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This search based on the Oct 23, 2009 release of the Rulings.

Lich
    Color= Black Type= Enchantment Cost= BBBB A(R)/B(R)/U(R)
    Text (ABU+errata): As ~this~ enters the battlefield, your life total becomes 0. ; You don't lose the game for having 0 or less life. ; If you would gain life, draw that many cards instead. ; Whenever you're dealt damage, sacrifice that many permanents. ; When ~this~ leaves the battlefield, you lose the game. [Oracle 2009/07/08]
  • You can lose life and take damage, and thereby have a negative life total, while Lich is in play. [D'Angelo 2001/08/31]
  • You cannot pay life, just like any player at less than one life cannot pay life. You can pay zero life if you want. [D'Angelo 1998/02/03]
  • You cannot play this on an opponent. [PPG Page 221]
  • The phrase "When Lich leaves play, you lose the game" is an absolute statement. Casting a Healing Salve or using some other life gain after the destruction (or other means of leaving play) will not save you. [WotC Rules Team 1994/01/29]
    Note that you will normally lose when Lich leaves play as a State-Based Effect before you can take any actions because your life total is normally zero or less while you control Lich. If you have a positive life total or are otherwise prevented from losing due to a zero life total, this triggered ability will cause you to lose the game anyway. [D'Angelo 2000/09/09]
  • If you have multiple Lich cards in play, you must sacrifice a permanent for each damage done to you for each Lich. This is because the sacrifice is a triggered ability. But you only draw one card for each life gained regardless of how many Liches you have. This is because the draw is a replacement effect (see Rule 614) and not a triggered one. [WotC Rules Team 1996/12/03]
    You lose if any one of the Liches leaves play.
  • If you take more than one damage at a time, sacrifice the permanents for that damage simultaneously. [WotC Rules Team 1995/06/15]
    This allows you to sacrifice both a creature and any enchantment that is on it all at once.
  • If an opponent steals control of Lich, their life total does not change. The life total changes for a player only when it comes into play under that player's control. [DeLaney 2000/08/19]
  • If an opponent steals control of Lich and no other effect prevents you from losing with a life total of zero, you will lose the game due to a zero life total as a State-Based Effect before you can take any actions. The last sentence doesn't apply in this case since the Lich didn't leave play. [DeLaney 2000/08/19]
  • If you are at somehow at negative life points when Lich comes into play, it will try to raise your life total to 0 by making you gain enough life to do so. This life gain, however, will be replaced by you drawing that many cards instead. [DeLaney 2001/09/21]
  • Extended tournaments (see Rule 913) have always banned this card.
New Search1 total results
This search based on the Oct 23, 2009 release of the Rulings.


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