Last updated on October 14, 2024
Knight of the Ebon Legion | Illustration by Alex Konstad
Deathtouch is bound to appear in your games as one of MTG’s evergreen mechanic. It shows the flavor of venom or poison or just a deathly gaze.
Today I’m looking at how deathtouch works in Magic with examples and corner cases, how it interacts with other abilities, and more. I’m also going to touch on some of the best deathtouch cards ever printed.
Ready? Let’s get started!
Table of Contents show
How Does Deathtouch Work?
Atraxa, Praetors' Voice | Illustration by Victor Adame Minguez
Whenever a source with deathtouch deals any amount of damage greater than 0 to another creature, that creature is destroyed. It usually applies to creatures but in some cases can be applied to spells as well, since there have been some effects that give deathtouch to instants and sorceries. But there’s still some design space left to grant deathtouch to other sources of damage, like planeswalkers, enchantments, artifacts etc.
Let’s use an example. If a 4/4 creature is blocked by a 1/1 with deathtouch, then both creatures will be dead at the end of combat. This allows little deathtouch creatures to trade up and kill bigger creatures and discourages attacks from opponents with bigger creatures, making small creatures into credible rattlesnakes.
The History of Deathtouch in MTG
There were two creatures with the proto-deathtouch effect in Alpha, Thicket Basilisk and Cockatrice. Whenever these creatures were involved in combat, the opposing creatures died regardless of damage dealt to show that they were inspired by mythological creatures with a deadly gaze. Walls were immune for flavor since most walls in Magic aren’t alive.
One of the first casual combos was to enchant Cockatrice or Thicket Basilisk with Lure. This way every creature was forced to block it. Add in the Regenerate aura for maximum profit.
The first creature with deathtouch printed as an official mechanic was Thornweald Archer in Future Sight back in 2007. Shortly after that, the mechanic became evergreen in Tenth Edition. Deathtouch as a mechanic requires the creature to deal damage, while the text on Thicket Basilisk and Cockatrice doesn’t. So it’s not a 100% equivalence like “attacking won’t cause the creature to tap” and vigilance, or “not affected by summoning sickness” and haste.
There are now over 400 cards that either have or reference deathtouch. The color with the most deathtouch creatures is black, followed by green. When it comes to multicolor deathtouch creatures, they’re usually black combined with other colors.
Is Deathtouch a Triggered Ability?
No, deathtouch is not a triggered ability. Triggers use the stack while deathtouch is actually a state-based ability. It uses game actions that happen whenever a certain condition is met. Basically, if a creature is dealt damage from a source that has deathtouch, that creature is immediately destroyed.
Does Deathtouch Work When Blocking?
Deathtouch works on attacking, blocking, and fighting effects. Basically anytime a deathtouch creature deals damage, deathtouch works.
Does Deathtouch Kill a Player?
Deathtouch damage does not kill players and lethal damage only applies to creatures. A creature with deathtouch can only kill a player if they deal enough damage to bring their life to 0 (or infect them with enough poison counters, or deal enough commander damage, or…).
Does Deathtouch Apply to Planeswalkers?
No, a creature with deathtouch can only kill a planeswalker if it deals enough damage to reduce its loyalty counters to 0 or less. Deathtouch only applies to creatures. Unless you consider the effect of a card like Hooded Blightfang, which players refer to as “planeswalker deathtouch.”
How Does Deathtouch Work with Multiple Blockers?
Deathtouch works favorably on attacking creatures with multiple blockers. Any creatures dealt damage by the deathtouch creature will die. Multiple blockers get damaged in order chosen by the attacking player and need just 1 point of damage to be lethal.
Let’s translate this situation into a couple scenarios.
Scenario #1: A 4/4 deathtouch creature is blocked by two vanilla 3/3s. The deathtouch creature splits 4 damage between the two blockers as its controller so chooses. It assigns 3 damage to the first blocker (equal to its toughness) and 1 to the second while the two blockers assign 6 damage to the deathtouch creature. It dies since it suffered 6 damage. Both blockers also die since they took at least 1 damage from a deathtouch source.
Scenario #2: A 1/4 deathtouch creature is blocked by two vanilla 3/3s. Since the deathtouch creature assigns only 1 damage, its controller has to essentially choose which creature it kills. The first creature is the only one it deals damage to, so only one of the blockers will die.
How Does It Work If a Creature Has Deathtouch and Trample?
It's great, the attacking deathtouch and trample creature has to assign 1 damage to the blocker to kill it and any excess damage is dealt to the defending player.
So if a 5/5 attacking trample creature also has deathtouch and is blocked by a 3/3, the 5/5 assigns only 1 damage to the 3/3 since it’s the least amount of damage needed to kill it, and the other 4 excess damage is dealt to the defending player. If the 5/5 didn’t have deathtouch, then only 2 excess damage would be dealt to the defending player.
Keep in mind that this specific interaction only works with attacking creatures because trample only applies on attack, never on defense.
What if You Fight with a Deathtouch Creature?
The deathtouch creature will kill the creature it’s fighting since any amount of damage from a deathtouch source is enough to kill it. In the fight interaction, as seen in cards like Prey Upon, both creatures deal damage to each other equal to their power. The deathtouch creature will only die if the other creature’s power is equal to or greater than its toughness.
In the case of Rabid Bite and other bite effects, it’s all upside because your deathtouch creature won’t die since it isn’t dealt any damage.
Does a Deathtouch Creature Kill an Indestructible One?
Indestructible creatures can’t be destroyed from deathtouch damage. The indestructible ability basically overrides any effect that would destroy the creature or apply lethal damage, such as damage from a deathtouch creature.
What Happens to a First Strike Creature vs. Deathtouch?
The first strike creature hits first, potentially killing the deathtouch creature before it can deal any damage to the first strike creature. So the first strike creature might survive.
Let’s see some examples:
White Knight vs. Toxic Scorpion: Knight wins because it kills Scorpion before deathtouch damage can be done.
White Knight vs. Fynn, the Fangbearer: Fynn wins because it survives the 2 damage and assigns lethal damage to Knight.
What if a Deathtouch Creature Has First Strike?
The first strike + deathtouch creature is very hard to block profitably because it assigns deathtouch damage first. So a 1/1 first strike deathtouch can block and attack into a 6/6 creature without any problems. The 6/6 creature receives 1 deathtouch damage and dies before it can assign any damage of its own.
To interact profitably with a first strike deathtouch creature, you need first strike or double strike creatures of your own.
What Happens to a Hexproof Creature vs. Deathtouch? Shroud?
Shroud and hexproof are mechanics that prevent a creature from being targeted by a spell or ability. Since the interaction with deathtouch happens through combat damage, those mechanics don’t apply.
Does Deathtouch Stop Trample Damage?
Deathtouch does not stop trample damage. Trample damage is assigned based on the difference between the power of the attacker and the toughness of the blocker. So even if a trample creature dies after being blocked by a deathtouch creature, it would still deal damage to the deathtouch creature’s controller assuming it has more power than the deathtouch creature has toughness.
What if a Deathtouch Creature Has 0 Power?
A 0-power creature deals no damage, so deathtouch would do nothing. The deathtouch creature must assign at least 1 point of damage. This means that power shrinking effects like Hydrosurge can be very effective at nullifying deathtouch.
What Is a Deathtouch Counter?
A deathtouch counter is a concept introduced in Ikoria: Lair of the Behemoths where as long as a creature has a deathtouch counter, it has deathtouch. The card Boot Nipper can enter the battlefield with a deathtouch counter or a lifelink counter.
Does Deathtouch Work with Pinging?
Yes, if the pinger receives deathtouch from another source it kills any creature that it damages. This interaction can be seen in Constructed with cards like Walking Ballista and Vault of the Archangel or Basilisk Collar that grant deathtouch.
In Limited, the interaction between Porcuparrot and a deathtouch creature like Boot Nipper was strong in Rakdos () and Mardu () decks. This combination kills any creature (except indestructible ones) without the need to engage in combat, albeit one at a time.
Can an Instant or Sorcery Spell Have Deathtouch?
As seen on Pestilent Spirit and Judith, Carnage Connoisseur, an effect can give deathtouch to instants and sorceries.
Do Shield Counters Prevent Deathtouch?
Yes, shield counters prevent the lethal damage that would’ve been dealt to a creature. In this case, a single shield counter would be removed.
Can You Give All Creatures Deathtouch?
There are a few cards grant deathtouch to all your creatures. Some are conditional or temporary, like Bow of Nylea and Binding the Old Gods, and some are linked to certain typal synergies, like Nalia de'Arnise and Venom Sliver.
Archetype of Finality and Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats are the only cards that grant unconditional deathtouch to all your creatures at all times.
What Stops or Beats Deathtouch?
Deathtouch is restricted to combat, which means that removing creatures using spot or mass removal gets the job done. First or double strike is also a powerful way to deal with deathtouch attackers or blockers. Indestructible is another fantastic counter because they won’t die anyway.
Next you have evasion like “can’t be blocked,” flying, or menace. And creatures with deathtouch usually have low power, so a big trample creature can pass damage through if your opponent has some tiny 1/1 deathtouchers on defense, and effects like “can’t be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less” on Enraged Ceratok are very effective in this case. Archetype of Finality can also be a blowout for your opponent’s deathtouch creatures.
Is Deathtouch Good?
Deathtouch is one of the best mechanics that a creature can have because it’s advantageous in so many ways. The only problem is that, like flying, a creature with deathtouch usually won’t have their stats pushed because the ability is very strong.
Decklist: Golgari Death in Historic
Fynn, the Fangbearer | Illustration by Lie Setiawan
Buy this deck
Creatures (29)
Foulmire Knight x4
Thoughtseize x3
Vampire of the Dire Moon x4
Gifted Aetherborn x2
Fynn, the Fangbearer x4
Chevill, Bane of Monsters x3
Hooded Blightfang x2
Nighthawk Scavenger x4
Ochran Assassin x3
Instants (6)
Go for the Throat x2
Collected Company x4
Sorceries (3)
Lands (22)
Swamp x6
Forest x4
Blooming Marsh x2
Darkbore Pathway x2
Overgrown Tomb x4
Woodland Cemetery x4
Here I have this Golgari deck list focused around winning with deathtouch creatures. It's a bit past its prime, but this deck has discard to prevent your opponents from gaining a leg on you early, and it plays defense with deathtouch creatures to build your board.
Maelstrom Pulse and Go for the Throat help to disrupt whatever your opponent is doing. Fynn, the Fangbearer can pull victories out of nowhere and you can have a very strong turn whenever you flash Collected Company on your opponent’s end step. You should hold up well and gain some life against aggro decks.
Wrap Up
Plague Engineer | Illustration by Nicholas Gregory
Well that’s it for today! Deathtouch creatures are a mainstay of Magic and there will be more of them in years to come. The fact that rares and mythics usually get deathtouch to have a better shot at Constructed play makes for even more top-tier deathtouch creatures. It’s a simple mechanic but very flavorful, and it does so much for the game.
What’s your favorite memory involving deathtouch creatures in MTG? Have you built a deathtouch-themed deck before? Let me know in the comments below or over in the Draftsim Discord.
Stay safe, eat your vegetables, and I’ll see you in the next one!
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