Tarmogoyf Survives Its Own Death
Judge Level 2The Bolt is lethal — until it hits the graveyard and grows the Goyf.
Cards involved
Your opponent's math
The graveyards hold a creature and a land — your Tarmogoyf is a 2/3. Your opponent casts Lightning Bolt at it: 3 damage against 3 toughness, looks lethal.
604.3Some static abilities are characteristic-defining abilities. A characteristic-defining ability conveys information about an object’s characteristics that would normally be found elsewhere on that object (such as in its mana cost, type line, or power/toughness box). Characteristic-defining abilities can add to or override information found elsewhere on that object. Characteristic-defining abilities function in all zones. They also function outside the game and before the game begins.
What happens?
Does the Goyf die?
The Bolt is about to resolve. What happens?
Pick an answer to continue.
The sequence: the Bolt deals 3 damage, its resolution finishes, the card is put into the graveyard. Only THEN do SBAs check for lethal damage (704.5g) — and by then the Goyf's characteristic-defining ability counts three card types: a 3/4 with 3 damage. It survives its "own death".
604.3Some static abilities are characteristic-defining abilities. A characteristic-defining ability conveys information about an object’s characteristics that would normally be found elsewhere on that object (such as in its mana cost, type line, or power/toughness box). Characteristic-defining abilities can add to or override information found elsewhere on that object. Characteristic-defining abilities function in all zones. They also function outside the game and before the game begins.
704.5gIf a creature has toughness greater than 0, it has damage marked on it, and the total damage marked on it is greater than or equal to its toughness, that creature has been dealt lethal damage and is destroyed. Regeneration can replace this event.
The moment in between
CDAs (604.3) work in all zones and are re-evaluated constantly — the Goyf "grows" in the gap between damage being dealt and the death check. A Shock (2 damage) wouldn't have killed it either, for the same reason.
604.3Some static abilities are characteristic-defining abilities. A characteristic-defining ability conveys information about an object’s characteristics that would normally be found elsewhere on that object (such as in its mana cost, type line, or power/toughness box). Characteristic-defining abilities can add to or override information found elsewhere on that object. Characteristic-defining abilities function in all zones. They also function outside the game and before the game begins.
Rule of thumb
With the Goyf, always ask: what's in the graveyards AFTER resolution? Killing it with a spell of a new card type grows it in the same breath (7a in layer 7 — before counters and pump effects).
604.3Some static abilities are characteristic-defining abilities. A characteristic-defining ability conveys information about an object’s characteristics that would normally be found elsewhere on that object (such as in its mana cost, type line, or power/toughness box). Characteristic-defining abilities can add to or override information found elsewhere on that object. Characteristic-defining abilities function in all zones. They also function outside the game and before the game begins.
613.4Within layer 7, apply effects in a series of sublayers in the order described below. Within each sublayer, apply effects in timestamp order. (See rule 613.7.) Note that dependency may alter the order in which effects are applied within a sublayer. (See rule 613.8.)
Stack
Tarmogoyf
P/T = card types in all graveyards / +1
Lightning Bolt
Target: the Tarmogoyf
The stack is empty.
Battlefield
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