Lifelink

Lifelink
[[File:{{#setmainimage:mtga_lifelink.png}}|70x70px]]
Keyword Ability
Type	Static
Introduced	Mirrodin (mechanic) Future Sight (keyword)
Last used	Evergreen
Reminder Text	Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
Other Symbols
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Duels Lifelink.png}}|70x70px]]
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Lifelink"

Lifelink is a keyword ability introduced in Future Sight. Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source's controller to gain that much life.

Description

Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source’s controller, or its owner if it has no controller, to gain that much life (in addition to any other results that damage causes). For example, a 5/5 creature with lifelink in combat against a 1/1 creature will deal 5 damage to it, as per rule 510 (Combat damage step). The 5/5's controller gains as much life as damage was dealt, which is 5 life.

History

Before it was keyworded in Future Sight, R&D used to call this ability spirit link, after the card of the same name. Note, however, that that card doesn't actually have the exact lifelink ability.

Future Sight hinted at a lot of things from Magic's potential future on its futureshifted cards. For lifelink, that future was the very next set released, Tenth Edition. This ability can be traced back to the card El-Hajjâj in Arabian Nights.

Before the rules changes in Magic 2010, lifelink was a triggered ability, and it used the stack along with combat damage. This meant that its life gain if caused by combat, would arrive too late to prevent the player from losing the game due to combat damage from the same combat. It is now a static ability that causes life gain at the same time as the damage that causes it. The ability is primary in both white and black. White and black have very different flavor rationales for the abilities, but both use it almost every set.

Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths introduced lifelink counters.

Knightlifelink

The silver-bordered Unsanctioned set features the variation Knightlifelink (Damage dealt by Knights you control also causes you to gain that much life) on Syr Cadian, Knight Owl. The name plays off "night life", theming after "night owl". It functionally is the same as "Knights you control have lifelink".

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Lifelink

A keyword ability that causes a player to gain life. See rule 702.15, “Lifelink.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 702.15. Lifelink
  • 702.15a Lifelink is a static ability.
  • 702.15b Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source’s controller, or its owner if it has no controller, to gain that much life (in addition to any other results that damage causes). See rule 120.3.
  • 702.15c If an object changes zones before an effect causes it to deal damage, its last known information is used to determine whether it had lifelink.
  • 702.15d The lifelink rules function no matter what zone an object with lifelink deals damage from.
  • 702.15e If multiple sources with lifelink deal damage at the same time, they cause separate life gain events (see rules 119.9–10).

    Example: A player controls Ajani’s Pridemate, which reads “Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on Ajani’s Pridemate,” and two creatures with lifelink. The creatures with lifelink deal combat damage simultaneously. Ajani’s Pridemate’s ability triggers twice.

  • 702.15f Multiple instances of lifelink on the same object are redundant.

Rulings

• The ability causes life gain whenever a source with lifelink deals any damage, not just combat damage.
• All older cards with the ability "Whenever this permanent deals damage, you gain that much life." that received errata to change that ability to "lifelink" have reverted to their original wording with the exception of Loxodon Warhammer, which has been printed with the word "lifelink" in Tenth Edition and all subsequent reprintings.
• Note that the card Spirit Link does not grant the creature it enchants lifelink. The lifelink ability has the creature's controller gain life. Spirit Link has Spirit Link's controller gain life. The same is true for Vampiric Link.

Examples

Example

Caravan Hurda
Creature — Giant
1/5
Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)

Enchantments that grant just Lifelink

One creature

• Felidar Umbra
• Lifelink

Creatures that grant Lifelink to Instant and Sorcery spells

• Firesong and Sunspeaker (Red spells you control)
• Radiant Scrollwielder (spells you control)
• Soulfire Grand Master (spells you control)

Trivia

• The vigilance, lifelink, and fear keywords are the only keywords with a card of the exact name that also grants that ability (Vigilance, Lifelink, and Fear, respectively). Flying comes close, with cards called Flight and Fly.
• Five Instant and Sorcery spells have functional lifelink through the wording "you gain life equal to the damage dealt this way": Syphon Soul, Corrupt, Brightflame, Rite of Consumption and Enter the God-Eternals. Granting them lifelink allows one to double the amount of life gained.
• Spectral Lynx was originally called Spirit Lynx, but the name was changed because it didn't have "spirit link".

External links

• A Planeswalker's Primer for Magic 2010: Lifelink (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.