What's the difference between lethal damage and 0 toughness?
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Posted on July 14, 2013, 1:39 p.m. by glomdi
I'm trying to figure out indestructible but this is making no sense to me. It can't be destroyed by lethal damage, but having zero toughness will kill it? Isn't lethal damage making something have zero toughness by inflicting enough damage on it? Please give a link to the official rule. Thanks!
atreyujames says... #3
Inflicting damage does not physically lower the toughness. When state based actions are checked, if a creature has more dmg dealt to it than it has toughness it dies. That is lethal dmg. Having toughness lower than zero is when an effect lowers a creatures toughness through -1 counters or eot abilities
July 14, 2013 1:47 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
Moved to General because I can't move to the Q&A. Please ask rule-related questions in the Q&A.
Damage is marked on a creature until it is regenerated or until the end of the turn. Damage does not reduce the toughness of a creature unless it was dealt as wither or infect damage (which put -1/-1 counters on creatures). Lethal damage is simply damage equal to the creature's toughness. It doesn't reduce the toughness to zero unless it was wither or infect damage.
glomdi says... #2
Never mind, I found it!
July 14, 2013 1:45 p.m.