It’s a common scenario in Magic: The Gathering (MTG). You’re enjoying a game with friends, perhaps brewing a fun bird-themed Commander deck like your friend with Soraya the Falconer, when suddenly, the word “banding” pops up. If you’re like many players, especially those newer to the game or unfamiliar with older mechanics, confusion might immediately set in. Banding, an older keyword ability in MTG, has a reputation for being complex and unintuitive. So, why is banding so confusing, and how does it actually work? Let’s break it down in a straightforward way.
What Exactly is Banding in MTG?
At its core, banding is an ability that modifies how creatures attack and block in combat. Introduced in the early days of Magic, it was intended to allow groups of weaker creatures to stand against larger threats. The official rules text for banding is dense, but the important part is that it creates a “band” of creatures that attack or block together.
The key rule to remember is this: Creatures with banding (and one non-banding creature in the band) can form a band when attacking or blocking, and this band changes how damage is assigned in combat.
This is where most of the confusion stems from, as it deviates from the standard combat rules that most MTG players are familiar with.
Banding While Attacking: Strength in Numbers?
When you declare attackers, you can choose to form a band of creatures if you control a creature with banding. Here’s how attacking with banding works:
- Forming a Band: You can attack with a band of creatures. This band must include at least one creature with banding, and can include up to one creature without banding. All creatures in the band attack together as a unit.
- Damage Assignment (Defender’s Choice): The crucial difference is in damage assignment. Normally, the attacking player assigns combat damage for their creatures. However, when attacking with a band, the defending player chooses how combat damage is assigned by the attacking band.
This means if you attack with a band of several smaller creatures, your opponent, the defender, gets to decide how your band deals damage to their blockers. This often weakens the offensive potential of banding. Instead of spreading damage, your opponent will likely focus damage to eliminate one blocker at a time, minimizing the impact of your banded attackers.
For example, if you attack with a band of four 2/2 creatures, and your opponent blocks with a 4/4, they can assign all 4 damage from their 4/4 to just one of your 2/2s, destroying it, and take no damage themselves if they wish. This is often the opposite of what players intuitively expect, which adds to the confusion. Banding while attacking is generally considered weaker than it initially appears.
Banding While Blocking: Defensive Coordination
Banding becomes more strategically interesting when blocking. Here’s how it works defensively:
- Forming a Band (Blockers): If you are blocking, and you control a creature with banding, you can band together creatures to block a single attacking creature. Similar to attacking, a blocking band must include at least one creature with banding and can include one non-banding creature.
- Damage Assignment (Bander’s Choice): When blocking with a band, you, the defending player, choose how combat damage is assigned by the attacking creature to your blocking band.
This is where banding’s defensive strength lies. You gain control over damage assignment to your blockers. Consider this scenario:
Your opponent attacks with a 7/7 creature with Trample. You block with a band consisting of a 0/5 and a 0/3 creature, one of which has banding.
Normally, against a 7/7 trample, both your creatures would likely be destroyed, and you would still take trample damage. However, with banding, you assign damage. You can choose to assign lethal damage (or even just enough damage to destroy one) to your weaker 0/3 creature, and assign the rest of the damage to the 0/5. Crucially, you can prevent the 7/7 from dealing damage to both blockers and potentially mitigate trample damage by strategically allocating damage within your band.
Furthermore, banding can be effective against creatures with Deathtouch. If you block a 1/1 deathtouch creature with a band, you can ensure that the deathtouch damage is assigned to the least valuable creature in your band, protecting your more important creatures.
Addressing Common Questions and Misconceptions
- Rampage: Yes, a creature with Rampage blocked by a band still gets its Rampage bonus for each creature blocking it. The number of creatures in the band doesn’t change how Rampage triggers.
- Blocking Multiple Attackers: Banding does not allow you to block multiple attackers with a single band. One band blocks one attacker.
- Keywords like Flying, Shadow, Fear: These keywords are still relevant. If an attacker has Flying and you block with a band, at least one creature in your band must be able to block a Flying creature (unless another ability overrides this). The banding mechanic itself doesn’t bypass evasion abilities.
- Damage Prevention and Banding: Banding doesn’t inherently prevent damage. It only changes damage assignment. Effects that prevent damage can still be used in conjunction with banding.
Why is Banding Confusing?
Banding is confusing for several reasons:
- Counterintuitive Damage Assignment: Giving damage assignment control to the opponent when you are attacking is unusual and often feels like a disadvantage.
- Complex Rules Text: The official rules for banding are lengthy and difficult to parse.
- Rarity and Lack of Exposure: Banding is not a common mechanic in modern MTG. Many players simply haven’t encountered it frequently enough to become comfortable with it.
- Perception of Weakness: Attacking with banding often feels weak, leading players to dismiss the mechanic entirely without fully understanding its defensive applications.
Conclusion: Banding – Niche but Not Useless
While banding might seem like a headache to understand, and it’s certainly not the most powerful mechanic in MTG, it does have strategic depth, particularly in defense. Understanding how to use banding when blocking can turn seemingly unfavorable combat situations to your advantage. While your friend’s Soraya the Falconer bird deck might not become the next Commander powerhouse, mastering banding will certainly give you a unique and nuanced understanding of MTG combat. Don’t be intimidated by banding; with a little practice, you can untangle its complexities and perhaps even surprise your opponents with its strategic potential.
