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Switch to Forum Live View Skullcrack and Griselbrand
4 months ago  ::  Feb 04, 2013 - 2:53AM #1
koolking
koolking
Date Joined: Jun 29, 2009
Posts: 270
Hello,

My opponent has a Griselbrand in play and attacks me with it. I take the damage. My opponent then spends 7 life to draw seven cards and I respond by playing a Skullcrack on him. Would he still gain the seven life?

TIA,
kk 
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4 months ago  ::  Feb 04, 2013 - 2:59AM #2
zammm
zammm
Date Joined: Jul 3, 2003
Posts: 27,264
You just said you took the damage. Did you mean "I waited until after Griselbrand has already dealt me damage", or did you just mean "I decided not to block Griselbrand"?

Because if you wait until Griselbrand has already dealt combat damage, it's way too late to cast Skullcrack and expect to stop the lifegain--your opponent has already gained his 7 life, and locking the barn door after the horse is gone won't help you.

But what you could have done was cast Skullcrack during the Declare Blockers step, after you decided not to block and before Griselbrand dealt combat damage. If you did that, then your opponent wouldn't gain any life.



If your opponent is smart he's going to wait until after he's gained his 7 life to draw his cards, so you're going to have a hard time nailing him with that Skullcrack for much extra value.
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4 months ago  ::  Feb 04, 2013 - 3:01AM #3
rezzahan
rezzahan
Date Joined: Mar 12, 2011
Posts: 4,788
He already gained the life, at the same time Griselbrand dealt damage. In order to prevent this, you would need to cast Skullcrack before the big demon gets to deal damage. For combat damage, that's in the declare blockers step after blockers have been declared at the latest. You cannot prevent what already happened.
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4 months ago  ::  Feb 04, 2013 - 3:02AM #4
Kenjiblade
Kenjiblade
Date Joined: May 6, 2011
Posts: 473
Lifelink is a static ability:

702.14a Lifelink is a static ability.
702.14b Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source’s controller, or its owner if it has
no controller, to gain that much life (in addition to any other results that damage causes). See
rule 119.3.




It isn't a triggered ability that goes on the stack -- if you've decided to take the damage already, then your opponent has already gained 7 life.  The absolute latest you can use Skullcrack to prevent your opponent from gaining life via lifelink is during the Declare Blockers Step, before the damage is actually dealt.

Skullcrack absolutely doesn't do anything about life that's already been gained -- it can only prevent life from being gained after it has successfully resolved. 


 
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