Removal After Attackers Are Declared

Judge Level 1

The Hellrider dies instantly — its attack trigger burns you anyway.

Cards involved

Hellrider

Doom Blade

Step / 5

The Hellrider attacks

Your opponent attacks with Hellrider (3/3): "Whenever a creature you control attacks, Hellrider deals 1 damage to the player or battle it's attacking." The trigger goes on the stack.

Rules: 508.3

508.3Triggered abilities that trigger on attackers being declared may have different trigger conditions.

You respond with removal

Doom Blade on the Hellrider — kill it before it deals damage.

What happens?

What do you actually prevent?

Doom Blade will resolve first and kill the Hellrider. What did you gain?

Pick an answer to continue.

The trigger fired when attackers were declared (508.3) and has been an independent object on the stack ever since (113.7). Removal after the declaration saves you the combat damage — the "when it attacks" effects still hit you.

Rules: 113.7

113.7The source of an ability is the object that generated it. The source of an activated ability on the stack is the object whose ability was activated. The source of a triggered ability (other than a delayed triggered ability) on the stack, or one that has triggered and is waiting to be put on the stack, is the object whose ability triggered. To determine the source of a delayed triggered ability, see rules 603.7d–f.

Doom Blade resolves

The Hellrider dies and is out of combat.

The trigger still hits

1 damage to you. The combat damage (3) is gone though — the removal was worth it, just not completely.

Rules: 608.1

608.1Each time all players pass in succession, the spell or ability on top of the stack resolves. (See rule 609, “Effects.”)

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Stack

Your life:

Hellrider

Whenever a creature they control attacks: 1 damage to you

Doom Blade

Target: the Hellrider

Triggered ability: Hellrider

Hellrider trigger: 1 damage to you

The stack is empty.

Battlefield

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