Lifelink — what does it mean?
Whenever this deals damage, you gain that much life.
Lifelink appears on 389 cards.
How does Lifelink work?
Lifelink is a static ability, not a trigger. When a source with lifelink deals damage, you gain that much life at the same moment the damage is dealt. Nothing goes on the stack, so nobody can respond between the damage and the life gain. It works for any damage: combat damage, but also damage from a spell or ability that has lifelink.
Because it happens simultaneously, lifelink can save you in the same combat. If you're at 3 and take 4 combat damage while your lifelink blocker deals 2, you end up at 1. Only after that does the game check whether anyone's at 0. What counts is damage actually dealt. If the damage is prevented, you gain nothing. If your creature deals more damage than the blocker's toughness, you still gain all of it.
Two instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant: you don't gain double. If two different sources with lifelink deal damage at the same time, those are separate life gain events, which matters for effects that trigger whenever you gain life. With double strike, a creature deals damage twice, so you gain life twice.
An example at the table
Your opponent attacks with a 4/4 and a 1/1. You're at 3. You block the 4/4 with a 2/2 with lifelink and let the 1/1 through. All combat damage happens at once: you take 1 from the 1/1, your 2/2 deals 2 to the 4/4, and you gain 2 life. You end at 4 and your 2/2 dies. If an unblocked 5/5 had come through instead of the 1/1, you'd be at 3 − 5 + 2 = 0 and still lose.
Cards with Lifelink
Mangara, the DiplomatIllustration: Howard Lyon
Enduring InnocenceIllustration: Liiga Smilshkalne
Danitha Capashen, ParagonIllustration: Chris Rallis
Serra AscendantIllustration: Howard Lyon
Wurmcoil EngineIllustration: Raymond SwanlandCommon mistakes
- Thinking lifelink is a trigger you can respond to. The life comes in at the same time as the damage.
- Thinking you only gain life up to the blocker's toughness. A 6/6 with lifelink that's blocked by a 1/1 deals 6 damage, and you gain 6.
- Thinking lifelink only works in combat. Damage from a spell or ability with lifelink gains you life too.
- Thinking two instances of lifelink on one creature give double life. They're redundant; only separate sources count separately.
Frequently asked questions
- Does lifelink work with double strike?
- Yes. The creature deals damage in two separate combat damage steps and you gain life both times.
- Do I gain life if the damage is prevented?
- No. Lifelink looks at damage that's actually dealt. Prevented damage gains you nothing.
- Does lifelink work with deathtouch?
- Yes, both apply. Every bit of damage the creature deals gains you life, and any creature it damages is destroyed.
- Can lifelink save me if I take lethal damage at the same time?
- Yes, as long as the life you gain keeps you above 0. Combat damage and lifelink happen simultaneously, and the game checks your life total afterward.
Official rule: Comprehensive Rules 702.15. More on where this rulebook comes from under Sources.
Often seen with
FlyingVigilanceDeathtouchFirst strikeTransform
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Last updated: 26 October 2026