Fight

Fight
Keyword Action
Introduced	HarperPrism promo (mechanic) Innistrad (keyword)
Last used	Evergreen
Reminder Text	Fight [a creature] (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
Statistics	117 cards 0.9% 1.7% 14.5% 59% 12% 3.4% 1.7% 1.7% 3.4% 1.7%
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keyword:"Fight"

Fight is a keyword action introduced in Innistrad. The word appears in a phrase like "[Cardname] fights target creature." and it means that both creatures deal damage equal to their Power to each other. Cards using fight appear primary in green and secondary in red. They carry the flavor of an altercation.

Description

Fight is similar to the mechanic originally introduced with the Land Arena, though slightly altered. A few old cards (including Arena) with the same functionality received updated Oracle wording using the new terminology. Cards with similar, but not identical, functionality do not use the word "fight" — the most obvious effect would be due to wither and infect, which would reduce the counter-damage before it happens.

Garruk Relentless has a unique effect where it deals 3 damage to a creature and the creature deals its power to him; this is functionally similar to a 3/3 that fights, but on a planeswalker.

Cards that care about fighting

• Foe-Razer Regent - adds +1/+1 counters
• Neyith of the Dire Hunt - draws cards
• Boxing Ring - creates Treasure

Winning a fight

The designed-for-digital card Skyshroud Ambush from Jumpstart: Historic Horizons introduced the concept of "winning a fight". The reminder claims it involves the caster's creature "surviving" the damage. However, the Comprehensive Rules currently don't define what "winning a fight" or "surviving" entails. Boxing Ring uses a more streamlined concept where the creature needs to only have fought, which Skyshroud Ambush couldn't use without digital assistance because its effect is a single spell ability.

Enters and fights

Starting with Foe-Razer Regent, green got an occasional creature that would fight another creature when it entered the battlefield. However, with Wicked Wolf and its ability to gain indestructible for no mana, R&D paused the creation of new entry-fighters after Kogla, the Titan Ape due to them being too close to something like Flametongue Kavu, an efficient anti-creature two-for-one, which would be a bend for green. Maro stated his position that weaker creatures would have access to it. The red creature Markov Enforcer has access to the "standard" sizing, while green got the more specific Sawblade Slinger, both in Innistrad: Crimson Vow.

Rules

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

Fight

When two creatures fight, each deals damage equal to its power to the other. See rule 701.12, “Fight.”

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

• 701.12. Fight
  • 701.12a A spell or ability may instruct a creature to fight another creature or it may instruct two creatures to fight each other. Each of those creatures deals damage equal to its power to the other creature.
  • 701.12b If one or both creatures instructed to fight are no longer on the battlefield or are no longer creatures, neither of them fights or deals damage. If one or both creatures are illegal targets for a resolving spell or ability that instructs them to fight, neither of them fights or deals damage.
  • 701.12c If a creature fights itself, it deals damage to itself equal to twice its power.
  • 701.12d The damage dealt when a creature fights isn’t combat damage.

Rulings

• The damage is dealt simultaneously, and it is dealt by the creatures themselves, so abilities like deathtouch, lifelink, and infect will work as normal.
• Damage dealt while fighting is not combat damage, so abilities like first strike or Double strike won't have any effect.
• Fighting itself does not cause the creatures to become tapped.
• Only creatures can fight.
• No more than two creatures can fight.
• If a creature somehow fights itself, it will deal damage to itself equal to its power twice simultaneously. This is different from cards that cause a creature deal damage to itself, such as Solar Blaze.

Example

Example

Blood Feud
Sorcery
Target creature fights another target creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)

Fighting cards before the keyword action

• Arena from a special book promotion and Time Spiral
• Triangle of War from Visions
• Contested Cliffs from Onslaught
• Magus of the Arena from Planar Chaos
• Rivals' Duel from Morningtide

Some cards use a sequential-damage fight that are not errata'ed:

• Cyclops Gladiator from Magic 2011
• Durkwood Tracker from Time Spiral
• Gargantuan Gorilla from Alliances
• Karplusan Yeti from Ice Age
• Predatory Urge from Zendikar
• Stalking Yeti from Coldsnap
• Tahngarth, Talruum Hero from Planeshift
• Tracker from The Dark
• Vein Drinker from Shards of Alara

A small number have a wording that work neither with fight nor bite, primarily due to the interaction with multiple targets.

• Living Inferno from Guildpact
• Polukranos, World Eater from Theros
• Master of the Wild Hunt from Magic 2010
• Ravenous Gigantotherium from Commander 2020

Bite

Green needed answers to creatures, but R&D wanted to make sure the solution to creatures involves creatures. Fight was the first step in that direction. However, it relied not only on high power but high toughness as well. The next step, as first seen on Nissa's Judgment, was one-sided fighting for green, which was later dubbed "bite" by R&D. This gave green creatures design space to have lower toughness but other abilities.