David Given Schwarm

Married, Father, United

Double Strike before School

Written by

David Schwarm

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A big crew came by for Magic this morning before South Lake Middle School late start. We had Alexander, Matt, Jack, Dylan, Evan, Andrew, Derek, and Liam–just about as many as our table can hold


























The boys come by and start games kind of in the order that they show up–we had some great match up this week.



It was Liam’s first time at Tuesday Morning with Magic


so he played the Sliver deck which is just a fun way to learn Magic–lots of ramp, different effects, and smashing in the face for 30!



























The boys get fairly intense while playing.



and today they were really into it–four matches going at the same time is loud & awesome.

The boys play for an hour and the time goes by very very quickly.


The boys want to spend time trading cards, but we only have one hour before school starts which is just about time for three matches–generally time runs out during a final Two Headed Giant match.

Matt has a Whip of Erbos that he wants to trade

Andrew is playing a very good GWAR Deck–Greeen, White, Agro Red named after the worlds greatest space band



Which matches up nicely with Jack GW deck


 1. Blocking with Double Strike
Jack attacked with a 5/5, Andrew blocked with a 3/3 doublstriker. Jack argued that it was a block, but that his creature did not die. Andrew asserted that Jack’s creature takes 3 first strike damage & then 3 more damage during normal damage and would die having taken 6. Jack’s position was that first strike was only when attacking and not when defending.

Rule 510.5 does not seem to make a distinction between Attackers and Blocker and 702.4b seems to include blockers [“If at least one attacking or blocking creature’].

I think that Jack is wrong and that a double striking blocker does assign damage two times

2. .More Blocking with Double Strike
After issue one was resolved with no one very happy, we moved to an issue that actually lead to a lot more player frustration–I need to get better and making quick well informed decisions, a skill for Level 1 Judges, perhaps because my converstaional style generally just leads to both players feeling gibbed.

Here is what happened…Andrew had Gruul War Chant out



And swung with 


who was Monstrous & had been equipped with Battle Mastery


So basically Andrew came over the top with a 20/20 Double Striker that could only be blocked by two creatures.

Jack blocks with Deadly Recluse


that has a Boon Satyr bestowed on it–arguing that it is two creatures

I agreed that the bestowed creature should count as a creature for the Gruul War Chant and he could block. Andrew was also OK with this ruling.

So, Jack takes 16 First Strike Damage from the Cake–the trample goes over the block. Andrew agrees.

Jack then argues that he does not take the additional 20 from the Double Strike. I am not sure exactly what his argument was–he was fairly upset & convinced that he was right–basically, he argued that the second twenty was not applied–I think because the Cake had already killed the blocker? which me be the case–but I am not sure.

The Glossary has:

 Double StrikeA keyword ability that lets a creature deal its combat damage twice. See rule 702.4, “Double Strike.”

so I think Andrew’s CAKE would get to assign 20 during first strike & 20 during normal. 

We agreed to disagree so that we could move to the Two Headed Giant & then time was up and the kids had to fly to school after another fun morning of Magic!

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