Blood MistHow it works & interactions with other cards

What it Does

Blood Mist features a triggered ability that triggers at the beginning of the combat phase on your turn. It targets a single creature you control and grants it double strike until the end of the turn. Double strike allows the creature to deal both first-strike and regular combat damage, effectively doubling its power if it is not blocked or if it has trample.

Resolution Step-by-Step

First, you move from your first main phase into the combat phase. At the 'Beginning of Combat' step, Blood Mist's ability triggers and you choose a target creature. Once the ability resolves, that creature gains double strike. Then, you move to the 'Declare Attackers' step, where you choose whether or not to attack with that creature. Note that you must choose the target before you actually declare which creatures are attacking.

Common Mistakes

A frequent error is forgetting that the ability triggers during the Beginning of Combat step, which occurs before attackers are declared. You cannot wait to see how your opponent reacts to your attackers before choosing who gets double strike. Additionally, if the targeted creature leaves the battlefield or becomes an illegal target before the ability resolves, it will not gain double strike.

When to Play It

Blood Mist is most effective in decks that focus on high-power creatures or creatures with 'on-damage' triggers. Because it grants the bonus every turn for free once it is on the battlefield, it provides consistent pressure. It is particularly potent when you have ways to generate multiple combat phases or ways to buff the power of your creatures.

Interaction examples

Stacking Combat Triggers

Shared Animosity

At the beginning of combat, Blood Mist triggers and you target a creature, giving it double strike. Then, you move to declare attackers. When you attack with several creatures of the same type, Shared Animosity triggers for each one. The creature with double strike will benefit significantly from the power boost provided by Shared Animosity, as that extra power is applied to both the first-strike and normal damage steps.

Multiple Combat Phases

Aggravated Assault

Since Blood Mist triggers at the beginning of *each* combat on your turn, it works perfectly with Aggravated Assault. After your first combat, you can use Aggravated Assault to gain an additional combat phase. At the start of that new combat phase, Blood Mist will trigger again, allowing you to give double strike to the same creature or a different one for your second round of attacks.