Not A Bug Kaldra Compleat’s Exile Effect Doesn’t Work With First Strike Damage

[ManaDrainThis]

Tested Kaldra Compleat extensively. The exile effect works just fine if a creature survives past first strike damage (i.e. has toughness greater than 5). But small creatures that block Kaldra or are blocked by Kaldra and die from first strike combat damage go to the GY, not into exile.

It looks like the bug is just that Kaldra’s exile effect checks for damage during the main combat damage phase, when it also needs to check during the first strike combat damage phase. And because Kaldra Compleat has first strike, this issue comes up almost every time I play it.

 

[kainkartenon]

It looks to me like the MTGO client is just putting the creatures into the graveyard before the "whenever this creature deals combat damage to a creature, exile that creature" trigger resolves (it does show the pop up for the trigger, but does nothing because creatures are already in gy). Shouldn't the first strike damage be "marked", then the trigger resolve and the creatures be exiled?

 

[loggysd]

I believe the functionality in MTGO is correct. The ability Kaldra gives is a triggered ability, not a replacement effect. A creature destroyed by combat damage changes zones before the ability resolves and causes the trigger to fizzle.

 

[ManaDrainThis]

Wow, I didn’t even think about it potentially being a triggered ability. Very surprised there isn’t a Gatherer ruling for Kaldra Compleat clarifying this, as I’m sure many would be fooled/confused by that interaction.

Thanks loggysd…if what you say is correct then we can delete this bug report.

 

[ManaDrainThis]

Confirmed, this is how Kaldra Compleat is supposed to work, and this is not a bug. I got the rules wrong. Ok to delete this one.