature deals damage to the blocker during the first strike damage step, and if the blocker dies as a result, the game moves on to the second strike damage step.
• Second Strike: If the blocker is still alive, the creature deals its remaining damage to it.

Let’s consider an example:

In this example, Gisela is the attacker and the Green-White Elemental is the blocker. Gisela has double strike, and both creatures have a power of 3. On the first strike, Gisela deals 3 damage to the Green-White Elemental, which would have reduced its toughness to 0.

• First strike:
  • Gisela deals 3 damage to Green-White Elemental → toughness becomes 0

As a result, the Green-White Elemental dies during the first strike. Gisela then deals the remaining 1 damage (its power minus the block) to the empty blockers zone.

• Second strike:
  • Gisela deals 1 damage to the empty blockers zone

In this example, Gisela successfully kills the blocker on the first strike and deals its remaining damage to the empty blockers zone on the second strike.

Multiple Blockers

What if multiple blockers are declared for the attacking creature? The rule is the same: if a blocker dies on the first strike, the rest of the damage is assigned to the remaining blockers, and if any are still alive, the second strike damage is dealt to them.

• Example:
  • Two Blue-Eyes White Dragon with power 3 are attacking, and two tokens with power 1 are declared as blockers.
  • The Blue-Eyes White Dragon with double strike kills one of the tokens on the first strike, reducing its toughness to 0.
  • The other token is still alive and is assigned the remaining damage.

Remember, even if multiple blockers are declared, if a blocker dies on the first strike, the remaining damage is still divided between the remaining blockers.

Consequences

So what are the consequences of killing a blocker on the first strike with double strike?

• Reduced Opponent’s Life Total: If the blocker is removed from the game on the first strike, the attacking creature’s damage is simply ignored by the game.
• Increased Opportunity: Removing a blocker on the first strike can create opportunities for your other creatures to deal damage or for your opponent to lose life through life-gaining effects.
• Strategic Advantages: Double strike creatures that can kill blockers on the first strike can be especially powerful in controlling and clearing the board, as well as dealing direct damage to the opponent’s life total.

In conclusion, killing a blocker on the first strike with double strike can have significant consequences, as the remaining damage is still divided between the remaining blockers and can potentially create new opportunities for your game strategy.