Brutal Hordechief — ruling 1

All blocking declarations must still be legal.

Brutal Hordechief — ruling 2

If there’s a cost associated with having a creature block and you choose for that creature to block, its controller can choose to pay that cost or not. If that player decides to not pay that cost, you must propose a new set of blocking creatures.

Brutal Hordechief — ruling 3

You’ll choose how each creature controlled by an opponent blocks, even if that creature wasn’t on the battlefield or wasn’t controlled by an opponent as the activated ability resolved.

Brutal Hordechief — ruling 4

In a multiplayer game, if more than one player activates Brutal Hordechief’s activated ability on the same turn, the controller of the last ability to resolve will choose how any creatures controlled by players who didn’t resolve this ability will block.

Brutal Hordechief — ruling 5

The defending player affected by Brutal Hordechief’s triggered ability is determined relative to the creature that attacked. For example, if Brutal Hordechief attacked one opponent and two other creatures you control attacked another opponent, the first opponent would lose 1 life and the second opponent would lose 2 life. You’d gain a total of 3 life.

Brutal Hordechief : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Brutal Hordechief is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.

Official card text

Whenever a creature you control attacks, defending player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. : Creatures your opponents control block this turn if able, and you choose how those creatures block.

How it works : Brutal Hordechief

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1November 24, 2014· Wizards of the Coast
All blocking declarations must still be legal.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2November 24, 2014· Wizards of the Coast
If there’s a cost associated with having a creature block and you choose for that creature to block, its controller can choose to pay that cost or not. If that player decides to not pay that cost, you must propose a new set of blocking creatures.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#3November 24, 2014· Wizards of the Coast
You’ll choose how each creature controlled by an opponent blocks, even if that creature wasn’t on the battlefield or wasn’t controlled by an opponent as the activated ability resolved.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#4November 24, 2014· Wizards of the Coast
In a multiplayer game, if more than one player activates Brutal Hordechief’s activated ability on the same turn, the controller of the last ability to resolve will choose how any creatures controlled by players who didn’t resolve this ability will block.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#5November 24, 2014· Wizards of the Coast
The defending player affected by Brutal Hordechief’s triggered ability is determined relative to the creature that attacked. For example, if Brutal Hordechief attacked one opponent and two other creatures you control attacked another opponent, the first opponent would lose 1 life and the second opponent would lose 2 life. You’d gain a total of 3 life.
No other card is named in this ruling.