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Rules Q&A » Post: Infinite combo vs. infinite combo

Infinite combo vs. infinite combo

Jan. 30, 2015 01:00:47 PM

Santiago Calderon
Judge (Uncertified)

Hispanic America - South

Infinite combo vs. infinite combo

Ok, so A has an infinite mana + pump combo, and N has an infinite life + tokens combo (Thopter Foundry)

In A's turn, he attacks and before damage, he pumps all his guys enough to kill N, so N responds gaining enough life to survive, A realizes that if he doesn't win with this attack, N's tokens will kill him next turn, so he proceeds to pump his guys even more, N doesn't want to lose to this attack, then he gains enough life again to survive… and the loop will continue because none of them wants to lose.

What would be the match outcome?

Jan. 30, 2015 01:10:03 PM

Nathan Long
Forum Moderator
Judge (Level 2 (Judge Foundry))

USA - Southwest

Infinite combo vs. infinite combo

That's covered by this rule:

716.3. Sometimes a loop can be fragmented, meaning that each player involved in the loop performs an independent action that results in the same game state being reached multiple times. If that happens, the active player (or, if the active player is not involved in the loop, the first player in turn order who is involved) must then make a different game choice so the loop does not continue.
Example: In a two-player game, the active player controls a creature with the ability “{0}: gains flying,” the nonactive player controls a permanent with the ability “{0}: Target creature loses flying,” and nothing in the game cares how many times an ability has been activated. Say the active player activates his creature’s ability, it resolves, then the nonactive player activates her permanent’s ability targeting that creature, and it resolves. This returns the game to a game state it was at before. The active player must make a different game choice (in other words, anything other than activating that creature’s ability again). The creature doesn’t have flying. Note that the nonactive player could have prevented the fragmented loop simply by not activating her permanent’s ability, in which case the creature would have had flying. The nonactive player always has the final choice and is therefore able to determine whether the creature has flying.

This is a fragmented loop. The active player will choose a number of time they want to perform their loop, and then they have to stop. The nonactive player will know how much damage they will be receiving and can simply choose to gain more life than damage to survive.

Nathan Long
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