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Rules AnswersCombat & Damage

Can a creature with reach block a creature with flying and trample?

Short answer
Yes. Reach allows a creature to block creatures with flying, and trample is irrelevant to block legality.

A creature with reach is explicitly able to block creatures with flying. CR 702.17a states that flying can only be blocked by creatures with flying or reach. So reach satisfies that requirement completely.

Trample (CR 702.19) is a combat damage assignment ability that only matters after blockers are declared. It has no effect on whether a creature can or cannot be blocked. A creature with trample can still be blocked normally — trample just means excess damage can be assigned to the defending player if the creature is blocked.

There is no rule interaction between flying and trample, or between reach and trample, that changes any of this. The two keywords are entirely independent of each other when it comes to blocking eligibility.

Example: Your opponent attacks with a 4/4 Dragon that has both flying and trample. You control a 2/4 Spider with reach. You may legally declare the Spider as a blocker. The Dragon's trample means that if you block with the Spider, the Dragon's controller can assign 2 damage to the Spider (lethal) and 2 damage to you — but the block itself is perfectly legal because of reach.

HIGH confidence CR 702.17a CR 702.19 CR 509.1b
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