Can environment targets deal damage to themselves?

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1

I was playing a game in Time Cataclysm. It was the end of an environment turn and the only environment card out was Giant Mutated Specimen, which deals H - 1 targets with the highest HP 1 toxic damage each. It had 5 hp, and my 3 heroes hp were 4, 3, and 3. The villain's hp was 7. Those were the only targets in play at that time. Can the GMS deal damage to itself to fulfill the target(s) requirment? The fact that Charging Triceratops (from the same environment) and Engraged T-rex (from Insula Primalis) reads "Deals the target other than itself..." leads me to believe that GMS can deal damage to itself. Is that right?

Also, if one of Unity's bots deals damage to Baron Blade while Backlash Field is in play AND does enough damage to destroy that bot, is the damage dealt by that bot nullified? I don't think it is, but just want to make sure.

Thanks.

 

2

My word sure as hell ain't law but I would say that the environment can damage itself if not specified otherwise. Likewise when AZ is on the incap side and you use your incap power so that Baron Blade strikes himself with a backlash field in play he would retaliate against himself. That sounds really good until you play flame barrier or combat stance against a villain that makes you damage yourself.

 

As for the second question the damage from your bot goes in before he is destroyed because that damage is the trigger for the backlash field and not the attack itself. I have yet to se a retaliation mechanic that is preemptive in the sentinels decks.

3

Environment targets can deal themself damage.

Damage has to be dealt for Backlash Field for it to trigger, so the damage would remain dealt.

4

Giant Mutated Specimen can damage itself.

Backlash field acts after Blade is dealt damage, so if it hits and destroys a bot that bot's damage is already dealt and isn't taken away.

5

To clarify, I assume this is referring to Elemental Wrath AZ, as his normal version does not have such an incap ability.

6

Anything dealing damage can damage any target unless specified by the card itself.  

Non-hero targets: anything with HP that is not a hero target.
Non-villain target: anything with HP that is not a villain target.
Non-environment target: anything with HP that is not an environment target
Target: everything with HP

For instance, in Tomb of Anubis, Anubis himself deals damage to a "target" (again, anything with HP).  On Anubis' card it also says "This card is immune to damage from the environment."  So Anubis cannot deal himself damage.  There have been times playing in Tomb of Anubis where Anubis sits and wrecks everything, including the other environment cards because we were too low HP to be a threat.

Overall: Go with what the card says, as exactly as you can.

7

Anubis only attacks non-environment cards anyway, I believe.

8

That makes me wonder if he's actually immune to damage from all cards in the environment, or only some of them - I recall it being said a while ago that when environment cards say "deal some damage", the source of that damage is the environment as a whole, unless the card specifically says "this card deals some damage".  For instance, in Insula Primalis, the Velociraptor Packs and T-Rexes say "This card deals", but Volcanic Eruption, River of Lava, and Primordial Plant Life all just say "Deal".  Whether any cards in the Tomb of Anubis invoke this dichotomy I don't know, not having a copy of it at home.

9

His attack yes, but judgement of Anubis has him attack everyone before he destroys it.

 

Anubis is immune to damage from environment cards, which would be all damage the environment deals.

10

I think I misquoted the text before.  I just double checked the text on Anubis' card and it says "This card is immune to damage from environment cards."  So even though, let's say the ToA T-Rex equivalent says "This card deals…", it is still an environment card, so Anubis is still immune.