Angel's Grace in 2HG [Archive]

Valtrix

07-24-2009, 12:43 PM

Split second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can't cast spells or activate abilities that aren't mana abilities.)
You can't lose the game this turn and your opponents can't win the game this turn. Until end of turn, damage that would reduce your life total to less than 1 reduces it to 1 instead

I'll take a stab at this, let's look at some relevant rules for the named card:

806.9c If an effect would set a single player's life total to a number, that player's individual life total becomes that number. The team's life total is adjusted by the amount of life that player gained or lost.

806.9a If an effect needs to know the value of an individual player's life total, that effect uses the team's life total divided by two, rounded up, instead.

806.9. Damage, loss of life, and gaining life happen to each player individually. The result is applied to the team's shared life total.

So, we can combine these things to show that for angel's grace in 2HG, it essentially says: "Damage that would reduce your team's life total to less than 1 reduces it to 1 instead." This happens because if the team's total is zero or less, that means your individual life total is zero or less, which is stopped by angel's grace. Furthermore we see that damage is applied to each player individually, but the result is applied to the team's life total. So while your partner may be able to be damaged, from our first statement this damage can't reduce the team's total to below one.

Also, I'm sure you know this, but including it for completeness:

806.8b Players win and lose the game only as a team, not as individuals...If an effect would prevent a player from losing the game, that player's team can't lose the game.