Combat
How Do You Assign Combat Damage to Several Units?
Assign enough damage to make one opposing unit lethal before assigning damage to another.
RiftPal explanation · Answer first
The short answer
Add the current MightMight represents both how much Combat Damage a unit can contribute and how much marked Damage it can normally take before being killed.View in Glossary of your participating, non-stunned units. Starting with the attacker, assign that total among the opposing units. You must assign enough to make one unit's damage lethal before moving to another, and you cannot add extra beyond lethal while another opposing unit still needs Lethal DamageMarked damage sufficient to kill a unit in cleanup. Normally it must be a nonzero amount at least equal to the unit's Might. Effects can change the amount needed.View in Glossary assigned.
RiftPal explanation
How it works
Damage already marked on a unit counts toward Lethal DamageMarked damage sufficient to kill a unit in cleanup. Normally it must be a nonzero amount at least equal to the unit's Might. Effects can change the amount needed.View in Glossary , so you only need to assign the amount still required. Lethal damage must be at least 1, even if the unit has 0 MightMight represents both how much Combat Damage a unit can contribute and how much marked Damage it can normally take before being killed.View in Glossary . Once every opposing unit has lethal damage assigned, any remaining damage may be assigned among them. After both players finish assigning, all assigned Combat DamageCombat Damage is the Damage units deal as part of Combat.View in Glossary is dealt simultaneously.
Card reference
Maddened Marauder
TankA unit keyword that changes combat damage assignment. Assign lethal damage to that player's Tank units before assigning damage to their non-Tank units.View in Glossary units must receive Lethal DamageMarked damage sufficient to kill a unit in cleanup. Normally it must be a nonzero amount at least equal to the unit's Might. Effects can change the amount needed.View in Glossary before non-Tank units with the same controller. BacklineA unit keyword that changes combat damage assignment. Assign damage to that player's Backline units only after their non-Backline units have lethal damage assigned.View in Glossary units receive damage only after that controller's non-Backline units have lethal damage assigned. If several units share the same assignment priority, the assigning player chooses their order. If one unit has conflicting first and last requirements, the assigning player chooses one of those requirements for that unit.
Unit
Maddened Marauder
[Tank] (I must be assigned combat damage first.) When you play me, move a unit from a battlefield to its base.
Account for PreventReduce the next matching damage a unit would take by the stated amount. Only the amount actually prevented is used; any remainder lasts for the effect's stated duration.View in Glossary and other damage replacements while assigning, because they change how much must be assigned for the result to be lethal. Apply those replacements during assignment, not again when the assigned damage is dealt. A unit that cannot be dealt damage is skipped for mandatory assignment. A unit with all damage prevented is different: it can still be assigned damage, but no amount is lethal.
In practice
Example
Card example
Pyke, Returned
Your side has 7 MightMight represents both how much Combat Damage a unit can contribute and how much marked Damage it can normally take before being killed.View in Glossary . The opponent has a 4 Might TankA unit keyword that changes combat damage assignment. Assign lethal damage to that player's Tank units before assigning damage to their non-Tank units.View in Glossary and a 3 Might BacklineA unit keyword that changes combat damage assignment. Assign damage to that player's Backline units only after their non-Backline units have lethal damage assigned.View in Glossary unit, both undamaged. Assign 4 damage to the Tank first, then the remaining 3 to the Backline unit. After the defender assigns their damage, both sides deal all assigned Combat DamageCombat Damage is the Damage units deal as part of Combat.View in Glossary simultaneously.
Champion Unit
Pyke
Returned
[Hidden] (Hide now for [Rainbow] to react with later for [Energy 0].) [Backline] (I must be assigned combat damage last.) Once each turn, when an enemy unit dies while I'm at a battlefield, play a Gold gear token exhausted. (It has "[Reaction][>] Kill this, [Exhaust]: [Add] [Rainbow].")