Calamity bearer interactions

Asked by NonetheWeisser 3 years ago

1. If I use the spell Fling on a giant with Calamity Bearer on the field, will it double the damage dealt by fling?

2. If I have Surtland Flinger and Calamity Bearer on the field, I swing with Surtland Flinger, sacrifice Calamity Bearer, will the damage be doubled by Calamity Bearer even though it was the target for Surtland's Sacrifice?

Polaris says... Accepted answer #1

1: No. The source of the damage is usually defined by the effect dealing the damage. Fling says "Fling deals damage equal to the sacrificed creature's power to any target." This means the source of the damage is Fling, not the sacrificed Giant, so Calamity Bearer doesn't apply. For a counterexample, Gravitic Punch would work the way you're hoping because it says "Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target player," so the Giant would be the source of the damage.

2: Also no. Calamity Bearer's ability is a static ability, which means it's in effect whenever Calamity Bearer is in play. Since you sacrificed Calamity Bearer, it will be in the graveyard when Surtland Flinger 's ability resolves and it won't double the damage. However, if you used something like Supernatural Stamina on your Calamity Bearer before sacrificing it, it would be in play when the damage trigger resolved and would double the damage.

Side notes: Calamity Bearer is not the "target" for the sacrifice (this matters because you could still sacrifice it if it had shroud, or protection from red, both of which would prevent it from being targeted by Surtland Flinger).

Surtland Flinger's attack trigger is actually two triggers. When it attacks, the ability triggers with no target, and as the trigger resolves you may choose to sacrifice a creature. If you do, it triggers the second part, which goes on the stack with a target and deals damage when it resolves.

May 19, 2021 12:15 p.m.