Question about Earthquake & Worship -Cody Vass, June 26, 2000

If my opponent has a steadfast gaurd in play (2/2) and a worship, and is at 5 life, and I earthquake for 7, will he die?

Answer -courtesy of John Carter, Level 3 DCI Judge

Here's the two key cards:

EARTHQUAKE
XR
Sorcery
Earthquake deals X damage to each creature without flying and each player.

WORSHIP
3W, Enchantment
Damage that would reduce your life total to less than 1 reduces it to 1 instead if you control a creature.

I'd like to start by pointing out that this answer also applies to Worship plus Hurricane, Shower of Sparks, Inferno, Cave-In, and all those other global-death-by-damage cards that do there damage all at once.

This leads us right into why Worship is your friend. That "would... instead" means Worship is a replacement effect (a prevention effect would use "prevent") [419]. And the game does check the "lethally damaged creature" state-based effect until someone receives priority [420].

Normally what happens is you'd take damage, and your life total would be reduced by a number equal to that. Worship breaks that rule in a weird way: it leaves the damage alone, but it changes the way that damage affects life total. In the example above, the player with the Worship and the creature would take 5, but his life total would only be reduced by 4, leaving him at 1. Then state-based effects would check, find a living player and a lethally damaged creature.

Do notice that the damage isn't prevented. If I Corrupted you (CORRUPT, 5B, Sorcery, Corrupt deals to target creature or player damage equal to the number of swamps you control. You gain life equal to the damage dealt this way.) with 20 Swamps in play, I would actually gain all twenty, but Worship would adjust your life total only as low as one.

Also notice, Worship won't stop loss of life. Be careful not to mana burn!