Seems obvious, but I can't figure it out.

Asked by FatFreddiesCat 5 months ago

I put Backfire on an opponent's Commander. If that Commander does, say, 5 Commander damage to me, does it also do 5 Commander damage to the controller, or just regular combat damage? The rules suggest that all the damage is done at once, so it seems it should all be Commander damage.

legendofa says... Accepted answer #1

Commander damage is only dealt through combat damage, and combat damage is only dealt as a result of attacking and blocking. Damage from abilities is never considered combat damage, and by extension never considered commander damage.

In this specific case, if a commander (or any other creature) enchanted with Backfire deals damage, the resulting damage to its controller is dealt by Backfire, not the creature, so it's twice removed from commander damage (noncombat damage dealt by an enchantment).

June 21, 2024 2:08 a.m.

FatFreddiesCat says... #2

Thanks for the clarity and specifity.

June 21, 2024 8:59 a.m.

Neotrup says... #3

Backfire also uses a triggered ability to deal the damage, so all combat damage will be dealt, then it will trigger to deal damage, rather than being simultaneous with the combat damage.

June 21, 2024 2:20 p.m.