Rules glossary
802. Attack Multiple Players Option
- 802.1 Some multiplayer games allow the active player to attack multiple other players. If this option is used, a player can also choose to attack only one player during a particular combat.
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802.2
As the combat phase starts, the attacking player doesn’t choose an opponent to become the defending player. Instead, all the attacking player’s opponents are defending players during the combat phase.
- 802.2a Any rule, object, or effect that refers to a “defending player” refers to one specific defending player, not to all of the defending players. If an ability of an attacking creature refers to a defending player, or a spell or ability refers to both an attacking creature and a defending player, then unless otherwise specified, the defending player it’s referring to is the player that creature is attacking, the controller of the planeswalker that creature is attacking, or the protector of the battle that player is attacking. If that creature is no longer attacking, the defending player it’s referring to is the player that creature was attacking before it was removed from combat, the controller of the planeswalker that creature was attacking before it was removed from combat, or the protector of the battle that player was attacking before it was removed from combat. If a spell or ability could apply to multiple attacking creatures, the appropriate defending player is individually determined for each of those attacking creatures. If there are multiple defending players that could be chosen, the controller of the spell or ability chooses one. Example: Rob attacks Alex with Runeclaw Bear and attacks Carissa with a creature with mountainwalk. Whether the creature with mountainwalk can be blocked depends only on whether Carissa controls a Mountain.
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802.3
As the attacking player declares each attacking creature, they choose a defending player, a planeswalker controlled by a defending player, or a battle protected by a defending player for it to attack. See rule 508, “Declare Attackers Step.”
(refs: 508)
- 802.3a Restrictions and requirements that don’t apply to attacking a specific player are evaluated based on the entire group of attacking creatures. Restrictions and requirements that apply to attacking a specific player apply only to creatures attacking that player. The entire group of attacking creatures must still be legal. See rule 508.1. (refs: 508.1)
- 802.3b Creatures in a band can’t attack different players. See rule 702.22, “Banding.” (refs: 702.22)
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802.4
If more than one player is being attacked, controls a planeswalker that’s being attacked, or protects a battle that’s being attacked, each defending player in APNAP order declares blockers as the declare blockers step begins. (See rule 101.4 and rule 509, “Declare Blockers Step.”) The first defending player declares all their blocks, then the second defending player, and so on.
(refs: 101.4, 509)
- 802.4a A defending player can block only with creatures they control. Those creatures can block only creatures attacking that player, a planeswalker that player controls, or a battle that player protects.
- 802.4b When determining whether a defending player’s blocks are legal, ignore any creatures attacking other players and any blocking creatures controlled by other players.
- 802.5 Combat damage is assigned in APNAP order. Other than that, the combat damage step proceeds just as in a two-player game. See rule 510, “Combat Damage Step.” (refs: 510)