From the Comprehensive Rules (February 1, 2009)
- 310. Combat Damage Step
- 310.1. As the combat damage step begins, the active player announces how each attacking creature will assign its combat damage. Then the defending player announces how each blocking creature will assign its combat damage. All assignments of combat damage go on the stack as a single object. Then any abilities that triggered on damage being assigned go on the stack. (See rule 410, “Handling Triggered Abilities.”) Then the active player gets priority and players may play spells and abilities.
- 310.2. A player may divide a creature’s combat damage as he or she chooses among the legal recipients. Dividing combat damage is subject to the following restrictions:
- 310.2a Each attacking creature and each blocking creature will assign combat damage equal to its power. Creatures that would assign 0 or less damage this way don’t assign combat damage at all.
- 310.2b An unblocked attacking creature that’s attacking a player will assign all its combat damage to the defending player. An unblocked attacking creature that’s attacking a planeswalker will assign all its combat damage to the planeswalker it’s attacking. If the creature isn’t currently attacking anything (if, for example, it was attacking a planeswalker that has left play), it will assign no combat damage.
- 310.2c A blocked creature will assign combat damage, divided as its controller chooses, to the creatures blocking it. If no creatures are currently blocking it (if, for example, they were destroyed or removed from combat), it will assign no combat damage.
- 310.2d A blocking creature will assign combat damage, divided as its controller chooses, to the attacking creatures it’s blocking. If it isn’t currently blocking any creatures (if, for example, they were destroyed or removed from combat), it will assign no combat damage.
- 310.2e An effect that states a creature deals its combat damage in a different manner than normal affects the assignment of combat damage.
- 310.3. Although combat-damage assignments go on the stack as an object, they aren’t spells or abilities, so they can’t be countered.
- 310.4. Combat damage resolves as an object on the stack. When it resolves, it’s all dealt at once, as originally assigned. The combat damage object is then removed from the stack and ceases to exist. After combat damage finishes resolving, the active player gets priority.
- 310.4a Combat damage is dealt as it was originally assigned even if the creature dealing damage is no longer in play, its power has changed, or the creature or planeswalker receiving damage has left combat.
- 310.4b The source of the combat damage is the creature as it currently exists, if it’s still in play. If it’s no longer in play, its last known information is used to determine its characteristics.
- 310.4c If a creature or planeswalker that was assigned combat damage is no longer in play, or is neither a creature nor planeswalker, the damage assigned to it isn’t dealt.
- 310.5. At the start of the combat damage step, if at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike (see rule 502.2) or double strike (see rule 502.28), creatures without first strike or double strike don’t assign combat damage. Instead of proceeding to end of combat, the phase gets a second combat damage step (see rule 310.1) to handle the remaining creatures. In the second combat damage step, any attackers and blockers that didn’t assign combat damage in the first step, plus any creatures with double strike, assign their combat damage.
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