Does attacking Ochran Assassin ( with +1 counter) kill both Swiftblade Vindicator and Garrison Sergeant with double strike?

Question

I saw a similar question regarding Ochran Assassin against first strike. Mine is similar, but the here it goes:

I have two creatures; Swiftblade Vindicator 1/1 with Double strike, and Garrison Sergeant with double strike since I control a Boros Gate.

The Ochran Assassin attacks me with a counter, so his total is 2/2. I am forced to block with both, but the attacking player chooses the order. First he hits my Swiftblade, and after my Garrison.

My question here is this: If Swiftblade Vindicator has double strike, he hits the Ochran in the first combat step. In the second they both hit eachother. This far I understand.

But at this point I thought that both die, and the Ochran can't hit the Garrison Sergeant. But my friend said that apparently he can still hit him with 0 hp, during the 2nd combat step, after having battled my Swiftblade Vindicator.

Is this correct, or should my Garrison Sergeant have survived this encounter, being 2nd in the order block order?

Answer 1

In this situation, the Assassin dies in the first strike combat damage step, before it has a chance to deal any damage. Your opponent chooses the order in which the Assassin deals combat damage to your creatures, but that doesn't affect when your creatures deal their combat damage.

Both of your creatures have double strike, so in the first combat damage step they deal a total of 4 damage to the Assassin and the Assassin dies.

---

If the Garrison Sergeant did not have double strike, this would play out differently. In the first combat damage step, the Vindicator would deal 1 damage to the Assassin. So the Assassin would have 1 damage marked on it so it would still be alive. Then in the second combat damage step, simultaneously, the Vindicator would deal 1 damage to the Assassin, the Sergeant would deal 3 damage to the Assassin, and the Assassin would deal 1 damage each to the Vindicator and the Sergeant. Then all 3 would have taken lethal damage, so they would all die.