Lifelink
| Lifelink | |
|---|---|
| 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.) |
| 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
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. [1]
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.
Trivia
The vigilance, lifelink, and fear keywords are the only keywords with a card of the exact name (Vigilance, Lifelink, and Fear, respectively). Flying comes close, with the card called Flight.
Rules
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.
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.”
Rulings
- The ability causes life gain whenever a permanent 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 10th Edition and two 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.
Example
Enchantments that grant just Lifelink
One creature
