Double Strike

Sorcery Speed Pingers Implication

Would sorcery speed pingers solve the problem of too much complexity in combat and allow pingers to be printed in standard?

They don’t change the math much. Yes, it’s different for first strike/double strike.

Double Strike First Strike Pingers Sorceries Standard

Power Doubling Criteria

Does Legion Leadership indicate that white can get power-doubling? Or is it just a bend justified by double strike?

The latter.

Bend / Break Double Strike White

Spell Modifiers Limitation

As a previous asker talked about trample not being able to be templated onto Instants and Sorceries, are the legal spell modifiers the ones that augment the damage itself in some way (ie Deathtouch, Lifelink, Wither) and not augment the damage step (ie Trample, Double Strike, Fear)?

I believe so.

Deathtouch Double Strike Fear Instants Lifelink Lifelink Question Marks Sorceries Trample Wither

Mechanic Frequency

The line between deciduous and evergreen can blur, right? Like if evergreen means "every set MUST contain at least one of this", if a deciduous mechanic started showing up in "most sets", there wouldn't be a notion that it then HAS to appear in all of them, right? Even if it showed up in, say, 80% of them. Or, a mechanic like double strike. Does every set have a double strike creature? Is that a mandate? I would think not; it's just super-heavily-deciduous, or almost-evergreen.

Evergreen usually means most sets. Deciduous is less than that. But yes, the line can blur a bit.

Blur Creatures Deciduous Double Strike Evergreen Mechanics

Black's Combat Mechanics

Is first strike a bend in black? Would double strike be a bend?

First strike is tertiary in black. Black doesn’t get double strike.

Bend / Break Black Double Strike First Strike Mechanics Tertiary

Mechanics Combination

Can similar mechanics be put into a card (or a set) together?(e.g. "first strike and double strike", "flying and reach", "hexproof and ward", "undying and persist", or "infect, poisonous, and toxic")

We tend not to include them on the same card, but definitely will use them in the same set.

Double Strike First Strike Flying Hexproof Infect Mechanics Persist Persist Poisonous Toxic Undying Ward

Strike Mechanics Concept

In a world where last strike and/or triple strike got added to non-acorn Magic, do you think there would potentially be a keyword like double strike but for last strike and “regular strike”?

We talked about it for Unstable and decided against it, maybe. : )

Double Strike Humor Keywords Mechanics

Double Strike in Green

“[double strike] is a pretty severe bend [in green]”In his video on first strike, Gavin said that you guys usually think about double strike as having double power, and that’s something that green is allowed to do

Double power green can do. Striking first is a different issue.

Bend / Break Double Strike First Strike Green

Double Strike in Green

Would double strike be a bend or a break for green?

At best, a pretty severe bend. It doesn’t particularly play in space green normally gets.

Bend / Break Double Strike Green

Rules for Fight Mechanics

What would it take for the rules to support first/double strike applying to fighting?

It’s significant reworking of how fight is defined. It would be a big undertaking I’ve been told.

Double Strike Fight / Bite Mechanics Rules

Color Pair Mechanics

You’ve mentioned how UR doesn’t have an evergreen creature mechanic, which led to me trying to figure out what the other color pairs’s mechanics are. I think I got most of them, but would you mind listing them?

Key evergreen overlaps: (meaning the two color are primary and/or secondary):white/blue = flash, flying, vigilance, ward for manablue/black = flash, flyingblack/red = haste, menace, ward for lifered/green = haste, reach, tramplegreen/white = flash, indestructible, vigilance, ward for manawhite/black = flash, flying, indestructible, lifelinkblue/red = noneblack/green = deathtouch, flash, haste, indestructiblered/white = double strike, first strikegreen/blue = flash, hexproof, ward for manaI chose not to list defender as it’s a drawback ability.

Azorius (W/U) Black Blue Boros (R/W) Colors Creatures Deathtouch Defender Dimir (U/B) Double Strike Evergreen First Strike Flash Flying Golgari (B/G) Green Gruul (R/G) Haste Hexproof Indestructible Izzet (U/R) Lifelink Lifelink Mana Mechanics Menace Orzhov (W/B) Primary Rakdos (B/R) Red Secondary Selesnya (G/W) Simic (G/U) Trample Two Color Vigilance Ward White

Ability Color Distribution

A few recent answers mention that you don't want in a 3rd color (e.g. double strike). Outside of traditionaly abilities such as Flying, I wished that the majority of abilities were limited to 2 colors, because it: (1) dilutes color identity; (2) strengthens monocolor decks WAY too much, especially since color-hating is all but nonexistant. Each color IMO should have quasi-exclusive strengths + weaknesses. As a fan of multicolor I feel they're clearly weaker than mono since the ELD set.

For multiple reasons, limited being a big factor, most evergreen abilities want to be in three colors. We do differentiate how each color uses those abilities to keep them distinct.

Color Identity Colors Double Strike Evergreen Flying Limited Monocolor Throne of Eldraine

Double Strike Color Allocation

"We use double strike infrequently enough that I don't expect us to add it to a third color. " I had the distinct impression you were using Double Strike more than First Strike. Couldn't black simply be tertiary?

We don’t want a color tertiary in double strike.

Black Colors Double Strike First Strike Tertiary

Double Strike Color Expansion

Hey Mark, will we ever see Double strike in a third colour? Maybe black, since it already has sone amount of First strike?

We use double strike infrequently enough that I don’t expect us to add it to a third color.

Black Colors Double Strike First Strike See Double

White Tap Effects

White use to get tap effects especially tapping blockers, due to old rules making tapped blockers not deal damage. Given that White has other ways to deal with combat damage( First Strike/Double Strike, prevention, redirection, indestructable) has any though been given to retiring White tap effects or moving them to another color?

No, white tapping is an important tool for white, especially in limited.

Colors Deal Damage Double Strike First Strike Limited Rules Tap / Untap White

Mechanic Keywords

On one of the Trivia Contest Attraction variants: what all fits in the category of “named mechanics”? Would things like Alliance and Pack Tactics count? Or keyword abilities like reach or double strike?

Keywords and ability words all count.

Ability Words Alliance Birthday Double Strike Keyword Abilities Keywords Mechanics Pack tactics Trivia Contest

Possibility of Redundant Keywords

Do you think a card could work within the rules that makes multiple instances of a redundant keyword meaningful? (I.e. a card that makes two instances of first strike on 1 creature into double strike or two lifelinks into double life per hit)

Potentially, but it’s narrow design space.

Creatures Design Space Double Strike First Strike Keywords Rules

First Strike in Black

Hi, Mark! I just noticed in Battle for Baldur's Gate, Rilsa Rael, the uncommon Blue/Black legend, can grant a creature first strike. With R&D spreading some keywords into third colors (like Blue now getting Vigilance) I was just curious. Is first strike, and by extension double strike, now secondary in black? Thank you!

First strike is tertiary in black.

Appreciation Battles Black Blue Colors Creatures Dimir (U/B) Double Strike First Strike Game Design Gates Keywords Secondary Tertiary Uncommons Vigilance

Player Designed Mechanics

When/if…. A player designed mechanic? As in one people submit via a competition or similar.

Double strike was designed by a player for the first “You Make the Card”.

Double Strike Mechanics You Make The Card

Comparing Evergreen Abilities Strength

Hello Mark, out of all the evergreen abilities,DeathtouchDefenderDouble StrikeFirst StrikeFlashFlyingHasteHexproofIndestructibleLifelinkMenaceReachTrampleVigilanceWhich is considered the weakest (besides defender) and which is considered the strongest?

I think indestructible is the strongest and reach is the weakest.By the way, you forgot Ward.

Deathtouch Defender Double Strike Evergreen First Strike Flash Flying Haste Hexproof Indestructible Lifelink Lifelink Menace Trample Vigilance Vigilance Ward