Discussion Forum

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Magic:_The_Gathering_keywords

[quote]
First strike

Creatures with first strike deal damage before creatures without first strike in combat. Because this damage happens before other creatures deal their damage, a creature with first strike can potentially enter combat and kill an opposing creature before the opposing creature can deal damage.
[/quote]

There is also the keyword Double Strike, which Double Cleave gives

[quote]
Double strike

A creature with double strike deals both first strike and normal combat damage. For instance, a 1/2 creature with double strike such as Boros Swiftblade would defeat a 2/1 creature in combat and survive, due to destroying it with first strike damage. It would also destroy a 2/2 creature, though be destroyed itself because the opposing creature survived the first strike to deal its own damage and does stack.
[/quote]

HTH

yea basically if you had a 1/1 first strike attacker and a 1/1 blocker both go to combat damage step, the first strike attacker would FIRST deal 1 damage to the blocker, immediately afterward IF the blocker survives it THEN deals its damage back

in normal cases without first strike both creatures would deal damage at the same time and both would die

double strike is the same because the attacker would deal its damage FIRST then both creatures would also deal damage at the same time to each other

this means a 1/1 double strike will deal 1 first strike damage, and then 1 "regular" damage for a total of 2 damage

also first strike has no correlation to haste whatsoever just to clear that up

and also if both creatures had first strike they would BOTH then deal damage at the same moment but BEFORE other attackers and blockers would