Does Touch of Moonglove need another "this turn?"

Question

So, this question is pedantic, but still I must ask.

Here is the current oracle text for Touch of Moonglove:

Target creature you control gets +1/+0 and gains deathtouch until end of turn. Whenever a creature dealt damage by that creature dies this turn, its controller loses 2 life.

Normally when card text discusses something dealt damage by a creature, it looks for "dealt damage by X this turn" (e.g. Abattoir Ghoul), or for a delayed trigger in a spell, it looks for "dealt damage this way" (e.g. Aggravate; not appropriate here because Touch of Moonglove doesn't deal damage).

So, I think a literal reading of Touch of Moonglove means it would apply to all creatures that have ever (in any turn) been dealt damage by the target creature as long as they die this turn. ("This turn" after "dies" I think can syntactically only apply to the duration of the delayed trigger.)

Clearly this is not the intended reading. If this was intended, it would perhaps be worded like Diseased Vermin ("previously dealt damage", but in this case probably worded something like "dealt damage this turn or previously dealt damage"). But, such a card has memory issues at the very least.

The correct wording is I think "Whenever a creature dealt damage by that creature this turn dies this turn, ...", but it is maybe a bit awkward.

Note that although damage is cleared at end of turn, the "dealt damage" clause cannot be understood to rely on marked damage. It should work with wither or infect which do not mark damage (and last beyond this turn), and I think it still works after regeneration or other effects that would remove marked damage (if it still dies later).

Note also that I am reading that "dealt damage" can refer to damage before Touch of Moonglove resolved. This could even be previous damage dealt "this turn," which is how I understand the card should work.

Is this criticism correct? Is this some reason that Touch of Moonglove doesn't need another "this turn?" Are there other cards with similar issues? (I didn't find any others yet.)

Answer 1

Given the Oracle wording on Bone Shaman (as pointed out by @ArcanistLupus in the comments), I would say it probably should have another "until end of turn".

Bone Shaman's Oracle text

{B}: Until end of turn, Bone Shaman gains "Creatures dealt damage by Bone Shaman this turn can't be regenerated this turn."

Clearly someone at Wizards decided that Bone Shaman needed similar wording to be more clear as to the purpose of its ability. I would guess that Touch of Moonglove's wording is just an oversight (or maybe whoever wrote Bone Shaman's Oracle text wasn't involved with Touch of Moonglove).

Ultimately though, as you've pointed out, the intent was obviously not to deal with all creatures damaged throughout the course of the game. You could try to rules-lawyer it that way, but I doubt any reasonable judge or playgroup would allow it to happen.

Answer 2

No, Touch of Moonglove does not need another 'this turn'

Theoretically, damage dealt by a source to another source can be remembered across the game, because it's part of the game's history. However, for practical reasons, no card references damage dealt in previous turns without a system (e.g. counters), because it would be a large impediment to the game if players had to keep track of all instances of damage, even if they knew beforehand they might need it later.

The only exception is commander damage to opponents, which is remembered for the whole game, but only because every player knows beforehand to keep track of that damage, and it's only one card per player.

Wither and infect are kind of remembered through -1/-1 counters, but those don't count as "remembered damage". The counters could come from anywhere, could be removed, and, most importantly, those counters are damage results, not the actual damage:

119.4. Damage is processed in a three-part sequence.

119.4a First, damage is dealt, as modified by replacement and prevention effects that interact with damage. [..]

119.4b Next, damage that’s been dealt is processed into its results [..]

Marking damage on a creature is also a damage result, not the actual damage.