<p>The text on the image says "You lose all life. If you would gain life later in the game ..." Even if losing negative life were gaining life, it's not happening "later in the game". The oracle text that you quote consists of two different statements. The EtB effect happens as the spell is being resolved. The gaining life is a static ability of the enchantment, and only applies when the enchantment is already on the battlefield.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-05T18:51:49.657Z
I do not believe this is correct. First off the printed text never matters for the proper rules (though I think you just mean it here to provide context). But cards with static abilities can be affected by things that happen “as” they enter the battlefield.
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-05T22:25:53.397Z
Specifically this might've used to be the case (I'm not sure), but [the Ixalan Comprehensive Rules Changes](https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/ixalan-comprehensive-rules-changes-2017-09-28) updated how things entered the battlefield. CTRL+F for the heading `614.12, 614.16d`. We now take into account what would exist if they were already on the battlefield, so that e.g. Endless One entering with Humility in play won't enter with its +1/+1 counters.
doppelgreener
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-05T18:28:44.743Z
2018-07-05T18:28:44.743Z
Acccumulation
<p>Nothing happens. You lose 0 life, which is the same as not losing any life. You don't draw cards.</p>

<p>I think what you're imagining is "losing negative ten life" = "gain 10 life".  However, you cannot lose negative life.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>107.1b</strong> Most of the time, the Magic game uses only positive numbers and zero. <strong>You can’t choose a negative number, deal negative damage, gain negative life</strong>, and so on. However, it’s possible for a game value, such as a creature’s power, to be less than zero. If a calculation or comparison needs to use a negative value, it does so. <strong>If a calculation that would determine the result of an effect yields a negative number, zero is used instead</strong>, unless that effect doubles or sets to a specific value a player’s life total or a creature’s power and/or toughness.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The first bolded section is pretty clear cut ("You can't [...] gain negative life") but the second part also explains the principle behind it. The principle is that when you're gaining life, you gain +number life, but the calculation sees you would gain -number life instead, so we replace the negative with 0: you gain 0 life.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T21:35:31.923Z
Interestingly it would be different if it happened to say "your life total becomes 0" instead.
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T21:37:22.403Z
@GendoIkari in that case no cards will be drawn, as the replacement effect is after the life setting; you still do everything in order when resolving the card.
esoterik
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T21:40:22.867Z
You'd definitely draw 10 cards in that case. Setting life total from -10 to 0 is done by gaining 10 life, which in turn gets replaced by drawing 10 cards.
doppelgreener
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T21:56:10.073Z
The question of whether those two replacement effects interact depends on some of the minutia of rule 614.12. I believe that under the current iteration of the rules, doppelgreener is correct and you would end up drawing cards.
murgatroid99
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T21:31:53.620Z
2018-07-03T21:31:53.620Z
doppelgreener
<p>I have negative 10 life, such as due to <a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=416971" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Platinum Angel</a> and I play <a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=202483" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Lich</a>.  Lich says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>As Lich enters the battlefield, you lose life equal to your life total.</p>
<p>If you would gain life, draw that many cards instead.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Does playing Lich in this situation cause me to draw 10 cards (by means of causing me to gain 10 life and then replacing that with card draw)?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T21:24:43.980Z
your card link is a search, which specific card do you mean?
esoterik
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T21:26:18.210Z
@esoterik The autocard doesn't work well right now. There is a card literally called Lich.
doppelgreener
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T21:26:54.663Z
but it doesn't come up in the search
esoterik
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T21:30:30.857Z
IIRC this doesn't work, you can't lose negative life
esoterik
<magic-the-gathering>
Do I draw cards from playing Lich at negative life?
Zags
# Do I draw cards from playing Lich at negative life?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-07-03)

I have negative 10 life, such as due to [Platinum Angel](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=416971) and I play [Lich](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=202483). Lich says:

> As Lich enters the battlefield, you lose life equal to your life total.
>
> If you would gain life, draw that many cards instead.

Does playing Lich in this situation cause me to draw 10 cards (by means of causing me to gain 10 life and then replacing that with card draw)?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: your card link is a search, which specific card do you mean?  
> **username_2**: @username_1 The autocard doesn't work well right now. There is a card literally called Lich.  
> **username_1**: but it doesn't come up in the search  
> **username_1**: IIRC this doesn't work, you can't lose negative life  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-07-03. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

Nothing happens. You lose 0 life, which is the same as not losing any life. You don't draw cards.

I think what you're imagining is "losing negative ten life" = "gain 10 life". However, you cannot lose negative life.

> **107.1b** Most of the time, the Magic game uses only positive numbers and zero. **You can’t choose a negative number, deal negative damage, gain negative life**, and so on. However, it’s possible for a game value, such as a creature’s power, to be less than zero. If a calculation or comparison needs to use a negative value, it does so. **If a calculation that would determine the result of an effect yields a negative number, zero is used instead**, unless that effect doubles or sets to a specific value a player’s life total or a creature’s power and/or toughness.

The first bolded section is pretty clear cut ("You can't [...] gain negative life") but the second part also explains the principle behind it. The principle is that when you're gaining life, you gain +number life, but the calculation sees you would gain -number life instead, so we replace the negative with 0: you gain 0 life.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Interestingly it would be different if it happened to say "your life total becomes 0" instead.  
> **username_1**: @username_4 in that case no cards will be drawn, as the replacement effect is after the life setting; you still do everything in order when resolving the card.  
> **username_2**: You'd definitely draw 10 cards in that case. Setting life total from -10 to 0 is done by gaining 10 life, which in turn gets replaced by drawing 10 cards.  
> **username_5**: The question of whether those two replacement effects interact depends on some of the minutia of rule 614.12. I believe that under the current iteration of the rules, username_2 is correct and you would end up drawing cards.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-07-05. Score: -1

The text on the image says "You lose all life. If you would gain life later in the game ..." Even if losing negative life were gaining life, it's not happening "later in the game". The oracle text that you quote consists of two different statements. The EtB effect happens as the spell is being resolved. The gaining life is a static ability of the enchantment, and only applies when the enchantment is already on the battlefield.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: I do not believe this is correct. First off the printed text never matters for the proper rules (though I think you just mean it here to provide context). But cards with static abilities can be affected by things that happen “as” they enter the battlefield.  
> **username_2**: Specifically this might've used to be the case (I'm not sure), but [the Ixalan Comprehensive Rules Changes](https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/ixalan-comprehensive-rules-changes-2017-09-28) updated how things entered the battlefield. CTRL+F for the heading `614.12, 614.16d`. We now take into account what would exist if they were already on the battlefield, so that e.g. Endless One entering with Humility in play won't enter with its +1/+1 counters.  

---

