La Wizzy ha scritto: Removal of Damage Assignment Order
Welcome, all, to the experienced players checking in. With Foundations, we are taking the opportunity to streamline one part of combat. Note that if you learned combat with Magic: The Gathering Foundations Beginner Box, this change isn't a change.
So, what are we changing? We're removing the concept of damage assignment order.
What was damage assignment order? Damage assignment order was used whenever an attacking creature was blocked by more than one creature. (It was also used whenever a single creature somehow blocked multiple attackers, but normally single creatures can't do that, so examples below will focus on the far more common single attacker, multiple blockers case.)
Why are we doing this? Damage assignment order was put in place to emulate the system that came before it, when combat damage went onto the stack as an object players could respond to. In many ways, it was enacted to lessen post-Magic 2010 shock, but it hasn't aged particularly well. It's somewhat unintuitive, adds a fair bit of rules baggage, and losing it means more interesting decisions and less double-dipping if you know the tricks. We decided to move away from it for many of the same reasons we moved away from damage on the stack many years ago. Damage assignment order just got noticed a lot less because it appears only in scenarios where one attacker is taking on multiple blockers, or vice versa.
Previously, if an attacking creature was blocked by multiple creatures, the attacking player would put those blocking creatures in an order of their choice. During the combat damage step, attacking creatures can't assign combat damage to a creature that's blocking it unless each creature ahead of it in line is assigned lethal damage. This happened immediately after blockers were declared, before combat damage was assigned and dealt.
For example, if I attacked with a 5/5 creature and you blocked with a 3/3 and a 4/4, I would put your creatures in one of the two possible orders. Let's say I put the 3/3 first because I really want it gone. You're holding a spell that can save one of your creatures, such as Giant Growth. After the order is set, knowing the 3/3 is first in line, you cast Giant Growth on the 3/3. During the combat damage step, I need to assign at least 3 damage to the 3/3-now-6/6 before I can assign any to the 4/4. My creature, simply put, is doomed.
Here's the change: Damage assignment order no longer exists. If a creature is facing multiple opposing creatures in combat, that creature's combat damage is assigned and dealt as its controller desires during the combat damage step. Other players won't necessarily know what's going to happen.
Revising the earlier example under the new rules, my 5/5 attacker gets blocked by your 3/3 and your 4/4. It's now the declare blockers step, after blockers are declared, our last opportunity to do anything before combat damage is dealt. I pass priority. You have that Giant Growth in hand. You can still save the creature of your choice. We'll say you want to save that 3/3, probably for the same reason I wanted it gone, so you pump it up to a 6/6. We move on to combat damage, and now I get to assign my creature's 5 damage any way I want. Most likely, I'll take out your 4/4, as it's the best I can do. But maybe I have, you know … plans and would rather deal 3 damage to the 6/6 and 2 damage to the 4/4. That's okay, too.
The ability to "double block" or sometimes "entire team block" gives the defending player a lot of strength in many combat scenarios, and this change shifts some of that power back to the attacker. As we've seen above, the defense is not left helpless, as combat tricks like Giant Growth are still valuable. They're just not get-out-of-combat-free cards. More than anything, it simplifies and streamlines some rules that are complex and anchored a bit in the past. Although damage assignment order didn't come up in every game, we've been playing without it for over a year now and are very happy with the results. We're excited to have everyone join us.
Ehm, gioco rovinato per sempre?
