Magic the Gathering: Taking Damage vs. Losing Life?

Question

Ok so I've seen this question on here already, but with no real concensus. So I'm gonna give it another shot.
Is there a difference between taking damage and losing life? For example, if I have Lava Axe (Lava Axe deals 5 damage to target player) and, say, Blood Tithe (Each opponent loses 3 life...) could my oppenent use Safe Passage (Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you and creatures you control this turn) on either of them?
Does the wording "lose life" and "take damage" make any difference in gameplay?

Answer 1

Taking damage and losing life is like going in the rain and getting wet. One causes the other, but the second doesn't directly imply the first. Only things that use the word "damage" count as damage (and, of course, combat damage from attackers/blockers). That causes you to lose life (so taking damage will trigger anything that triggers upon losing life), but there are other ways to lose life. The most common is through effects that specifically say that you lose life, like Blood Tithe. Also, paying life for cards like Wall of Blood. Also, any time your life total is set to a number lower than your current one, it counts as losing life. So if you're on 10 and you control 2 creatures when a Biorythm resolves, you lose 8 life. None of this counts as taking damage.



Edit: The comprehensive rulebook does indeed make a distinction between damage and loss of life. Observe these quotes:



118.3a. Damage dealt to a player causes that player to lose that much life.

...

118.4b. Next, damage that's been dealt is transformed into its results, as modified by replacement effects that interact with those results (such as life loss or counters).



There are several others as well. Remember - Magic is a VERY literal game. Only an effect that uses the word "target" counts as targeting, only an effect that uses the word "draw" counts as drawing, and only an effect that uses the word "damage" counts as damage. The cards say exactly what they mean.



@brockhammy: I believe you're actually thinking of the text "Damage causes loss of life", which is on several cards (for example, Lich's Tomb, Tainted Sigil, and Children of Korlis).

Answer 2

Safe Passage would work against both Lava Axe and Blood Tithe.

Answer 3

Yes. Loss of life directly correlates to a decrease in your life total, while damage is dealt, then you lose life equal to the damage dealt. So, safe passage only prevents damage, so it prevents the damage from causing you to lose life, but blood tithe already made you lose life, no damage involved. So, safe passage would only affect spells/abilities/combat damage because it only involves damage, not loss of life.

But damage causes loss of life anyways, so luminarch ascension is affected by both.

Answer 4

it's specified on a card (i can't remember which one..) that "anything that causes a player to lose life is considered damage."



there are damage prevention spells that can prevent life loss. some spells are specific to combat damage, like Holy Day, which only prevents damage from creatures dealing unblocked damage to a player - not from spells like Lava Axe.



hope this helps

Answer 5

Safe Passage Mtg

Answer 6

It's all about the order of resolving from the stack. Instant spells and abilities all act at instant speed (except for abilities of planeswalkers). If you attack with Death Cultist, and the opponent uses Condemn, Condemn goes to the stack. You can, in response, activate Death Cultist's ability, which goes to the top of the stack before Condemn can resolve. So the stack is now (top to bottom): Death Cultist's ability, Condemn. Instant speed spells and abilities resolve from the top of the stack down, so in this scenario, Death Cultist's ability resolves, so you sacrafice him and do all that stuff with him. Then, Condemn resolves, but because its target is gone, it just kinda fizzles (it goes directly to the graveyard). This rule of the stack resolving from the top down applies to ALL instant speed abilities and spells. Hope that helps. :)

Answer 7

It does not because you need to take damage to lose life.