Magic – Blocking explained

General
A blocking creature can normally just block one attacker. The exception is happening if it’s written explicitly that this creature can block more then one creature. On the other hand you can block an attacker with multiple creatures. Sometimes if written on the card you even have to block a creature with more then one creature, if you want to block it at all.

More details:

  • Creatures with flying can just be blocked by flying creatures or creatures with reach
  • Just TR deals damage to the PW/Player if you kill its blocker with an instant
  • After you defined a blocker you can tap it to use an effect and it still blocks

Order
The damage from every attacker is happening at the same time (except FS & DS).
If one attacker gives an other a bonus you aren’t able to kill the bonus keeper first.

Example:
Attacker: creature 1 –> 2/2 & creature 2 –> 2+1/2+1 (Bonus from creature 1)
Blocker: creature 3 –> 2/2 (Blocks creature 1) & creature 4 –> 3/3 (Blocks creature 2)
Both blocking creatures are getting killed, cause creature 1 and creature 2 attack at the same time.

Just if a creature gets blocked by multiple ones the attacker has to decide the order within.
The attacker has to kill a blocking creature before he can go on to the next one.

  • DT requires just 1 damage per creature to kill them (also for HP, but it can’t kill IS)
  • TR deals the rest of the damage to the PW/Player if it has killed all blocking creatures
  • FS/DS will always deal the first damage, but you have to kill the creature before moving on

Example 1:
Attacker: creature 1 –> 4/3
Blocker: creature 2 –> 2/5 (Blocks creature 1) & creature 3 –> 1/2 (Blocks creature 1)
To kill atleast one of the blockers the order should be first creature 3 and then creature 2.

Example 2:
Attacker: creature 1 –> 3/3 [DS]
Blocker: creature 2 –> 1/1 [DT] (Blocks creature 1) & creature 3 –> 1/1 [DT] (Blocks creature 1)
Creature 1 deals 1 FS damage to the first blocker and has still 2 FS damage for the remaining blocker.


Abbreviations
DT … Deathtouch
DS … Doublestrike
FS … Firststrike
HP … Hexproof
IS … Indestructable
PW … Planeswalker
TR … Trample