Blocking with multiple blockers

by **sfg** » 19 Dec 2013, 06:12

Hi,

I'm probably missing something, but is it normal that when blocking an AI creature with multiple blockers I get to decide who of the blockers gets damaged? Even more so, I can assign damage however I please, I don't even need to assign lethal damage to any of them, I can just spread it all around.

Note that I'm very new at Magic, I'm still learning, but all the searches I did say that it's the attacker who assigns damage and does so in an order that he chooses and can't spread the damage.

Thank you.

Edit: I'm using 1.5.7

by **friarsol** » 19 Dec 2013, 13:10

The only way you should be able to do this is if one of your blocking creatures has banding (or a card like Defensive Formation). If this isn't the case please post a specific bug report in the release thread so we can check it out.

by **sfg** » 19 Dec 2013, 16:36

Hmm, thanks, it might have been banding, as I was playing Alpha Booster Draft, although I don't remember setting any banding manually?
I'm still confused about the banding rules anyway so will have read more on them.

Thanks!

by **friarsol** » 19 Dec 2013, 17:55

sfg wrote:Hmm, thanks, it might have been banding, as I was playing Alpha Booster Draft, although I don't remember setting any banding manually?
I'm still confused about the banding rules anyway so will have read more on them.

Thanks!

Banding is no longer printed in Magic because newer players find it confusing. It's basically two different abilities wrapped into a single keyword.

1) Attacking in a band: When declaring an attack, you may assign creatures to be in the same band, as long as all but one of them have banding. This allows them to deal damage together, control damage assignment (see #2), but also makes them easier to block.

2) Damage Distribution: When two or more creatures are in combat (and at least one of which has Banding) and are blocking/blocked by the same creature, the controller of the original creatures controls damage assignment. It basically forgoes all of the lethal damage and ordering rules, and allows you to assign damage all over the place as you see fit.

Since you were blocking, there's no need to "assign a band", like you do in #1. You just gain the benefits of Benalish Hero (or whatever) to scatter the damage about.