Massacre Girl 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
Menace When Massacre Girl enters, each other creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Whenever a creature dies this turn, each creature other than Massacre Girl gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
Complete guide
Massacre Girl is a legendary assassin that can clear entire battlefields by setting off a deadly chain reaction. Her entrance marks the beginning of a countdown where every death further weakens the remaining survivors. If you enjoy watching a board state crumble one -1/-1 counter at a time, this is the card for you.
The Cascade of Death
When Massacre Girl enters the battlefield, she immediately gives all other creatures -1/-1. Crucially, this ability also creates a delayed triggered ability that lasts for the rest of the turn. This delayed trigger ensures that whenever any creature dies, every creature other than Massacre Girl gets another -1/-1. This creates a 'ping-pong' effect where small creatures dying leads to larger creatures losing enough toughness to die as well.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, Massacre Girl enters and her ability goes on the stack. When it resolves, every other creature gets -1/-1. If any creatures now have 0 toughness, state-based actions cause them to die simultaneously. Because the delayed trigger is now active, it triggers once for each creature that just died. Each of those triggers then resolves, applying further -1/-1 effects. This continues until no more creatures die or the board is empty.
Timing and Technicalities
A common mistake is thinking creatures that die while the initial ETB is still on the stack will trigger the effect; they won't, as the delayed trigger hasn't been created yet. Also, creatures that enter the battlefield after the chain has finished won't have any -1/-1 modifiers unless another death occurs later in the turn to re-trigger the delayed effect.
Strategic Deployment
Play Massacre Girl when your opponent has at least one creature with 1 toughness (like a token). This guaranteed death kicks off the chain reaction. Even if your own creatures die in the process, Massacre Girl herself stays safe from the debuffs, often leaving her as the only creature left on the board to take advantage of her Menace ability.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneIf you choose 'Human' or 'Assassin' for Roaming Throne, Massacre Girl's entry ability triggers twice. Each resolution gives -1/-1 and creates a separate delayed trigger. This means for every single creature that dies later that turn, all creatures (except Massacre Girl) will get -2/-2 instead of -1/-1, accelerating the board wipe significantly.
Solemn SimulacrumWhen Massacre Girl enters, Solemn Simulacrum (a 2/2) becomes a 1/1. If another small creature dies, the Simulacrum will hit 0 toughness and die. This triggers Massacre Girl's delayed ability to further weaken the board, and you also get to draw a card from the Simulacrum's own death trigger.
Massacre Girl, Most WantedAs Massacre Girl triggers her chain of -1/-1 effects, Massacre Girl, Most Wanted will see each of your other creatures die. For each one, the Most Wanted version deals 1 damage to an opponent and you gain 1 life. Since the damage is noncombat, Most Wanted will also gain a +1/+1 counter for each trigger, potentially growing large enough to survive the original Massacre Girl's carnage.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Massacre Girl
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Massacre Girl's enters-the-battlefield triggered ability and its delayed triggered ability each affect only creatures on the battlefield at the time that those abilities resolve. Creatures that enter the battlefield or become creatures later in the turn won't get -1/-1 unless the delayed triggered ability triggers and resolves again later.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Once Massacre Girl's enters-the-battlefield ability has triggered, it doesn't matter whether Massacre Girl remains on the battlefield. The delayed triggered ability will be created as the enters-the-battlefield ability resolves.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Creatures that die while Massacre Girl's triggered ability is still on the stack won't cause its delayed triggered ability to trigger since that delayed triggered ability hasn't been created yet.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
A creature with 0 toughness doesn't die immediately. Rather, the creature dies the next time a player would receive priority. This means that any creatures whose toughness becomes 0 as Massacre Girl's enters-the-battlefield ability resolves will remain on the battlefield until just after the delayed triggered ability has been created.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If more than one creature dies at once, Massacre Girl's delayed triggered ability triggers that many times.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Interactions with other cards
These cards' text mentions Massacre Girl.
Legal formats
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