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Rules AnswersState-Based Actions

Does Night of Souls' Betrayal kill token creatures with 0 toughness immediately as a state-based action?

Short answer
Yes. Night of Souls' Betrayal gives all creatures -1/-1, reducing 0-toughness tokens to 0/−1, and state-based actions destroy any creature with toughness 0 or less.

Night of Souls' Betrayal gives all creatures −1/−1 as a continuous effect. Any token creature that already has 0 toughness (or any creature whose toughness is reduced to 0 or less) is immediately subject to state-based actions.

State-based actions are checked continuously by the game (specifically before each player would receive priority). CR 704.5f states: 'If a creature has toughness 0 or less, it's put into its owner's graveyard.' This happens without any player needing to take an action or play a spell.

Tokens are no exception to this rule — they follow all the same rules as regular permanents while on the battlefield (CR 111.1). When a token is put into a graveyard this way, it ceases to exist as a subsequent state-based action check (CR 704.5d), but it still 'dies' in the normal sense, triggering 'dies' abilities if any apply.

Concrete example: You control a 1/1 Saproling token and your opponent resolves Night of Souls' Betrayal. The Saproling becomes a 0/0. Before any player receives priority, state-based actions fire — the 0/0 Saproling token is put into the graveyard and then ceases to exist. No spells or abilities needed.

Relevant rules: CR 704.3 (SBAs checked before each player gets priority), CR 704.5f (creature with toughness ≤ 0 dies), CR 111.1 (tokens follow permanent rules).

HIGH confidence CR 704.3 CR 704.5f CR 111.1
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Unofficial fan resource — not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast. Answers are AI-generated estimates grounded in the Comprehensive Rules and are not a substitute for an official judge. Verify anything match-critical.