Infected regeneration!

Asked by Tioras 14 years ago

My opponent attacks with a Tangle Angler , forcing my Blight Mamba to block. The mamba receives a -1/-1 counter, killing it as a state-based effect. Can I regenerate it, or does it come back into play with the -1/-1 counter and go straight back to the graveyard? This came up last night at the prerelease.

squire1 says... #1

creatures die from a variety of reasons.

1.) taking lethal damage 2.) an effect that says "destroy" that creature 3.) having a toughness of 0 or less. 4.) its controller sacrificing it.

For number 1, and 2 a creature can be regenerated.

The other 2 it not legal. If the toughness is 0 or less the creature dies, if you try to regenerate it, it would not matter, because after the regeneration resolves, the creature still has a toughness of 0 or less.

Hope that helps

September 25, 2010 11:39 a.m.

$ªmHεiπ says... Accepted answer #2

Regenerate doesn't help. A regeneration shield is a replacement effect for destruction, but the state based movement of a creature from the battlefield to the graveyard when toughness <= 0 is not destruction, its just a zone move.

Also regeneration doesn't actually return things from the graveyard, so it doesn't "come back into play" at all.

Relevant Rules below.

614.8. Regeneration is a destruction-replacement effect. The word "instead" doesn't appear on the card but is implicit in the definition of regeneration. "Regenerate [permanent]" means "The next time [permanent] would be destroyed this turn, instead remove all damage marked on it and tap it. If it's an attacking or blocking creature, remove it from combat." Abilities that trigger from damage being dealt still trigger even if the permanent regenerates.

704.5f If a creature has toughness 0 or less, it's put into its owner's graveyard. Regeneration can't replace this event.

September 25, 2010 11:42 a.m.

$ªmHεiπ says... #3

Oh - and for the record, you can't regenerate anything after combat damage actually dealt. There is no chance to "respond" during damage dealing step. You have to activate a regenerate shield at the end of the declare blockers step, before damage is dealt.

September 25, 2010 11:54 a.m.

Tioras says... #4

That's how it was explained to me, but at 4:00 AM it didn't make any sense. thanks.

September 25, 2010 2:06 p.m.

This discussion has been closed