When a creature with lifelink deals damage, you gain that much life. Any damage counts, attacking or blocking, in combat or outside it. The life arrives with the damage, so nobody can respond to it, and prevented damage gains you nothing. Mana Grove, a free MTG deck builder for Commander, publishes this guide to the lifelink keyword and reads every card in it from its own card database.
This guide is part of our MTG keywords and mechanics glossary, the index of every mechanic guide on Mana Grove.
How lifelink actually works
Any damage counts, attacking or blocking
Rule 702.15b says "damage", not "combat damage", and it does not care who is attacking. Each attacking and each blocking creature deals combat damage equal to its power (120.2a), so a lifelink creature that blocks gains you life exactly as one that attacks does. Damage outside combat counts too: if your Vampire Nighthawk fights another creature through Prey Upon, the Nighthawk deals 2 damage and you gain 2 life.
The amount is the damage dealt, not the damage that was needed. A blocked creature with one blocker assigns all its combat damage to that blocker (510.1c), so a Wurmcoil Engine blocked by a 1/1 token deals 6 damage to the token and you gain 6 life, not 1.
Spells can have lifelink as well. Soulfire Grand Master reads "Instant and sorcery spells you control have lifelink", and rule 702.15d confirms that lifelink works "no matter what zone an object with lifelink deals damage from". With the Grand Master on the battlefield, your Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage and you gain 3 life. The spell has to be the source of the damage, though: a spell that makes another object deal damage, such as Prey Upon, gains nothing from having lifelink itself, because the creatures deal that damage.
It is not a trigger, and that matters at low life
Lifelink is a static ability (702.15a). The life gain is one of the results of the damage itself (120.3f) and happens in the same damage event (120.4), so nothing goes on the stack and no player gets a window between the damage and the life.
That timing can save a game. All combat damage in a step is dealt at the same time (510.2), and the game only checks for a player at 0 or less life the next time someone would receive priority (704.3, 704.5a). If you are at 3 life, an unblocked attacker deals 5 damage to you and your lifelink blocker deals 4 damage to another attacker in the same combat damage step, you lose 5 and gain 4 at once and finish at 2.
Spirit Link shows the difference. It reads "Whenever enchanted creature deals damage, you gain that much life", a triggered ability that uses the stack (603.3). In the same position you would be at -2 life when state-based actions are checked, and you would lose before the trigger could resolve.
One limit on the lifelink side: first strike and double strike create an earlier combat damage step (510.4). If an attacker with first strike deals lethal damage to you in that first step, a lifelink blocker without first strike has not dealt its damage yet, and you lose before it does.
Who gains the life
The controller of the source (702.15b). If you take control of an opponent's lifelink creature, you gain the life while you control it. Equipment such as Basilisk Collar gives the equipped creature lifelink, so that creature's controller gains the life. Spirit Link is again the exception that proves the wording matters: its trigger gives the life to the Aura's controller, whoever controls the creature, which is why it can be put on an opponent's creature to undo its damage to you.
The damage has to be dealt
No damage, no life. If the damage is prevented, it never happens (615.6). Protection works through prevention (702.16e), so a white lifelink creature that hits a creature with protection from white gains you nothing. And a source that would deal 0 damage does not deal damage at all (120.8), so a creature with 0 power never gains life from lifelink and never triggers "whenever you gain life" abilities (119.9).
The rule, line by line
Rule 702.15a
Lifelink is a static ability.
Rule 702.15b
Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source's controller, or its owner if it has no controller, to gain that much life (in addition to any other results that damage causes). See rule 120.3.
Rule 702.15c
If an object is no longer in the zone it's expected to be in as an effect causes it to deal damage, its last known information is used to determine whether it had lifelink.
Rule 702.15d
The lifelink rules function no matter what zone an object with lifelink deals damage from.
Rule 702.15e
If multiple sources with lifelink deal damage at the same time, they cause separate life gain events (see rules 119.9-10).
Rule 702.15f
Multiple instances of lifelink on the same object are redundant.
Five pieces of fine print follow from those six lines.
- "In addition to" means the damage still does everything else. The player still loses the life, the creature still has the damage marked on it, the planeswalker still loses loyalty counters (120.3a, 120.3c, 120.3e). Lifelink adds a result. It never replaces one.
- Separate sources are separate life gains (702.15e). The rules use Ajani's Pridemate as their own example: with two lifelink creatures dealing combat damage at the same time, "Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature" triggers twice.
- Two instances on one creature are redundant (702.15f). Putting Basilisk Collar on Vampire Nighthawk adds nothing on the lifelink side. A 2-power creature with lifelink twice still gains you 2.
- Last known information counts (702.15c). If an effect has a creature deal damage after it has left the battlefield, the game looks at the creature as it last existed there to decide whether it had lifelink.
- Infect changes what the damage does, not the lifelink. A source with infect gives a player poison counters instead of making them lose life (120.3b), and a source with lifelink still gains its controller that much life (120.3f).
Lifelink with other keywords
| Combination | What happens | Rule | Cards that have both or give both |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifelink and double strike | The creature deals combat damage in both combat damage steps, and you gain life each time | 702.4b, 702.15b | True Conviction |
| Lifelink and trample | All the damage counts, the part assigned to blockers and the part assigned to the player | 702.19b, 702.15b | Loxodon Warhammer, Shadowspear |
| Lifelink and deathtouch | They do not interact. Deathtouch destroys the creature that was damaged, lifelink counts the damage dealt | 702.2b, 702.15b | Vampire Nighthawk, Basilisk Collar, Wurmcoil Engine |
| Lifelink and first strike | You gain the life in the first combat damage step, before creatures without first strike deal theirs | 702.7b, 510.4 | Lyra Dawnbringer, Ocelot Pride |
| Lifelink against protection | The damage is prevented, so no life is gained | 702.16e, 615.6 | Any source with the quality the protection names |
| Lifelink against "can't gain life" | The damage is dealt and the life is not gained | 101.2, 119.7 | Erebos, God of the Dead, Rampaging Ferocidon |
Double strike is the one players underrate. It is two separate hits, not double damage (our first strike and double strike guide has the detail), so a 4-power creature with both keywords gains you 4 life twice in one combat, and each gain is its own event for cards that count them.
What lifelink does not do
- It does not trigger. It is a static ability (702.15a). There is nothing on the stack to counter or to respond to.
- It does not stack with itself. A second instance on the same object is redundant (702.15f).
- It does not reduce the damage. The life is "in addition to any other results" (702.15b). The opponent takes the full hit.
- It does not work on prevented damage. Prevented damage never happens (615.6).
- It does not work at 0 damage. A source that would deal 0 damage deals none (120.8).
- It does not give the life to anyone but the controller of the source (702.15b).
- It does not undo commander damage. A player dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander over the course of the game loses (903.10a). That rule counts damage dealt, and life gained afterwards does not lower the count.
The best lifelink cards in Commander
Our card database holds 362 Commander-legal cards with lifelink printed on them as a keyword (130 white, 120 multicolour, 102 black, nine colourless and one green), 355 of them creatures. Another 304 Commander-legal cards name lifelink in their rules text without having it as a keyword, because they grant it or create tokens that have it. These are fifteen of the lifelink cards Commander players run most, ordered by how often they appear in Commander decks, with the mana cost as printed.
| Card | Cost | What lifelink is doing for it |
|---|---|---|
| Mangara, the Diplomat | {3}{W} | A 2/4 that draws a card when an opponent attacks you with two or more creatures or casts a second spell in a turn, and pads your life total meanwhile |
| Danitha Capashen, Paragon | {2}{W} | First strike, vigilance and lifelink on a three-mana legendary creature that makes your Aura and Equipment spells cost {1} less |
| Enduring Innocence | {1}{W}{W} | Draws a card when small creatures enter under your control, and comes back as an enchantment when it dies |
| Serra Ascendant | {W} | Gets +5/+5 and flying while you have 30 or more life. Commander starts you at 40 (119.1c), so it is a 6/6 flying lifelink creature for one mana |
| Wurmcoil Engine | {6} | A 6/6 with deathtouch and lifelink that leaves two 3/3 tokens behind when it dies, one with each keyword |
| K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth | {4}{B/P}{B/P}{B/P} | Lets you pay 2 life for each {B} in a cost, and lifelink pays some of that life back |
| Ocelot Pride | {W} | First strike and lifelink for one mana, and a Cat token at your end step if you gained life that turn |
| Archon of Sun's Grace | {2}{W}{W} | A flying lifelink body that makes a Pegasus token whenever an enchantment enters under your control, and gives your Pegasi lifelink |
| Elenda, the Dusk Rose | {2}{W}{B} | Grows whenever another creature dies, and leaves 1/1 lifelink Vampire tokens equal to her power when she dies |
| Sephara, Sky's Blade | {4}{W}{W}{W} | A 7/7 flying lifelink Angel that gives your other flying creatures indestructible |
| Archangel of Thune | {3}{W}{W} | Whenever you gain life, each creature you control gets a +1/+1 counter. Her own lifelink starts the loop |
| Rhox Faithmender | {3}{W} | If you would gain life, you gain twice that much instead, lifelink included |
| Felidar Sovereign | {4}{W}{W} | Wins the game at the beginning of your upkeep if you have 40 or more life, which is where Commander starts you |
| Vampire Nighthawk | {1}{B}{B} | Flying, deathtouch and lifelink on a 2/3 for three mana: the card most players learn the keyword from |
| Lyra Dawnbringer | {3}{W}{W} | Flying, first strike and lifelink on a 5/5, and your other Angels get +1/+1 and lifelink |
In Commander, lifelink is rarely the reason a card is played. It is the engine under a payoff: Archangel of Thune and Ajani's Pridemate grow when you gain life, Heliod, Sun-Crowned puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature or enchantment, Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose and Sanguine Bond make an opponent lose that much life, and Aetherflux Reservoir turns a high life total into 50 damage. Because separate lifelink sources are separate life gain events (702.15e), a wide board of small lifelink creatures feeds those payoffs better than one large one.
The cards that grant lifelink
Ordered the same way, with the cost as printed.
| Card | Cost | What it grants |
|---|---|---|
| Akroma's Will | {3}{W} | One mode gives your creatures lifelink, indestructible and protection from each colour until end of turn. With a commander you may choose both modes |
| Basilisk Collar | {1} | Equipped creature has deathtouch and lifelink, for an equip cost of {2} |
| Shadowspear | {1} | Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has trample and lifelink |
| Vault of the Archangel | Land | {2}{W}{B} and tap: creatures you control gain deathtouch and lifelink until end of turn |
| Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose | {2}{B} | {3}{B}{B}: creatures you control gain lifelink until end of turn, and Vito turns every point into life lost by an opponent |
| Whip of Erebos | {2}{B}{B} | Creatures you control have lifelink, permanently |
| Loxodon Warhammer | {3} | Equipped creature gets +3/+0 and has trample and lifelink |
| Heliod, Sun-Crowned | {2}{W} | {1}{W}: another target creature gains lifelink until end of turn |
| Witch's Clinic | Land | {2} and tap: target commander gains lifelink until end of turn |
| The Wind Crystal | {2}{W}{W} | Doubles the life you gain, and can give your creatures flying and lifelink until end of turn |
| Teysa Karlov | {2}{W}{B} | Creature tokens you control have vigilance and lifelink |
| True Conviction | {3}{W}{W}{W} | Creatures you control have double strike and lifelink |
What switches lifelink off
Lifelink has five real enemies: four single cards and damage prevention.
| Card or effect | Cost | What it does to lifelink | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erebos, God of the Dead | {3}{B} | "Your opponents can't gain life." The damage is dealt and no life is gained | 101.2, 119.7 |
| Rampaging Ferocidon | {2}{R} | "Players can't gain life." The same, for every player | 101.2, 119.7 |
| Sulfuric Vortex | {1}{R}{R} | "If a player would gain life, that player gains no life instead." A replacement effect with the same result | 614.1a |
| Tainted Remedy | {2}{B} | "If an opponent would gain life, that player loses that much life instead." Lifelink now costs its controller life | 614.1a |
| Damage prevention | varies | Prevented damage is never dealt, so there is nothing for lifelink to count | 615.6 |
Tainted Remedy is the one to read twice. With it on the battlefield, an opponent's 5-power lifelink attacker that connects makes its own controller lose 5 life.
Frequently asked questions
What does lifelink do in MTG?
Damage dealt by a source with lifelink also causes that source's controller to gain that much life (rule 702.15b). It applies to any damage the source deals, to players, creatures, planeswalkers and battles, in combat or outside it.
Do I gain life when blocking with lifelink?
Yes. A blocking creature deals combat damage equal to its power just as an attacker does (120.2a), and rule 702.15b counts all damage the source deals. A lifelink blocker that deals 3 damage to the attacker gains you 3 life.
Does lifelink work if my creature dies?
Yes, as long as it dealt damage. Combat damage in a step is dealt at the same time (510.2), so a lifelink creature that deals its damage and takes lethal damage in the same step still gains you the life. If it is destroyed before it deals damage, for example by a first strike creature in the earlier combat damage step (510.4), it deals nothing and you gain nothing.
Does lifelink stack?
Not on one creature: multiple instances of lifelink on the same object are redundant (702.15f). Two different lifelink creatures each gain you life, as separate life gain events (702.15e). Spirit Link does add to lifelink, because it is a separate triggered ability, not a second instance of the keyword.
Do you still gain life if the damage is prevented?
No. If damage that would be dealt is prevented, it never happens (615.6), so there is no damage for lifelink to count. That includes damage prevented by protection (702.16e).
Does lifelink work with noncombat damage?
Yes. Rule 702.15b says "damage", and rule 702.15d adds that lifelink works from any zone. A lifelink creature that fights, or a spell that has lifelink through Soulfire Grand Master, gains its controller life equal to the damage it deals.
Does lifelink work with double strike?
Yes, twice. A creature with double strike deals combat damage in both combat damage steps (702.4b), and you gain life equal to the damage dealt each time.
Is lifelink a triggered ability?
No. Lifelink is a static ability (702.15a), and the life gain is a result of the damage itself (120.3f). It does not use the stack, so it cannot be responded to, and it can keep you alive when lethal damage and lifelink damage are dealt at the same time.
Does lifelink count damage beyond a creature's toughness?
Yes. Lifelink counts the damage dealt, and a blocked creature with one blocker assigns all its combat damage to that blocker (510.1c). A 6/6 lifelink creature blocked by a 1/1 deals 6 damage and gains you 6 life.
Does lifelink work on damage dealt to planeswalkers?
Yes. Damage dealt to a planeswalker removes that many loyalty counters (120.3c), and a source with lifelink also gains its controller that much life (120.3f).
Who gains the life if I control my opponent's lifelink creature?
You do. The life goes to the controller of the source (702.15b), not to its owner.
Does lifelink cancel commander damage?
No. A player who has been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander over the course of the game loses (903.10a). Gaining life does not reduce the commander damage already dealt.
Can lifelink save me from lethal damage?
It can, when the lifelink damage is dealt at the same time as the lethal damage. Combat damage is dealt simultaneously (510.2) and the 0-life check comes afterwards (704.3, 704.5a), so the loss and the gain are counted together. It cannot save you from damage dealt in an earlier first-strike step (510.4).
Does each lifelink creature trigger "whenever you gain life" separately?
Yes. Multiple sources with lifelink dealing damage at the same time cause separate life gain events (702.15e), so an ability such as the one on Ajani's Pridemate triggers once for each of them.
Build it into your own deck
Open your list in the deck builder and count two things: the cards that gain you life, and the cards that pay you for gaining it. A lifelink deck with payoffs and no steady sources stalls, and one with sources and no payoffs just dies more slowly. Grover can take a brief such as "add lifelink sources that also work as blockers" and suggest swaps in plain language, and the Suggestions tab, powered by Tutor, scores each one against the rest of your list. New to the format? Start with the deck builder basics and how many lands your deck needs.
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, browse the card database for the printed text of every card named above, and visit the Commander hub for more guides.
Sources
- Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules, effective September 25, 2026: https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules. Read on November 9, 2026. Rule 702.15 (Lifelink) including 702.15a to 702.15f, rule 101.2 (a "can't" effect takes precedence), rules 119.1c, 119.7 and 119.9 (life), rules 120.2a, 120.3, 120.4 and 120.8 (damage and its results), rules 510.1c, 510.2 and 510.4 (the combat damage step), rule 603.3 (triggered abilities and the stack), rule 614.1a (replacement effects), rule 615.6 (prevented damage), rules 702.2b (Deathtouch), 702.4b (Double strike), 702.7b (First strike), 702.16e (Protection) and 702.19b (Trample), rules 704.3 and 704.5a (state-based actions) and rule 903.10a (commander damage) are quoted or paraphrased above.
- Mana Grove card database, MTGJSON build of November 5, 2026: the lifelink keyword, the Commander legality, the mana cost, the rules text and the official rulings of every card named above, the count of 362 Commander-legal cards with lifelink printed on them (355 creatures; each card name counted once and a double-faced card by its front face), the split by colour, and the count of 304 Commander-legal cards that name lifelink in their rules text without having the keyword. Commander play frequency is the deck-inclusion popularity rank carried in the same data.
This article is updated when the Comprehensive Rules change the lifelink entry or when a set adds a lifelink card worth listing. The date at the top is the last revision.
