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Lifelink happens at the same time as the damage. It does not technically “trigger”: lifelink is a static ability, so its controller gains life as its source deals damage. The life gain is not a later event waiting to resolve from the stack.
What happens when lifelink damage is dealt?
When a source with lifelink deals damage, its controller gains that much life simultaneously. Damage and life gain are one timing event; lifelink does not wait until combat ends or until a triggered ability resolves. Wizards of the Coast describes the rule this way in its 2009 rules-change article.
For example, suppose you are at 1 life. An unblocked 2/2 attacker deals 2 damage to you while your 3/3 lifelink blocker deals 3 damage to the attacker’s controller. Assuming no other effects, you lose 2 life and gain 3 at the same time, ending at 2 life. The lifelink gain is not postponed until after your life total has already been checked.
When are combat tricks and state-based actions handled?
Before combat damage
You can cast spells and activate abilities during the declare blockers step, before combat damage is dealt. This is the usual window for a combat trick. Once combat damage is being assigned and dealt, there is no opportunity to act between those parts of the damage process.
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After combat damage
After damage is dealt, the game checks state-based actions before players receive priority. A creature with lethal damage can be destroyed at that check. Triggered abilities that arose from damage or life gain are put on the stack after the damage event and the state-based-action check; they do not resolve in the middle of the event. Wizards’ combat-phase guide explains this sequence, and the lifelink rules-change article identifies the declare blockers step as the last chance to act before combat damage.
That means a creature that takes lethal damage is not saved by a separate triggered ability that would later give it life or counters. For a card-specific illustration, the Core Set 2020 release notes explicitly describe this timing for Twinblade Paladin.
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How lifelink differs from a triggered life-gain ability
Lifelink is a static ability, not a triggered ability. A separate ability that says, for example, “Whenever this creature deals damage, you gain that much life” is a trigger: it waits until the damage event is complete, then goes on the stack and resolves later. Because state-based actions are checked before players receive priority and triggers resolve, that later life gain cannot prevent a creature from dying to damage in the event that caused the trigger.
The distinction matters even if the two abilities appear to produce the same amount of life in an uncomplicated situation. Wizards changed lifelink to a static ability in the 2010 rules update so that life is gained as damage is dealt; some older card wordings received errata to match the updated mechanic.
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How many life-gain events does lifelink create?
The number of events is based on the number of lifelink sources dealing damage, not the number of recipients damaged. Wizards’ Double Masters 2022 release notes clarify these cases:
- One source damages several recipients: the source’s controller gains life in one event. A “whenever you gain life” ability triggers once for that event, even if the source damaged multiple creatures, players, or planeswalkers.
- Several sources deal damage: each lifelink creature creates a separate life-gain event. A life-gain trigger can trigger once for each creature’s event.
- Multiple instances of lifelink on one source: they do not multiply the life gained.
What changes with first strike or double strike?
First strike and double strike can create separate combat damage steps. Lifelink applies whenever the relevant source actually deals damage, so life gained from first-strike damage happens in that step, and damage from the regular combat damage step is handled separately. Whether a creature deals damage in the later step depends on whether it survives and is still able to deal damage.
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Where to check a disputed ruling
For a tournament ruling or an interaction that depends on a particular card, consult the current Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules. Wizards identifies that rules document as the reference for specific rules questions. The linked rules-change and set-release articles explain the mechanic and examples, but the current rules document is the appropriate reference for a present-day dispute.
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