<p><strong>You would go to negative 6 life.</strong></p>

<p>When calculating or comparing numbers, the game uses the actual value of whatever is involved in the calculation. Usually the result of such a calculation can't be negative, but doubling a player's life is one of the few exceptions:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>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. <strong>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</strong> or a creature’s power and/or toughness.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-19T18:38:35.513Z
Indeed, the rulings on Beacon of Immortality's gatherer page says "If you double a negative life total, you do the real math. A life total of -10 becomes -20."
Giuseppe
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-10T08:39:53.650Z
The way power creep is going, I bet Wizards will eventually print a card that triples your life total. I wonder what the odds are that they forget to update 107.1b or make a ruling to handle this edge case?
user3490
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-19T12:42:15.333Z
2018-12-19T12:42:15.333Z
Hackworth
<p>If I'm at -3 life and not dead from let's say a <a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=425817" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Platinum Angel</a>. If I play a <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bBeacon%20of%20Immortality%5d">Beacon of Immortality</a>, do I go to 6 life? Is it as simple as the primary school maths indicates or is there some other consideration?</p>

<magic-the-gathering>
How does doubling of life work when you are at negative life?
Neil Meyer
# How does doubling of life work when you are at negative life?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-12-19)

If I'm at -3 life and not dead from let's say a [Platinum Angel](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=425817). If I play a [Beacon of Immortality](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bBeacon%20of%20Immortality%5d), do I go to 6 life? Is it as simple as the primary school maths indicates or is there some other consideration?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-12-19. Score: 27 | Accepted answer

**You would go to negative 6 life.**

When calculating or comparing numbers, the game uses the actual value of whatever is involved in the calculation. Usually the result of such a calculation can't be negative, but doubling a player's life is one of the few exceptions:

> 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.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Indeed, the rulings on Beacon of Immortality's gatherer page says "If you double a negative life total, you do the real math. A life total of -10 becomes -20."  
> **username_3**: The way power creep is going, I bet Wizards will eventually print a card that triples your life total. I wonder what the odds are that they forget to update 107.1b or make a ruling to handle this edge case?  

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