<p>If you reduce a creature's toughness from 6 to 3 you just treat it as a creature of toughness 3. So dealing 3 damage to it can be regenerated. The 3 damage does not reduce the toughness to 0. It will still be a creature with toughness 3 with 3 marked damage on it that will usually die but can be saved with regeneration.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T12:27:12.243Z
2014-05-01T12:27:12.243Z
Ivo
<p>Let's say on the board is a creature with toughness 6. I reduce the toughness of this creature by 3 until end of turn. After this spell resolves, I cast a burn spell which does 3 dmg to that creature. Now the creature has 0 toughness and dies but what is the cause of death? 
And how does this interact with regeneration? As fair as I understand the rules, if a creatures dies because of 0 toughness it cannot be regenerated because its not lethal damage nor a destruction event that causes death.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T12:21:47.603Z
If you read your question carefully, you will see that you answered it just by asking it.
Pow-Ian
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T12:25:05.843Z
Since the damage from my burn spell actually causes the "lethal" damage (because its toughness is reduced by 3 until end of turn) one could assume cause of death is lethal damage and so it can be regenerated.
morpheus05
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T12:27:20.583Z
Yep. That is exactly it. Althought I would not say _one can assume_ it is simply fact that the burn spell does three damage to a creature with 3 toughness, so that is lethal damage. The only way they could not be regenerated is if managed to reduce the toughness through -1/-1 counter or some other way to 0. Then as a state based action, it would be moved to the grave yard.
Pow-Ian
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T13:45:22.063Z
not an duplicate, but definitely related: http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/q/11367/3128
Colin D
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T14:39:28.377Z
**Damage does not reduce the toughness** (though damage from sources with wither or infect can give -1/-1 counters which do reduce toughness).
ikegami
<magic-the-gathering>
Reduce toughness and cast dmg spell - cause of death?
morpheus05
# Reduce toughness and cast dmg spell - cause of death?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-05-01)

Let's say on the board is a creature with toughness 6. I reduce the toughness of this creature by 3 until end of turn. After this spell resolves, I cast a burn spell which does 3 dmg to that creature. Now the creature has 0 toughness and dies but what is the cause of death?
And how does this interact with regeneration? As fair as I understand the rules, if a creatures dies because of 0 toughness it cannot be regenerated because its not lethal damage nor a destruction event that causes death.

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: If you read your question carefully, you will see that you answered it just by asking it.  
> **username_0**: Since the damage from my burn spell actually causes the "lethal" damage (because its toughness is reduced by 3 until end of turn) one could assume cause of death is lethal damage and so it can be regenerated.  
> **username_1**: Yep. That is exactly it. Althought I would not say _one can assume_ it is simply fact that the burn spell does three damage to a creature with 3 toughness, so that is lethal damage. The only way they could not be regenerated is if managed to reduce the toughness through -1/-1 counter or some other way to 0. Then as a state based action, it would be moved to the grave yard.  
> **username_2**: not an duplicate, but definitely related: http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/q/11367/3128  
> **username_3**: **Damage does not reduce the toughness** (though damage from sources with wither or infect can give -1/-1 counters which do reduce toughness).  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-05-01. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

If you reduce a creature's toughness from 6 to 3 you just treat it as a creature of toughness 3. So dealing 3 damage to it can be regenerated. The 3 damage does not reduce the toughness to 0. It will still be a creature with toughness 3 with 3 marked damage on it that will usually die but can be saved with regeneration.


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