First strike and double strike both change when a creature deals its combat damage, and the difference between them is one extra hit. A creature with first strike deals its combat damage in a first combat damage step, before creatures without it; the reminder text on Lyra Dawnbringer reads "This creature deals combat damage before creatures without first strike." A creature with double strike deals combat damage in that first step and again in the regular one; the reminder text on Drogskol Reaver reads "This creature deals both first-strike and regular combat damage." Both are static abilities that modify the combat damage step (702.7a, 702.4a), so everything about them, from why a first striker beats a bigger blocker to why double strike is not "double damage", comes down to how that step is split in two.
This guide is part of our MTG keywords and mechanics glossary, the index of every mechanic guide on Mana Grove.
Below: the two combat damage steps, what each keyword does, a side-by-side comparison, the interactions with deathtouch, trample, lifelink, attack triggers and mid-combat keyword changes, then the cards Commander players run, read from our card database.
The two combat damage steps
Normally there is one combat damage step. Every attacking and blocking creature assigns damage equal to its power (510.1a), then "all combat damage that's been assigned is dealt simultaneously" (510.2). A 3/3 blocked by a 3/3 kills it and dies in the same instant. First strike and double strike change the count:
Rule 510.4
If at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike (see rule 702.7) or double strike (see rule 702.4) as the combat damage step begins, the only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are those with first strike or double strike. After that step, instead of proceeding to the end of combat step, the phase gets a second combat damage step. The only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are the remaining attackers and blockers that had neither first strike nor double strike as the first combat damage step began, as well as the remaining attackers and blockers that currently have double strike. After that step, the phase proceeds to the end of combat step.
Three details do all the work. The split happens only if a creature has one of the keywords "as the combat damage step begins". At the end of the first step the active player gets priority (510.3), and whenever a player would get priority the game performs state-based actions first (704.3), so a creature dealt lethal damage in the first step is destroyed before the second step and never deals its damage. And the second step is for "remaining" creatures: anything that died or left combat is out of it.
What first strike does in MTG
First strike is a one-hit keyword. The creature deals its normal damage once, but a step early, and the rules spell out what happens if the keyword comes or goes mid-combat:
Rule 702.7c
Giving first strike to a creature without it after combat damage has already been dealt in the first combat damage step won't preclude that creature from assigning combat damage in the second combat damage step. Removing first strike from a creature after it has already dealt combat damage in the first combat damage step won't allow it to also assign combat damage in the second combat damage step (unless the creature has double strike).
The value is in blocks. Glissa Sunslayer, a 3/3 with first strike and deathtouch, blocked by a 5/5 without first strike kills it in the first step and takes nothing back, because the 5/5 is destroyed before the step in which it would have dealt damage. Against an unblocked attacker first strike changes only the timing, and timing can matter: Drana, Liberator of Malakir puts a +1/+1 counter on each attacking creature you control when she deals combat damage to a player, and because she has first strike that trigger resolves before your other attackers deal their regular damage, so every one of them hits for one more. Multiple instances of first strike are redundant (702.7d).
What double strike does in MTG
Double strike is two separate damage events, not one doubled event. The creature deals combat damage in the first step with the first strikers, then again in the second step with everyone else (702.4b), and the rules cover the mid-combat cases:
Rule 702.4c
Removing double strike from a creature during the first combat damage step will stop it from assigning combat damage in the second combat damage step.
Rule 702.4d
Giving double strike to a creature with first strike after it has already dealt combat damage in the first combat damage step will allow the creature to assign combat damage in the second combat damage step.
"Two events" is the sentence to remember. An unblocked 4/4 with double strike deals 4, then 4, for 8. A "whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player" ability triggers twice, so Gimli of the Glittering Caves makes two Treasures and Warren Instigator puts two Goblins onto the battlefield. Each hit from a commander counts separately toward the 21 combat damage that ends a game (903.10a). A "prevent the next time this source would deal damage" shield eats only the first hit (615.8). And when a double striker kills its only blocker in the first step, it has no blocker left in the second: a blocked creature with no creatures blocking it "assigns no combat damage" (510.1c) unless it has trample. Multiple instances are redundant (702.4e), and a creature with both keywords gains nothing from the first strike; four Commander-legal cards in our data carry both.
First strike vs double strike
| First strike | Double strike | |
|---|---|---|
| Deals combat damage in | The first combat damage step only | Both combat damage steps |
| Unblocked 4-power attacker | 4 damage, a step early | 8 damage in two hits |
| A 3/3 blocked by a 3/3 without either keyword | Kills it and takes nothing | Kills it and takes nothing; the second hit needs trample to reach the player |
| "Whenever this creature attacks" triggers | Once (508.3a) | Once: it still attacks only once |
| "Deals combat damage" triggers | Once, before regular damage | Twice |
| Commander damage per combat | Power, once | Power twice, both hits counted toward 21 (903.10a) |
| With lifelink | Life gained once | Life gained twice |
| Gained after first-step damage was dealt | Nothing changes (702.7c) | A first striker gets a second hit (702.4d) |
The interactions that actually matter
With deathtouch
Deathtouch destroys a creature dealt any damage by the deathtouch source as a state-based action (702.2b), and state-based actions run between the two damage steps (704.3). A first striker with deathtouch such as Glissa Sunslayer therefore kills whatever blocks it, or whatever it blocks, before that creature deals a single point of damage, whatever its size. Double strike adds nothing against that blocker: it is gone before the second step, and without trample the second hit has nowhere to go.
With trample
Trample lets an attacker assign lethal damage to its blockers and the rest to the player (702.19b), and with deathtouch 1 damage is lethal (702.2c). Double strike and trample together, on Embercleave or Zetalpa, Primal Dawn, are the strongest pairing in this article. In the first step the attacker assigns lethal damage to the blocker and the rest to the player. In the second step the blocker is dead, and rule 702.19d says a blocked trampler with no creatures blocking it assigns its damage "as though all blocking creatures have been assigned lethal damage": all of it goes to the player. A 6/6 with double strike and trample blocked by a 3/3 deals 3 to the blocker and 3 to the player, then 6 more to the player, nine in total.
With lifelink
Lifelink makes "damage dealt by a source with lifelink" cause its controller to gain that much life (702.15b), and it applies to each damage event. A double striker with lifelink gains life twice per combat, which is why True Conviction grants both together, and why Drogskol Reaver, which draws a card whenever you gain life, draws two cards for one attack.
With attack triggers and combat damage triggers
Double strike adds a second combat damage step, not a second attack. A creature is declared as an attacker once, in the declare attackers step (508.1a), and an ability that reads "Whenever [this creature] attacks" triggers when that creature is declared as an attacker (508.3a). So an attack trigger happens once per combat, with or without either keyword. Combat damage triggers are different. Each combat damage step deals its damage as its own event (510.2), and an ability triggers once each time its trigger event occurs (603.2c), so a double striker that connects in both steps triggers "whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player" twice. With first strike alone, the trigger goes on the stack in the first combat damage step, right after that step's damage is dealt (510.3a), and resolves before any regular damage is dealt, which is how Drana's counters land before the rest of your team hits.
Gaining a strike keyword mid-combat
The window is before the combat damage step begins, which in practice means the declare blockers step, once you know what blocked. Granting first strike then splits the step and your creature hits first; granting it after the first step has happened does nothing in that combat (702.7c), and if no creature had either keyword as the step began there is only one step. Double strike is more forgiving: given to a creature that already dealt first-strike damage, it buys a second hit (702.4d). Boros Charm and Temur Battle Rage grant double strike at instant speed, and Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep grants first strike to a legendary creature for {R}.
When both creatures have it
Two first strikers deal damage to each other simultaneously in the first step (510.2), exactly as two ordinary creatures would in the regular step. A first striker blocked by a double striker trades blows in the first step; only the double striker returns for the second, and only if it survived the first.
First strike cards in Commander
Our card database holds 373 Commander-legal cards with the first strike keyword: 135 white, 111 red, 82 multicolour, 22 black, 14 colourless, 6 green and 3 blue. Around 390 more Commander-legal cards grant it to something else. These are the ones Commander players run most, ordered by how often they appear in Commander decks.
| Card | Cost | What first strike is doing for it |
|---|---|---|
| Knight of the White Orchid | {W}{W} | A two-drop that fetches a Plains and blocks anything with 2 toughness for free |
| Danitha Capashen, Paragon | {2}{W} | First strike, vigilance and lifelink on the body your Auras and Equipment want |
| Combustible Gearhulk | {4}{R}{R} | A 6/6 that wins almost every fight, on top of its draw-or-damage arrival |
| Ocelot Pride | {W} | A one-drop with first strike and lifelink that survives combat and gains life to make Cats |
| Gisela, Blade of Goldnight | {4}{R}{W}{W} | Doubles damage to opponents, halves damage to you, and hits first |
| Glissa Sunslayer | {1}{B}{G} | First strike and deathtouch: kills any blocker or attacker before it hits back |
| Drana, Liberator of Malakir | {1}{B}{B} | Her first-strike hit grows your other attackers before they deal damage |
| Lyra Dawnbringer | {3}{W}{W} | A 5/5 flying first striker with lifelink that pumps your other Angels |
Then the cards that hand it out. Ethereal Armor gives first strike and +1/+1 per enchantment for {W}, Akroma's Memorial gives it to your whole team along with five other keywords, Odric, Lunarch Marshal shares it with every creature you control at the beginning of combat if one of them has it, and Stromkirk Captain gives it to your other Vampires.
Double strike cards in Commander
The keyword is rarer: 118 Commander-legal cards carry it, 44 white, 38 red, 31 multicolour, 4 colourless and a single black card, and around 175 more grant it. The most-played holders:
| Card | Cost | What double strike is doing for it |
|---|---|---|
| Lizard Blades | {1}{R} | A double striker that reconfigures into an Equipment giving double strike |
| Zetalpa, Primal Dawn | {6}{W}{W} | Flying, double strike, vigilance, trample and indestructible on a 4/8: eight damage a swing |
| Knuckles the Echidna | {2}{R}{R} | Double strike, trample and haste, and a Treasure whenever your creatures connect |
| Fury | {3}{R}{R} | Four damage divided on arrival, then a 3/3 double striker if you paid the mana |
| God-Eternal Oketra | {3}{W}{W} | A 3/6 double striker that makes a 4/4 for every creature spell you cast |
| Angel of Destiny | {3}{W}{W} | Two hits, two life-gain triggers, and an alternate win at 15 life above your start |
| Gimli of the Glittering Caves | {2}{R} | Two Treasures per connection, growing with every legendary creature |
| Drogskol Reaver | {5}{W}{U} | Flying, double strike and lifelink: two life-gain events, two cards |
The granters are where double strike wins games. Boros Charm and Temur Battle Rage do it at instant speed, Fireshrieker and Embercleave equip it, Duelist's Heritage gives it to one attacker every combat, yours or anyone else's, and True Conviction and Akroma's Will give it to the whole team, while Berserkers' Onslaught gives it to your attackers.
Want the full lists rather than the top of them? Ask Scry for creatures that deal combat damage twice, and it searches on what the card does rather than on the keyword, so the Equipment and the instants come back alongside the creatures.
Using first strike and double strike in a deck
- Double strike is a damage multiplier, so put it where the power is. In an Equipment deck, Embercleave, Fireshrieker or Lizard Blades on a commander doubles both the damage and the commander damage count: a 7-power commander with double strike deals 14 toward 21 in one combat. Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas and Bayek of Siwa are built around it.
- First strike is a combat-math keyword. It wins every fight against equal power and lets a small creature block a big one. Pair it with deathtouch, as Glissa does, and the creature kills anything it touches for free. Add menace, as Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh already does, and the double blocks needed to stop it get expensive.
- Combat-damage triggers want two hits. Gimli, Warren Instigator and Drana are the pattern: a "whenever this deals combat damage" ability is twice as good on a double striker, and first strike alone still orders the trigger before the regular damage. Team-wide granting such as Akroma's Will or True Conviction turns twenty tokens into forty hits. Browse the Commander hub for each commander's page.
Frequently asked questions
Is double strike the same as first strike twice?
No. Double strike deals combat damage in both combat damage steps (702.4b). A creature with double strike behaves like a first striker in the first step and like an ordinary creature in the second, so it gets the early hit and the regular hit.
Does double strike deal double damage?
It deals its power twice, in two separate events, which is not the same as one hit for double the amount. Triggers happen twice, lifelink applies twice, and a one-time damage-prevention shield stops only the first hit.
Does double strike make "whenever this creature attacks" trigger twice?
No. The creature is declared as an attacker once, so an attack trigger happens once (508.3a). Abilities tied to the damage itself can trigger twice, once for each combat damage step in which the creature deals damage: a "whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player" ability, and also a "whenever you gain life" ability fed by lifelink (603.2c, 702.15b).
Does first strike work when blocking?
Yes. Rule 510.4 covers "at least one attacking or blocking creature", so a first-striking blocker deals its damage before the attacker it blocks, and if that damage is lethal the attacker never hits.
If I give my creature first strike after blockers are declared, is it in time?
Yes, as long as the combat damage step has not begun. Cast the spell during the declare blockers step. Once the first combat damage step has happened, first strike does nothing in that combat (702.7c).
Does a double striker with lifelink gain life twice?
Yes. Each damage event is a separate life gain (702.15b), so a 4/4 with double strike and lifelink gains you 8 life if both hits land.
Build a deck that hits first, or twice
Open a list in the deck builder and look at your creatures' power next to their keywords: every first striker is a blocker that trades up, and every double striker is a threat worth twice its printed power. Grover can take a brief such as "make my Equipment deck close games faster" and propose swaps in plain language, and the Suggestions tab, powered by Tutor, scores them against the rest of your list. Try the deck builder without an account, or browse public decks built around the commanders above.
Create a free Mana Grove account to build with the full deck builder and format legality checks, see plans and pricing for more time with Grover, Scry and Tutor, and read the rest of the MTG keywords and mechanics glossary, including indestructible, the keyword printed next to double strike on Zetalpa, and menace.
Sources
- Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules, effective September 25, 2026: https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules. Read on October 13, 2026. Rules 508.1a and 508.3a (declaring attackers and attack triggers), rule 603.2c (an ability triggers once each time its trigger event occurs), rule 510 (Combat Damage Step) including 510.1a, 510.1c, 510.2, 510.3, 510.3a and 510.4, rule 702.7 (First Strike) including 702.7a, 702.7c and 702.7d, rule 702.4 (Double Strike) including 702.4a through 702.4e, rule 704.3 (state-based actions), rules 702.2b and 702.2c (Deathtouch), rules 702.19b and 702.19d (Trample), rule 702.15b (Lifelink), rule 615.8 (prevention effects) and rule 903.10a (commander damage) are quoted above.
- Mana Grove card database, MTGJSON build of September 14, 2026: the first strike and double strike keywords, the Commander legality, the mana cost and the rules text of every card named above, the counts of 373 Commander-legal cards with first strike and 118 with double strike and their colour splits, each card name counted once and a double-faced card by its front face, and the counts of around 390 and around 175 Commander-legal cards whose rules text grants each keyword. The count of four Commander-legal cards that carry both keywords comes from the same build. Commander play frequency is the deck-inclusion popularity rank carried in the same data.
This article is updated when the Comprehensive Rules change the first strike or double strike entries or when a set adds a card worth listing. The date at the top is the last revision.