Touhou: the Gathering - Legends of an Eastern Wonderland (Magic set)

[JmLyan]

The main difference (apart from the added "can't be regenerated) is that if a creature has deathtouch, 1 damage is always considered lethal damage regardless of the blocking creature's toughness. If for example, a 2/2 with deathtouch is blocked by two 1/3s, it can assign 1 damage to the first and 1 to the other, while if it had Komachi's ability, it had to assign 2 damage to the first blocker so the other one survives.

[TwilightsCall]

Komachi's ability will still kill all creatures she deals combat damage to, and you can divide the damage however you want.  Combat damage is always divided as you choose, unless your creature has trample and you are trying to assign it to a player.

[JmLyan]

Komachi's ability will still kill all creatures she deals combat damage to, and you can divide the damage however you want.  Combat damage is always divided as you choose, unless your creature has trample and you are trying to assign it to a player.

If two or more creatures block the same creature, the controller of the attacking creature chooses the order to deal damage to them, and the attacking must deal lethal damage to the first blocker in the order before any damage will be dealt to the second and so on. This means if komachi is blocked by two 1/5s, she must first deal lethal (5) damage to one of the blockers before dealing damage to the other, she cannot split it and deal 2 damage to each. That is only possible with deathtouch, as 1 damage from a source with deathtouch is considered lethal. Splitting damage however you want was only possible before the m10 rules change.

[Pesco]

Clearly the solution is to bring back banding :V

[TwilightsCall]

Welp, just looked up the rule and it seems I'm wrong.

You'd think one might learn these things after 10+ years of playing the game, but apparently not >.> I was always under the impression you had full control of how you divided your combat damage.  I still feel you SHOULD have full control, but I guess thats an argument for Wizards, not this thread lol.

[Starxsword]

The main difference (apart from the added "can't be regenerated) is that if a creature has deathtouch, 1 damage is always considered lethal damage regardless of the blocking creature's toughness. If for example, a 2/2 with deathtouch is blocked by two 1/3s, it can assign 1 damage to the first and 1 to the other, while if it had Komachi's ability, it had to assign 2 damage to the first blocker so the other one survives.

It matters more if Komachi has trample. As her ability is very similar to Deathtouch.

Komachi's ability will still kill all creatures she deals combat damage to, and you can divide the damage however you want.  Combat damage is always divided as you choose, unless your creature has trample and you are trying to assign it to a player.

It hasn't been like this for a while. With the new combat damage rules, the attacker chooses priority, let's say Komachi attacks and Akyuu and Reimu blocks. The controller of Komachi chooses Akyuu, then Reimu in that order. Then, damage is dealt, until lethal damage is given, then it will automatically go to the next creature. Note: damage is dealt automatically, there is no damage assignment.

I still feel you SHOULD have full control, but I guess thats an argument for Wizards, not this thread lol.

For the most part, it should make no difference to a regular player. The difference being really choosing priority of the creatures blocking. It kind of nerfs sorceries that you can do after battle. Like if Attacker A(3/3) attacks, and is triple blocked by creatured B(1/3), C(1/3), and D(1/3). Attacker A can deal 1 damage to B, C, and D. Then, after combat, play Pyroclasm to kill all of them. New rules won't allow this.

Clearly the solution is to bring back banding

I don't even know how banding works with these new rules. I'm sure its mentioned in the rules book or something.

[KennyMan666]

banding works

I'll take "phrases never uttered by anyone" for a hundred. (the current Oracle wording and comprehensive rules text on banding is an absolute clusterfuck)

If you're wondering where the updates have gone, they're, uh, still being worked on. While I wanted to save it until a cycle megapost, I do have one I might post soon enough for some comments. Focus and Deathbomb are still in limbo.

[Starxsword]

Looks like I forgot how the M10 combat damage rulings work. It seems like the attacking player can assign combat damage. However, they need to assign lethal combat damage according to the priority of the creatures they have chosen, before moving on to the next on.
It also seems like trample allows you to assign damage however you want ignoring the order of creatures you need to assign combat damage to. This is sometimes useful as it avoids some combat tricks the defender may pull. You normally choose priority, say 2/2 first, then 1/1. Let's say they play Fortify giving all their creatures +0/+2. You will still have to assign 3 damage to the 2/4 causing both the 2/4 and the 1/3 to live. But if it has trample, it can just assign all 3 damage to the 1/3. This rarely happens, but hey.

As for banding, it isn't too bad after reading up on it with the new rules changed. Pretty much nothing changed pre-m10 and post-m10. It is like a bad and more complicated version of Defensive Formation.

[JmLyan]

It also seems like trample allows you to assign damage however you want ignoring the order of creatures you need to assign combat damage to. This is sometimes useful as it avoids some combat tricks the defender may pull. You normally choose priority, say 2/2 first, then 1/1. Let's say they play Fortify giving all their creatures +0/+2. You will still have to assign 3 damage to the 2/4 causing both the 2/4 and the 1/3 to live. But if it has trample, it can just assign all 3 damage to the 1/3. This rarely happens, but hey.

There is nothing in the comprehensive rules that states that trample is an exception to the rule of assigning lethal damage to the first blocker before being able to deal damage to the second, and I've never heard of anything like that either.

[Starxsword]

I may be mistaken in my interpretation, but please take a look at this.

702.17b The controller of an attacking creature with trample first assigns damage to the creature(s) blocking it. Once all those blocking creatures are assigned lethal damage, any remaining damage is assigned as its controller chooses among those blocking creatures and the player or planeswalker the creature is attacking. When checking for assigned lethal damage, take into account damage already marked on the creature and damage from other creatures that's being assigned during the same combat damage step, but not any abilities or effects that might change the amount of damage that's actually dealt. The attacking creature's controller need not assign lethal damage to all those blocking creatures but in that case can't assign any damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking.

By this, it seems to imply that you need not assign lethal damage to your first blocker choice and instead can assign lethal damage to your second blocker choice. This only happens in rare examples, when they use a combat trick, like the one I provided.

[JmLyan]

I may be mistaken in my interpretation, but please take a look at this.

702.17b The controller of an attacking creature with trample first assigns damage to the creature(s) blocking it. Once all those blocking creatures are assigned lethal damage, any remaining damage is assigned as its controller chooses among those blocking creatures and the player or planeswalker the creature is attacking. When checking for assigned lethal damage, take into account damage already marked on the creature and damage from other creatures that's being assigned during the same combat damage step, but not any abilities or effects that might change the amount of damage that's actually dealt. The attacking creature's controller need not assign lethal damage to all those blocking creatures but in that case can't assign any damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking.

By this, it seems to imply that you need not assign lethal damage to your first blocker choice and instead can assign lethal damage to your second blocker choice. This only happens in rare examples, when they use a combat trick, like the one I provided.

You misinterpret that last sentence. It basically means that if you don't assign lethal damage to all blockers you won't get to damage the attacked player/planeswalker. It doesn't say anywhere in that paragraph that you can assign combat damage freely among blockers. Don't really know why the last sentence of the paragraph is worded as it is, but I assume it implies that you could assign all damage to the first blocker, even if it is more than lethal.

[Starxsword]

You could always do that, even without trample rules. This is also why Banding and that card, Defensive Formation, can counter Trample, as you can assign all damage to the 1/1 blocking a 10/10 trample.

As you said, you could be right and I may be interpreting it wrong.