Can you tell me what happens when i sacrifice a creature and why?

Asked by Zgarbas 13 years ago

Hey, I just wanted to get a few things sorted about about sacrificing.

  1. If I sacrifice a blocker, why doesn't the attacker damage me? Does my creature get to damage the attacker before I sac him?
  2. Say I attack with an Ember Hauler and he gets blocked by a Butcher of Malakir , I pay one and sac him for 2 damage on Butcher. Does he get 4 damage(attack+ability) or just 2(from ability?)
  3. Fleshbag Marauder comes into play. Cand I use a creature's sacrifice ability rather than simply sacrifing it? Also, for this particular card, if I have no other creatures on the battlefield, do I have to sacrifice him?
  4. If I have a card that grants me sacrifice ability such as Facevaulter , can I sacrifice him?
Sorry if the answers are obvious, I'm a bit slow:).

KrazyCaley says... #1

  1. The attacker doesn't damage you because as soon as a creature is declared blocked, he's blocked, and whatever happens to the blocker after that is irrelevant. If you sacrifice your blocker before combat damage is dealt, your creature does not get to damage the attacker.
  2. 2 from ability only.
  3. You can't sacrifice to multiple sacrifice mechanics. For instance, if you had a Sakura-Tribe Elder , you couldn't sac him to the Marauder AND get your land.
  4. You can sacrifice things to themselves if able. For instance, you can sacrifice Facevaulter to himself, since he IS a goblin.
December 26, 2010 11:26 p.m.

Siegfried says... #2

1) In combat, as long as an attacking creature has a blocker assigned to it, is is considered blocked and will deal no damage to the player it is attacking. The damage is dealt to a creature which is no longer there. Likewise, your sacrificed blocker will deal no damage to the attacker, since it is no longer on the field in the combat damage step.

2) Only 2 damage is dealt to the Butcher. Used to be that combat damage was put on the stack, so you could apply the combat damage then trigger the effect, but that is no longer the case. You have to choose between dealing combat damage or using the effect damage.

3) When sacrificing a creature, you choose a creature you control and send it to the graveyard. Creatures being sacrificed in other ways, from other effects or as a cost for their own effects, can't be used in this way. Simply put, you can't sacrifice the same creature twice.

4) Facevaulter is a goblin, therefore you can sacrifice him to his own effect. Kind of pointless though, since by the time the effect applies Vaulter is in the graveyard and a power and toughness boost is irrelevant.

December 26, 2010 11:27 p.m.

Jam says... Accepted answer #3

  1. A) From the Comp. Rules: 509.3a During the declare blockers step, if an attacking creature is removed from combat or a spell or ability causes it to stop being blocked by a blocking creature, the attacking creature is removed from all relevant damage assignment orders. The relative order among the remaining attacking creatures is unchanged.

In Layman's terms: The attacker is still trying to hit the creature that just got away from it.

In the attacker's terms: I went to kill it, but then it disappeared! Dude, it was like magic or something!

B)From the Comp. Rules:

510.2. Second, all combat damage thats been assigned is dealt simultaneously. This turn-based action doesnt use the stack. No player has the chance to cast spells or activate abilities between the time combat damage is assigned and the time its dealt.

So, When the damage is dealt, the creature dies as a state based effect before you can do anything. You can either trigger the sacrifice and deal no combat damage or deal combat damage and (if lethal) not sacrifice.

2.From the Above, 2 damage.

3.In short: No. If he is the only creature on the battlefield, he will die.

In Long: When the Fleshbag Marauder enters the battlefield (ETB), the ETB effect is put on the stack. If you sacrifice your other creature to another effect, it will go on top of this effect on the stack and resolve first. Then the Fleshbag will want a creature to sacrifice. You can't sacrifice the creature while its being sacrificed because you do not have priority to do so until after the creature is in the graveyard.

4.For Facevaulter , As long as he is a goblin when you attempt to sacrifice him. Nantuko Husk can be sacrificed at any time to itself.

Hope this helps!

December 26, 2010 11:29 p.m.

Zgarbas says... #4

Thanks for the help!

December 26, 2010 11:50 p.m.

This discussion has been closed