Discussion Forum

Rules questions sometimes strike me as obvious. So here's why I think I can understand most of the rules pretty easily, and so can you. Also a little rant about misconceptions of First/Double Strike and trample.
Anyone else find rules questions obvious at times? What are your thoughts?

It's a matter of logic, really.
Once you understand that the cards do EXACTLY what they say they do, the rules become much much easier to understand. The only thing you have to remember is that some of the wording on the cards has changed over the years. Things like "Removed From Game" being renamed "Exile."

From there, once you understand EVERY step in a given turn, including everything that happens during combat, things become even more clear.

For instance: Noone seems to understand First Strike, Double Strike, and Normal Combat creatures. Once you understand that there are two portions of combat in any given attack, the rules are clear and any questions become obvious. Theres a first stike combat phase, in which First Strike and Double Strike creatures get to smack your creature around before it knows what hit it. If your creature dies, it hasn't had a chance to hit the opponents First/Double Striker. Now, if your creature survives the First strike phase, Normal Combat happens. If you were hit by a first strike creature, it doesn't hit you again when your creature hits it. Double Strike on the otherhand, will backhand you after the first strike phase while your creature is hitting it.
NO DOUBLE STRIKE DOES NOT DEAL DOUBLE DAMAGE. If it comes through to you, it hits you once. Double Strike is a Creature to Creature effect only because it determines how your creature fights another creature.

Another instance of common sense that no one seems to have: Trample DOES NOT WORK WHEN DEFENDING. Think of it like this, your creatures run across the filed (trying to hack and slash your opponent), then your opponent chooses to put a blocker up to defend himself. If your creature can trample over whatever blocks it, it still hits your opponent. However, if your opponent blocks with a trample creature, it isn't running at you, so it can't trample over your creature. Its blocking.

I don't know why this is so obvious to me and not to other players in my area