4

Scenario

  1. I attack with a 4/4 beast token
  2. My opponent chooses to block with Trespasser il-Vec
  3. After declaring blocker, my opponent uses Trespasser's ability to discard Fiery Temper and pay madness cost to deal 3 damage to my beast creature.

Does Trespasser still deal his combat damage to my beast token, even though he now has shadow and is an illegal blocker?

Improve this question
2

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
6

Yes, Trespasser still deals combat damage.

The relevant passage is in comprehensive rules 509.1b (emphasis mine):

A restriction may be created by an evasion ability (a static ability an attacking creature has that restricts what can block it). If an attacking creature gains or loses an evasion ability after a legal block has been declared, it doesn’t affect that block. Different evasion abilities are cumulative.

Improve this answer
4
  • 4
    Hmm, it's unfortunate that the rules quote say "an attacking creature", because in this case the attacking creature isn't the one that changed, the blocking creature was. The answer is still correct, of course. I don't see a different rule that makes it clearer.
    – GendoIkari
    Nov 13, 2017 at 23:08
  • 1
    It may be worth noting that the beast token does kill the Trespasser in this scenario.
    – John
    Nov 14, 2017 at 0:00
  • There is not a specific rule that addresses this. In this case, it's the order of the rules that matters. The defending player checks restrictions and requirements in 509.1 (subrules 509.1b and 509.1c). Neither player gets priority until 509.4. Rules aren't normally ordered, but rules 509.1-4 are, because they are written like "First", "Second", etc. So at the exact moment when the check is made, the blockers are legal, and it doesn't matter what happens after that.
    – Rainbolt
    Nov 14, 2017 at 15:22
  • @GendoIkari usually it's an attacker that would change to evade, though they have to do it in declare attackers or earlier due to this rule, the rule does specify attacking for another reason, shadow is the only evasion ability that prevents a block, flying can block non flying, unblockable can block as normal, landwalk can still block, etc.
    – Andrew
    Jan 11, 2018 at 18:46

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .