<p>Yes, the attacker will lose one life per attacking creature.</p>

<p>The ability is a triggered ability, because it uses the word "whenever". The trigger is a creature having attacked, and if 5 creatures attack, then this will trigger 5 times.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>603.1. Triggered abilities have a trigger condition and an effect. They are written as "[Trigger condition], [effect]," and begin with the word "when," "whenever," or "at." They can also be expressed as "[When/Whenever/At] [trigger event], [effect]."</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T17:47:01.587Z
Great, that's what I thought! Thanks, I had to ask this anyway since the wording in Spanish is confusing.
juanzack
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T18:43:10.840Z
@juanzack, Hm? The wording in Spanish is the same. "Siempre que una criatura te ataque, su controlador pierde 1 vida."
Brian S
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T19:01:28.517Z
Tuve discusiones con amigos por "Siempre que una criatura te ataque", porque interpretaban eso como que se activaba UNA vez cuando en una fase de ataque enemiga 1 criatura o más atacaban.
juanzack
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T17:32:07.540Z
2013-12-05T17:32:07.540Z
GendoIkari
<p>Yes, the attacker will lose one life per attacking creature.</p>

<p>The ability is a triggered ability,when a ability is triggered it gets a 2nd trigger if say a elf and another creature attacks you as well</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-01T23:46:44.270Z
Please read existing answers, especially those with high scores, to see if an answer similar to yours had already been posted. If you post the same information that was posted three years ago, then your post may get a lower score. Of course, if you are confident that you can present the same information more clearly and understandably, then you should. I suggest sorting your questions page by ["newest to oldest"](http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions?sort=newest) instead of "most recently active", so that you can focus your efforts on newer questions.
Rainbolt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-01T19:24:43.293Z
2016-11-01T19:24:43.293Z
D.Topliss
<p>Yes (though they will be lost one at a time).</p>

<hr>

<p>There's a rule specifically covering this:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>603.2c An ability triggers only once each time its trigger event occurs. However, it can trigger repeatedly if one event contains multiple occurrences. See also rule 509.4.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>If your opponent attacks you with an Elf and a Bear, two instances of the event "a creature attacks you" occurred (the Elf attacked you, and the Bear attacked you), so the ability will trigger twice.</p>

<p>You will place these on the stack where they will resolve one at a time, each causing him to lose one life (for a total of two).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T17:51:23.033Z
_(though they will be lost one at a time)_
Huh. So, if that opponent has something that works like _"the next time a source will make you lose life, this prevents 2 life points of damage"_ that card should cancel ONLY the first point?
juanzack
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T18:01:43.273Z
@juanzack, yup! The effect of the first ability to resolve is "its controller loses 1 life." This will be prevented. Then a second instance of the ability resolves. This is explained later in the post.
ikegami
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T18:40:23.360Z
@juanzack, Except Hissing Miasma causes loss of life, not damage, so a damage prevention effect wouldn't do anything anyway.
Brian S
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T18:51:01.480Z
ug, he used "lose life" in the trigger, but "damage" in the effect. He meant "The next time you would lose life, reduce the life lost by two." or something like that.
ikegami
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T19:03:52.280Z
Haha yeah sorry, thanks ikegami, that's what I meant. This is interesting, since a card that would prevent the losing of 1 life from every source would completely negate Hissing Miasma.
juanzack
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T19:05:54.397Z
True, but I don't know if there's anything that prevents life lost.
ikegami
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T19:09:56.197Z
Well there's Platinum Emperion... but that would stop all the life loss, not just the first.
GendoIkari
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T23:50:15.043Z
The number of triggers can matter, too. Consider Exquisite Blood and Archangel of Thune. If your opponent attacks with 4 creatures, you get 4 +1/+1 counters since you gained 1 life 4 times. If your opponent lost 4 life for the attackers all in one shot, you'd gain 4 life 1 time, which would mean you'd only get 1 +1/+1 counter. Swinging into some 1/1's that just turned into 5/5's would be devastating! :-O
corsiKa
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-06T11:19:57.387Z
Woah. That is certainly something that I will be testing.
juanzack
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-05T17:46:39.370Z
2013-12-05T18:02:52.277Z
2013-12-05T18:02:52.277Z
ikegami
<p><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bHissing%20Miasma%5d">Hissing Miasma</a> is an enchantment that says:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Whenever a creature attacks you, its controller loses 1 life.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Does the attacker lose one life per attacking creature?</p>

<magic-the-gathering>
Does "whenever a creature attacks" count for each attacker separately?
juanzack
# Does "whenever a creature attacks" count for each attacker separately?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-12-05)

[Hissing Miasma](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bHissing%20Miasma%5d) is an enchantment that says:

> Whenever a creature attacks you, its controller loses 1 life.

Does the attacker lose one life per attacking creature?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering


---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2013-12-05. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

Yes (though they will be lost one at a time).

---

There's a rule specifically covering this:

> 603.2c An ability triggers only once each time its trigger event occurs. However, it can trigger repeatedly if one event contains multiple occurrences. See also rule 509.4.

If your opponent attacks you with an Elf and a Bear, two instances of the event "a creature attacks you" occurred (the Elf attacked you, and the Bear attacked you), so the ability will trigger twice.

You will place these on the stack where they will resolve one at a time, each causing him to lose one life (for a total of two).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: _(though they will be lost one at a time)_ Huh. So, if that opponent has something that works like _"the next time a source will make you lose life, this prevents 2 life points of damage"_ that card should cancel ONLY the first point?  
> **username_5**: @username_0, yup! The effect of the first ability to resolve is "its controller loses 1 life." This will be prevented. Then a second instance of the ability resolves. This is explained later in the post.  
> **username_2**: @username_0, Except Hissing Miasma causes loss of life, not damage, so a damage prevention effect wouldn't do anything anyway.  
> **username_5**: ug, he used "lose life" in the trigger, but "damage" in the effect. He meant "The next time you would lose life, reduce the life lost by two." or something like that.  
> **username_0**: Haha yeah sorry, thanks username_5, that's what I meant. This is interesting, since a card that would prevent the losing of 1 life from every source would completely negate Hissing Miasma.  
> **username_5**: True, but I don't know if there's anything that prevents life lost.  
> **username_1**: Well there's Platinum Emperion... but that would stop all the life loss, not just the first.  
> **username_6**: The number of triggers can matter, too. Consider Exquisite Blood and Archangel of Thune. If your opponent attacks with 4 creatures, you get 4 +1/+1 counters since you gained 1 life 4 times. If your opponent lost 4 life for the attackers all in one shot, you'd gain 4 life 1 time, which would mean you'd only get 1 +1/+1 counter. Swinging into some 1/1's that just turned into 5/5's would be devastating! :-O  
> **username_0**: Woah. That is certainly something that I will be testing.  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-12-05. Score: 3

Yes, the attacker will lose one life per attacking creature.

The ability is a triggered ability, because it uses the word "whenever". The trigger is a creature having attacked, and if 5 creatures attack, then this will trigger 5 times.

> 603.1. Triggered abilities have a trigger condition and an effect. They are written as "[Trigger condition], [effect]," and begin with the word "when," "whenever," or "at." They can also be expressed as "[When/Whenever/At] [trigger event], [effect]."

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Great, that's what I thought! Thanks, I had to ask this anyway since the wording in Spanish is confusing.  
> **username_2**: @username_0, Hm? The wording in Spanish is the same. "Siempre que una criatura te ataque, su controlador pierde 1 vida."  
> **username_0**: Tuve discusiones con amigos por "Siempre que una criatura te ataque", porque interpretaban eso como que se activaba UNA vez cuando en una fase de ataque enemiga 1 criatura o más atacaban.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-11-01. Score: -2

Yes, the attacker will lose one life per attacking creature.

The ability is a triggered ability,when a ability is triggered it gets a 2nd trigger if say a elf and another creature attacks you as well

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Please read existing answers, especially those with high scores, to see if an answer similar to yours had already been posted. If you post the same information that was posted three years ago, then your post may get a lower score. Of course, if you are confident that you can present the same information more clearly and understandably, then you should. I suggest sorting your questions page by ["newest to oldest"](http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions?sort=newest) instead of "most recently active", so that you can focus your efforts on newer questions.  

---

