<p>It becomes 2/2.</p>

<hr>

<p>The ability in question is</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Target creature gets -4/-4 until end of turn.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>To determine a creature's power and toughness:</p>

<ol>
<li>Start with the printed value (or the value with which a token was created).</li>
<li>Apply power- and toughness-setting effects (e.g <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bTurn%20to%20Frog%5d">Turn to Frog</a>) in the order they were created.</li>
<li>Apply power- and toughness-modifying effects (e.g the ability and the counters mentioned above).</li>
</ol>

<p>The result is the power and toughness of the creature.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-17T20:36:05.483Z
Important to note: State Based Actions (such as "should this creature die") are NOT checked in between these steps, so theoretically a creature could have negative toughness somewhere in the process of calculating it's stats, but as long as it ends up with positive toughness at the end it's okay.
Lucas Broadwing
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-17T21:15:04.733Z
More precisely, only the final values are the creature's power and toughness. *Nothing* sees the intermediary values. Not SBAs, not triggers, nothing.
ikegami
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-05T02:30:47.297Z
2017-06-05T02:30:47.297Z
ikegami
<p>I just debuted playing magic 2 weeks ago, and I have a question. Let's say a creature has 4 +1/+1 token on it and has base stats of 2/2. If I play <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bBreya%2c%20Etherium%20Shaper%5d">Breya, Etherium Shaper</a>'s ability to inflict -4/-4 to that creature, does it affect the creature with all his power (6/6 bringing it down to 2/2) or does it affect the printed value of 2/2, killing it since it goes to 0 toughness?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-05T04:27:14.347Z
There is no such thing as a "+1/+1 token"; those are called *counters*, not tokens.  Counters are featureless markers placed on things.  A token is a permanent (planeswalker, land, artifact, creature, and/or enchantment) that is represented by something other than a *Magic* card.
jwodder
<magic-the-gathering>
Interaction with printed stats and token/equipment with stat reduction
Antoine Sinotte
# Interaction with printed stats and token/equipment with stat reduction

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-06-05)

I just debuted playing magic 2 weeks ago, and I have a question. Let's say a creature has 4 +1/+1 token on it and has base stats of 2/2. If I play [Breya, Etherium Shaper](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bBreya%2c%20Etherium%20Shaper%5d)'s ability to inflict -4/-4 to that creature, does it affect the creature with all his power (6/6 bringing it down to 2/2) or does it affect the printed value of 2/2, killing it since it goes to 0 toughness?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: There is no such thing as a "+1/+1 token"; those are called *counters*, not tokens.  Counters are featureless markers placed on things.  A token is a permanent (planeswalker, land, artifact, creature, and/or enchantment) that is represented by something other than a *Magic* card.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-06-05. Score: 8

It becomes 2/2.

---

The ability in question is

> Target creature gets -4/-4 until end of turn.

To determine a creature's power and toughness:

1. Start with the printed value (or the value with which a token was created).
2. Apply power- and toughness-setting effects (e.g [Turn to Frog](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=%2b%5bTurn%20to%20Frog%5d)) in the order they were created.
3. Apply power- and toughness-modifying effects (e.g the ability and the counters mentioned above).

The result is the power and toughness of the creature.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Important to note: State Based Actions (such as "should this creature die") are NOT checked in between these steps, so theoretically a creature could have negative toughness somewhere in the process of calculating it's stats, but as long as it ends up with positive toughness at the end it's okay.  
> **username_2**: More precisely, only the final values are the creature's power and toughness. *Nothing* sees the intermediary values. Not SBAs, not triggers, nothing.  

---

