How does Double-Strike work, is it comparable to Windfury in Hearthstone?

Question

I am transitioning from Hearthstone to Magic. Some abilities sound the same but might not do the same thing.

Is double-strike equal to Windfury (Hearthsone)? Or does it only double strike a creature?

My question is: Does he only double-strike creatures? With no creatures on the battlefield from the opponent side can I double-strike him? If I kill his creature in the 1st strike is the 2nd strike directed to the opponent?

Answer 1

Combat with double strike works like this:

1. Declare attackers (i.e. the active player says what creatures they are attacking with).
2. Assign blockers (i.e. the defending player says which attackers they are blocking, and for each attacker which creatures they are using to block).
   • At this point, all attackers that have legal blockers assigned to them are considered to be blocked. (A blocked creature cannot damage a player, unless it has trample.)
3. Assign "first strike" damage, i.e. any creatures involved in combat that have either first strike or double strike deal their damage.
4. Assign main combat damage, i.e creatures without first strike deal their damage.

So creatures with double strike actually deal their damage in two bursts. If the creature was blocked, then (in the absence of other effects), it can only deal its damage to the creatures assigned to blocking it. This is true even if the blocking creature has already died - the attacking creature is still blocked, and will deal no more damage (Unless it has trample or a similar ability). If the creature wasn't blocked, then it deals its damage directly to the player (or planeswalker) that was being attacked.

Answer 2

There are a couple excellent answers already, but I wanted to make some points to specifically compare double-strike with Windfury. The main idea here is that Windfury gives you an extra attack with a minion, while double-strike changes how a creature deals its damage.

• In Hearthstone, the attacker can choose a different enemy character to target with each attack of a windfury minion. With double-strike, you don't attack, let that attack finish, then attack again - there's just a single attack and block decision, and the damage is then dealt twice to whatever the creature is fighting (and as always in Magic, the defender chooses how to block and can block with more than one creature). So no, if you kill a blocking creature with the first hit, the second one doesn't spill over to the player (unless the creature has trample or a similar ability).
• With double-strike, the other creature only deals its damage once (unless it also has double-strike or a similar effect). This is different from Hearthstone, where hitting an enemy minion twice with a Windfury minion means you take damage from that enemy both times.
• With double-strike, the other creature may die before it can deal its damage, because the first hit of a double-strike creature is first strike damage (first strike doesn't exist in Hearthstone).
• Double-strike works when defending as well. So if you block with a double-strike creature it still deals its full double-strike damage, unlike windfury which basically does nothing when it's not your turn.
• Double-strike IS like windfury in that the creature/minion effectively deals damage equal to twice its power/attack. So an unblocked 2/2 double-strike deals 4 damage to the enemy player, just like if you hit the enemy hero with both attacks of a windfury minion in Hearthstone. If blocked, a 2/2 double-strike creature will deal 4 total damage to the blocking creature, unless the blocker deals at least 2 points of first strike damage (which kills the attacker before it deals damage again). This is similar to how you can hit a minion twice with a windfury minion, unless the enemy minion kills your minion in the first attack.

Answer 3

Just to get the official rules in here:

The details of adding or removing these abilities during combat are sometimes misunderstood.

702.4. Double Strike

702.4a Double strike is a static ability that modifies the rules for the combat damage step. (See rule 510, “Combat Damage Step.”)

702.4b If at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike (see rule 702.7) or double strike as the combat damage step begins, the only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are those with first strike or double strike. After that step, instead of proceeding to the end of combat step, the phase gets a second combat damage step. The only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are the remaining attackers and blockers that had neither first strike nor double strike as the first combat damage step began, as well as the remaining attackers and blockers that currently have double strike. After that step, the phase proceeds to the end of combat step.

702.4c Removing double strike from a creature during the first combat damage step will stop it from assigning combat damage in the second combat damage step.

702.4d Giving double strike to a creature with first strike after it has already dealt combat damage in the first combat damage step will allow the creature to assign combat damage in the second combat damage step.

702.4e Multiple instances of double strike on the same creature are redundant.

Related:

702.7. First Strike

702.7a First strike is a static ability that modifies the rules for the combat damage step. (See rule 510, “Combat Damage Step.”)

702.7b If at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike or double strike (see rule 702.4) as the combat damage step begins, the only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are those with first strike or double strike. After that step, instead of proceeding to the end of combat step, the phase gets a second combat damage step. The only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are the remaining attackers and blockers that had neither first strike nor double strike as the first combat damage step began, as well as the remaining attackers and blockers that currently have double strike. After that step, the phase proceeds to the end of combat step.

702.7c Giving first strike to a creature without it after combat damage has already been dealt in the first combat damage step won’t prevent that creature from assigning combat damage in the second combat damage step. Removing first strike from a creature after it has already dealt combat damage in the first combat damage step won’t allow it to also assign combat damage in the second combat damage step (unless the creature has double strike).

702.7d Multiple instances of first strike on the same creature are redundant