Deathtouch....why does lifelink negate death?

Monkeynutts
Monkeynutts Posts: 566 Critical Contributor
in MtGPQ Bugs & Technical Issues
1/8 - Fetid Imp that has activated.
It then blocks a 6/6 - Blood Baron of Vizkopa. Why does my damage reduce its toughness to zero, THEN it gets 2/2 and lives....!!! that is not how deathtouch works!

Comments

  • Kinesia
    Kinesia Posts: 1,621 Chairperson of the Boards
    There's a few broken cards like that, I think in some "mass death" cases, another creature dying can make Elenda get bigger and save her, things like that...

    Sort've need a "marked for death" state rather than just "reduce toughness to zero".
  • Monkeynutts
    Monkeynutts Posts: 566 Critical Contributor
    It just seems silly. Life gain should happen prior to deathtouch happening therefore the life gained becomes irrelevant as it still dies.
  • Tilwin90
    Tilwin90 Posts: 662 Critical Contributor
    In paper magic, the damage happens simultaneously, after which both effects happen simultaneously.
    Therefore lifelink gains you the life immediately (no stack shenanigans), and deathtouch marks the unit as dead (it will be checked the first time state based actions are checked, and put into the graveyard).

    The problem here is not the order of things, it's simply how deathtouch is implemented. Fatal effects now instead of simply "destroying the creature" deal damage equal to its toughness or set its toughness to 0... which is gimmicky at best. Destroy should be destroy...
  • Zzyzzx
    Zzyzzx Posts: 251 Mover and Shaker
    Not that my 2 cents are worth anything, but I've experienced a variation of this situation with Curse of Predation.
    In my case this has nothing to do with DeathTouch nor LifeLink but addresses the order of "combat resolution" mentioned by Tilwin90 above.

    I haven't, however, noticed this for a while, before Dominaria I believe.
    So, for what it's worth:  I noticed that a berserker of mine would kill an opponent critter and essentially die (toughness reduced to 0), only to then have Curse of Predation trigger and restore its toughness to 3.
    The same thing happened while blocking with Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen.

  • Monkeynutts
    Monkeynutts Posts: 566 Critical Contributor
    Either way Deathtouch is DEATH. Not an opportunity to dodge it.
  • Brigby
    Brigby ADMINISTRATORS Posts: 7,757 Site Admin
    *Moved to Bugs & Technical Issues section
  • Monkeynutts
    Monkeynutts Posts: 566 Critical Contributor
    Ok so....With Blood Baron of Vizkopa for example.

    If Lifelink fights Deathtouch, lifelink saves them.
    If Lifelink fights Trample; where trample damage is higher enough it hit the player also then the creature with lifelink dies......

    Riddle me that

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