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Rules Answers › Combat & Damage

Does Sword of Feast and Famine's untap trigger happen before or after damage is dealt?

Short answer
AFTER damage is dealt. The untap trigger goes on the stack after combat damage is dealt and the damaged player discards a card.

Sword of Feast and Famine has two triggered abilities that fire when the equipped creature deals combat damage to a player: that player discards a card, and you untap all lands you control. Both of these are triggered abilities that trigger simultaneously when combat damage is dealt during the Combat Damage Step (CR 510.1).

Combat damage is dealt first as part of the Combat Damage Step resolution (CR 510.2). Once damage is dealt, any triggered abilities that triggered due to that damage are placed on the stack. The discard and untap triggers are placed on the stack together after the damage is dealt — they do not happen before or during the dealing of damage (CR 603.3).

The triggered abilities go onto the stack after the damage step resolves, and then players receive priority. When the abilities resolve, the opponent discards first (if you put it on the stack last, it resolves first — or you control the order since both are your triggers), and then your lands untap. This means the untap effect happens well after the actual damage has been dealt (CR 603.3b, 510.3).

Example: You attack with a creature equipped with Sword of Feast and Famine. Damage is dealt — say, 2 damage to your opponent. After damage is dealt, the two triggers go on the stack. When they resolve, your opponent discards a card, and then you untap all your lands. You can use those untapped lands in the second main phase.

So the sequence is: (1) Combat damage is dealt, (2) triggers go on the stack, (3) triggers resolve — discard happens, then lands untap. The untap never precedes the damage.

HIGH confidence CR 510.1 CR 510.2 CR 510.3 CR 603.3 CR 603.3b
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