Life

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Life total is a sort of score. Each player starts the game with 20 life. Any increase in a player’s life total is considered to be gaining life. Any decrease in a player’s life total is considered to be losing life. A player whose life total drops to 0 or less loses.

[edit] Loss of life

Loss of life can occur from unblocked creatures, direct damage from spells and mana burn. There are spells which can prevent damage, but so far nothing can prevent the loss of life. To pay life is the same as losing life and damage causes loss of life. The reasons for why loss of life cannot be prevented are that nummerous cards would become all-powerful if lifeloss was preventable.

However, the card Children of Korlis have been ruled as able to bring back the loss of life as long as that does not excede or equal the players current life, and is currently the only card in Magic able to bend the rules regarding loss of life.

[edit] Life gain

Life gain directly opposes the game’s primary win condition. The earliest "life gain" spells include Healing Salve, Lifetap, Stream of Life. Stream of Life is notable for being the first gain X life spell. There were also 5 artifacts printed which would give you 1 life each time a spell of the appropriate color was cast if you paid 1 (e.g., Ivory Cup).

The biggest single colored life gain spell (not Image:Manax.gif) is the card Heroes Remembered (20) from Planar Chaos. The biggest multi-colored life gain spell (not Image:Manax.gif) is the card Heroes' Reunion (7) from Invasion.

From the Comprehensive Rules

215. Life

  • 215.1. Each player begins the game with a life total of 20. In a Two-Headed Giant game, each team begins the game with a shared life total of 30 instead; see rule 606, “Two-Headed Giant Variant.”
  • 215.2. Damage dealt to a player causes that player to lose that much life.
  • 215.3. If an effect causes a player to gain life or lose life, that player’s life total is adjusted accordingly.
  • 215.4. If a cost or effect allows a player to pay life, the player may do so only if his or her life total is equal to or greater than the amount of the payment. If a player pays life, the payment is subtracted from his or her life total.
    • 215.4a. If a cost or effect allows a player to pay life in a Two-Headed Giant game, the player may do so only if his or her team's life total is equal to or greater than the amount of the payment. If a player pays life, the payment is subtracted from his or her team's life total.
  • 215.5. If an effect sets a player’s life total to a specific number, the player gains or loses the necessary amount of life to end up with the new total.
  • 215.6. If a player has 0 or less life, that player loses the game as a state-based effect. See rule 420.5.
  • 215.7. If an effect says that a player can't gain life, that player can't exchange life totals with a player who has a higher life total; in that case, the exchange won't happen. In addition, a cost that involves having that player gain life can't be paid, and a replacement effect that would replace a life gain event affecting that player won't do anything.
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