Yesterday, we had a game that pitted Visionary, Tachyon, Ra, and Legacy against the Matriarch. Partway through the game, Visionary played Demoralization, reducing the max HP of all non-Hero targets by 1. Naturally, the Matriarch had a beehive’s worth of Fowl cards in play, but Demoralization reduced each one’s maximum HP to 0, clearing the table (much to the players’ relief).
Naturally, right then we got into a discussion about the term “destroyed” and whether or not Demoralization would trigger the Matriarch’s inherent ability (forcing a hero to discard or take damage whenever a Fowl is destroyed). Given that Carrion Fields was in play, it would have been double the hurt. One of my other players cited a rule from Magic: the Gathering, in that if some effect reduces a card’s HP (or whatever term M:tG uses) to zero, it simply cannot exist in play and is removed without further effect.
My question is this: Is removing a card from play by reducing the maximum hit points of a target to zero the same as “destroying” it by reducing its current HP to zero through damage? I didn’t find any reference to such a situation in the rulebooks.
Question: is this MTG?
Answer: No
Question:Why should you then use a rule from MTG?
Answer: ?
Unless anyone can find a rule that contradicts me a card that reaches 0 HP is destroyed.
EDIT:
On further thought I seem to remember something floating around here stating that ‘destroy’ means remove from play to the discard pile, so any card removed from play to the discard pile is also destroyed (though it is possible I am misremembering this, I will do a search and see if I can back this up)
Unless you have some decent damage reduction/prevention, never demoralize The Matriarch. We played a battle against The Matriarch at Pike Industrial Complex (which contains a card similar to Demoralize, but for all targets), which actually resulted in a shutout at the beginning of the second round. That environment card destroyed all current existing fowl, hurting us bad, then on her second turn, fowl kept coming out and bieng immediately destroyed resulting in further beatdown, then Darken The Sky is played bringing back all the fowl to be immediately destroyed again resulting in the finishing blow. Just not good.
@josul0215: Actually, it is; if a creatures toughness is reduced to zero, it’s placed in the graveyard as a state-based effect, such that regeneration and the like will not trigger on its demise. It’s not destroyed, like it would be from combat damage (that isn’t from a creature with infect) or by (most) spells.
Wow, I have egg on my face again. Yeah, you’re right, I thought the state based check destroyed the creature and regeneration only removes all damage and taps a creature.
704.5f If a creature has toughness 0 or less, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard. Regeneration can’t replace this event.
edit: I’m wrong so often, I should really stop posting.
It may not be “destroyed”, but it does “die,” to use the current rules term. If SotM worked like MTG (and in a lot of ways it does not, but this one lines up), she (and the Carrion Fields) would most definitely see the 0HP birds die and trigger accordingly.
