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@Celestalon @AlecoGereco @MyntyPhresh Rules-lawyery card question regarding Cataclysm. Cataclysm reads, "Destroy all minions. Discard your hand." Why do Deathrattles not trigger during the Destroy phase?

@Celestalon @AlecoGereco @MyntyPhresh Rules-lawyery card question regarding Cataclysm. Cataclysm reads, "Destroy all minions. Discard your hand." Why do Deathrattles not trigger during the Destroy phase?

  • sbergs1
    Posted 3 years ago (Source)
    @Celestalon @AlecoGereco @MyntyPhresh Rules-lawyery card question regarding Cataclysm. Cataclysm reads, "Destroy all minions. Discard your hand." Why do Deathrattles not trigger during the Destroy phase?

    • sbergs1
      Posted 3 years ago (Source)
      My understanding is - based on the unofficial advanced rulebook - most cards do not trigger a Death Phase until the Spell Text Phase has resolved. However some cards have an exception coded in. For example, Defile triggers DRs as it resolves each step.

      • sbergs1
        Posted 3 years ago (Source)
        The closest analogue card to Cataclysm is Poison Seeds - which destroys all minions, resolves a death phase, and then spawns 2/2 Treants. If you Poison Seeds a Mechathun, Mechathun's DR triggers _before_ treants are spawned, winning the game.

        • sbergs1
          Posted 3 years ago (Source)
          However, if you Cataclysm while your opponent has DRs on the board, those DRs do not trigger until the second part of Cataclysm's text resolves. This means you are unable to soak damage from Soul Barrage / Fist of Jaraxxus using a DR which spawns a minion on board.

          • sbergs1
            Posted 3 years ago (Source)
            This inconsistency, while niche, drastically reduces the ability to counterplay against Discard Warlock, because they can unconditionally clear your board and send all their Soul Barrage/Fist damage to face, even if you place a sticky minion in their way. Thanks for reading.

            • Chadd Nervigg
              Posted 3 years ago (Source)
              @sbergs1 Great question. Your description in your 2nd tweet is accurate. These exceptions ("check deaths", we call them internally) are added specifically when the primary use of the spell would need those deaths to be processed for the following actions to take place.

              • Chadd Nervigg
                Posted 3 years ago (Source)
                @sbergs1 For example, Poison Seeds needs the deaths to be processed, to make room on the board for the Treants to be summoned. Defile is explicitly intended to keep dealing damage to the minions that might be summoned off Deathrattles. Corpse Explosion similarly too.

                • Chadd Nervigg
                  Posted 3 years ago (Source)
                  @sbergs1 There's always potential that some interaction with another card's effect could cause it to be desirable for there to be "check deaths" in the the middle, but we only insert them when the second half of the card itself needs it, not any potential interactions.
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