Sacrificing creatures in MTG is a very useful ability from time to time, especially depending on your deck and playing style, but does sacrificing count as dying?
Read on below and discover exactly what it means to sacrifice a creature/card in MTG and whether or not it counts as dying!
MTG Does Sacrificing Count as Dying?
Sacrificing in MTG can technically count as dying, but only if you’ve sacrificed a creature card. Further, unless the card that is sacrificed specifically states that it is to be destroyed, or is targeted by a spell or enchantment that causes it to be destroyed when it leaves the battlefield, the sacrificed creature is dead, but not destroyed.
However, sacrificing can also be used as a weapon, depending on the type of sacrifice cards you pack in your deck.
Take Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis for example:
This is not only a beastly 5/5 flyer with exalted, but when he attacks a player alone, that player must sacrifice one creature. In this case, the player gains nothing from the sacrifice. Even better, if you have an ability, enchantment, or spell that allows you to untap a creature each turn… guess what? You get to make your opponents sacrifice two creatures each round you attack them!
What Does “Sacrificing” Mean in MTG?
Sacrificing cards in MTG is an ability to give up the card, and let it go to the graveyard (sacrifice it), usually in exchange for an additional casting cost or payment for an activated ability. Sacrificing is the same as dying, but is not the same as being destroyed, exiled, or removed from the game.
What Exactly Counts as “Dying” in MTG?
In regards to MTG gameplay, dying is what happens when a card is put into the graveyard from the battlefield. If a creature or planeswalker is exiled or removed from the game, it does not count as dying. Likewise, if a planeswalker or creature card is destroyed, it does not count as dying.
Does Sacrifice Count the Same as Destroy?
Sacrificing creatures or planeswalker cards does not count the same way as destroying them. A sacrificed creature goes to the graveyard just like any creature that dies (as do planeswalkers). Destroyed cards, however, do not go to the graveyard and are no longer useable for the remainder of the game.
Can I Sacrifice a Creature Any Time in MTG?
You may sacrifice a creature anytime that it is your turn, or a spell, enchantment, or ability otherwise enables you to. There are some exceptions, the primary one being that you can not sacrifice a creature that is already assigned to block a creature or take damage from a spell, ability, or enchantment. Other than that, you are good to go just about any time you feel like spilling the blood of your creatures or planeswalkers!
Can a Sacrificed Creature be Regenerated?
Because sacrificed creatures have died, and gone to the graveyard, they are not able to be regenerated. Regeneration is an ability that only targets cards that have been destroyed. Cards that die are not the same as cards that have been destroyed. So, no, sacrificed creatures may not be regenerated from the graveyard.
Can I Sacrifice a Blocker in MTG?
The last chance you have to sacrifice a blocking creature is the step before it is assigned combat damage to deal with. If you do opt to block a creature, and then sacrifice with the blocking creature, the sacrificed creature will not deal damage to the attacking creature before it is sacrificed. That means, it is pointless to sacrifice a blocking creature (unless it activates some spell or ability that will change the outcome of the situation).