if a creature is killed that gives +1 that turn during combat do the other creatures

[killarobot]

if a creature is killed that gives +1 that turn during combat do the other creatures still get it?

[Arix]

...come again now?

[killarobot]

i mean if attackers and blockers have already been declared and I have a Field Marshal and other player bolts it will the soldiers left on the battlefield still get the +1/+1 for that combat?

[Arix]

The +1/+1 ends as soon as Field Marshal leaves play. If they Bolt it before damage is assigned, then they won't get the bonuses when they deal damage.

[beholder12]

I think the answer for my case is the same but I want to check:

I block an attacker with three creatures, two soldiers and a veteran armorsmith (gives +0/+1 to other soldiers in play). When assigning damage, my opponent kills the armorsmith first. Do my other soldiers still have the +0/+1 as damage is being assigned to them? I think that because combat does not use the stack anymore, that they still keep the benefit but I'm not sure.

[Arix]

It's slightly different. All combat damage is assigned at the same time. They don't assign to the Armorsmith, kill it, then move on to the next. They assign enough to the Armorsmith to kill it, then move on to the next, and continue like that until it's all been assigned, then all that damage is dealt simultaneously.

Say your opponent attacks with a 7/7 creature and you block with the 2/3 Armorsmith, and two 2/2 Soldiers (made 2/3 because of the Armorsmith). Your opponent first assigns 3 to the Armorsmith. They have 4 left over, so they assign 3 to one of the creatures. They then assign 1 to the other. That damage then resolves. The Armorsmith and the first 2/3 are destroyed, and the other 2/3 (now a 2/2) survives.

[beholder12]

Ok, two follow up questions:

1) In your scenario, what would happen if the 7/7 creature was an 8/8 creature instead? He would deal 2 damage to the last 2/3 creature (making him a temporary 2/1 creature). At the death of the armorsmith, would he then become a 2/0 and die?

2) What if instead of an armorsmith, it was a veteran swordsmith? Would my defenders be able to deal damage with the bonus or would they be reduced back to their normal stats before the defensive damage part of combat happens?

[Arix]

1. Yep, that's how it'd work. Well, sort of. Damage doesn't actually reduce a creature's toughness. A 2/3 with 2 damage on it isn't a 2/1, it's still a 2/3. But yeah, you got basically how it works.

2. There is no "defensive damage" part. As I said, all combat damage is dealt at the same time (barring first/double strike). The blockers deal their damage at the same time the attackers do.

[beholder12]

1) Well yeah it doesn't reduce his toughness forever, just for the rest of that turn.

2) Ah ok, I know that combat doesn't use the stack but I wasn't sure if the attacking and defending damage were two different phases.

Thanks for the help :-)

[Arix]

1) Well yeah it doesn't reduce his toughness forever, just for the rest of that turn

No, it doesn't reduce it at all. A 2/3 with 2 damage on it is never a 2/1. Not for that turn, not ever. It stays as a 2/3, it just has 2 damage on it.

[beholder12]

Is there a time when this difference in semantics is important? I guess maybe if there are any abilities that say something like, "blah blah blah for all creatures that have toughness greater than 3"?

...I'm just confused because of the "duel of the planeswalkers" xbox game. After combat, creatures in that game can go from a 2/3 to a 2/1 with the 1 highlighted in red till the end of the turn.

[Arix]

Indeed, it can have an affect when cards that care about a creature's toughness come up (and yes, some exist). It also makes a difference when it comes to indestructibility and regeneration. Lethal damage destroys a creature, whereas having 0 toughness doesn't.