Does double strike deal damage twice to the player too, or just creatures?

Double strike deals damage twice regardless of what it's hitting. If a double strike creature is unblocked, it deals its power in damage twice to the defending player — once in each combat damage step. A 3/3 unblocked double striker deals 6 damage total.

What happens if a creature with double strike is blocked by multiple creatures?

The attacking player assigns damage across the blockers in each damage step separately. In the first step, you assign damage among blockers as normal. In the second step, any blockers still alive are assigned damage again from the remaining total. This is why deathtouch + double strike is so powerful — a 1-power creature with both abilities can kill two blockers, one per step.

Does lifelink work with both hits from double strike?

Yes. Lifelink triggers on each damage event, so a creature with both double strike and lifelink gains you life from both combat damage steps. A 3/3 with double strike and lifelink that attacks unblocked gains you 6 life.

Can I give a creature double strike after it has already dealt first strike damage?

Yes, and this is an important rules interaction. According to CR 702.4d, if a creature already has first strike and deals damage in the first combat damage step, giving it double strike after that point still allows it to deal damage in the second step. This can be a useful combat trick with instants or activated abilities.

What's the difference between first strike and double strike?

First strike deals damage only in the first combat damage step, before creatures without the ability. Double strike deals damage in *both* steps — the first step alongside first strikers, and the second step alongside creatures with neither keyword. Double strike is strictly better in terms of damage output, but first strike is still valuable on defensive creatures or when you don't need the extra hit.

If I remove double strike from a creature during combat, does it still deal damage twice?

No. Per CR 702.4c, if a creature loses double strike during the first combat damage step, it will not deal damage in the second step. Timing matters — if you're trying to neutralise a double striker with a combat trick or removal that reduces abilities, you need to act before or during that first step.

Double Strike in MTG: Rules, Strategy & Best Cards

There's a special kind of tension that settles over a combat step when a creature with double strike is involved. Two rounds of damage from one attacker. The math doubles. The risk doubles. And if you've paired it with a pump spell, the whole board can flip in an instant.

Double strike is one of Magic's evergreen keyword abilities - meaning it shows up across sets and formats as a permanent part of the game's vocabulary. Here's everything you need to know about how it works, where it came from, and how to get the most out of it.

What is Double Strike?

Double strike is a keyword ability that lets a creature deal its combat damage twice - once in the first combat damage step (alongside creatures with first strike), and again in the second combat damage step (alongside creatures with neither first strike nor double strike).

In plain terms: a creature with double strike hits with both the early punch of first strike and the regular hit that follows. It gets the best of both worlds.

The reminder text on cards like Boros Swiftblade says it simply: "This creature deals both first-strike and regular combat damage." That's the whole idea. One attacker, two damage windows.

A quick note on first strike: First strike is a related ability where a creature deals its combat damage in the first damage step only, before creatures without the ability strike back. Double strike does everything first strike does - and then keeps going.

How Double Strike Works: The Official Rules

The comprehensive rules for double strike live at CR 702.4, and they're worth understanding in some detail, especially if you're running creatures that gain or lose abilities mid-combat.

The two damage steps

Normally, combat has one damage step. But as soon as at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike or double strike, the game splits into two combat damage steps:

First combat damage step: Only creatures with first strike or double strike assign damage.
Second combat damage step: Creatures with neither keyword assign damage - plus any creatures that currently have double strike.

That second bullet is important. Double strike creatures deal damage in both steps. A creature with only first strike sits out the second.

The timing edge cases

The rules have a few specific clauses that matter once you start doing clever things with instants or activated abilities mid-combat:

Removing double strike mid-combat matters. If a creature loses double strike during the first combat damage step, it won't deal damage in the second. CR 702.4c.
Giving double strike to a first-striker late matters too. If a creature already has first strike and you give it double strike after it's dealt damage in the first step, it will still deal damage in the second step. CR 702.4d. That's a real combat trick.
Multiple instances of double strike are redundant. Stacking it twice does nothing extra. CR 702.4e.

Rules note: The exact wording from the Comprehensive Rules (November 14, 2025 - Edge of Eternities): "If at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike or double strike as the combat damage step begins, the only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are those with first strike or double strike." (CR 702.4b)

Double strike counters

Since Ikoria Commander, double strike can also be granted through a double strike counter placed on a creature - a physical marker that gives the ability as long as the counter remains. It functions identically to the printed keyword.

Strategy

Playing with double strike

The core appeal of double strike is the damage multiplier effect. A 2/2 with double strike threatens 4 damage. Pair it with a +3/+0 pump spell and it's suddenly an 8-damage swing in one attack. The math gets out of hand very quickly, which is why double strike creatures are natural homes for equipment, auras, and combat tricks.

Some things that love double strike:

Power-boosting effects - anything that adds +X/+0 effectively doubles in value
Lifelink - you gain life from both damage steps
Deathtouch - each damage step can kill a separate blocker, or guarantee the kill against a single one even with minimal power
+1/+1 counters - synergies in counter-based decks become explosive

Deathtouch + double strike is one of the most efficient blocker-removing combinations in the game. In the first damage step, your creature deals lethal damage to one blocker. In the second, it can assign its remaining damage elsewhere - or, in a multi-block scenario, it can kill two separate blockers with as little as 1 power.

Format check: Double strike appears in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, and Standard (when the relevant cards are in rotation). Its power level means it appears rarely at common - Two-Headed Cerberus in Theros (2013) was the first common creature with native double strike, a full decade after the keyword launched.

Playing against double strike

The most reliable answer to a double strike creature is removal that happens before the combat damage steps - or blocking with a creature that has first strike, so it can deal its damage and potentially kill the attacker before the second step resolves.

If you block a double strike creature with a normal creature, your blocker takes damage twice. A 2/2 double striker will trade with a 4/4, which is a terrible deal for the 4/4's controller. Keep that in mind when sizing up blocks.

Instants that reduce power or grant a blocking creature first strike can also shift the math mid-combat - remember, removing double strike during the first damage step prevents the second hit entirely.

Deck-building with double strike

Double strike creatures are often understatted compared to their mana cost - a 1/2 double striker like Boros Swiftblade costs only {1}{R}, and that 1 power doesn't look impressive until you're pumping it. Build around these creatures by loading your deck with cheap power boosts and ways to protect them (hexproof, indestructible, counterspells).

In Commander, double strike is a natural fit for Voltron strategies - building one creature into a threatening one-hit kill. Commander damage rules (21 combat damage from a single commander kills a player) mean a commander with double strike and a modest pump can close games very fast.

Notable Cards with Double Strike

Double Cleave

Double Cleave ({1}{R/W}) is an Instant that grants a creature double strike until end of turn. The hybrid mana cost makes it flexible across red and white decks, and as a combat trick it can turn a clean trade into a two-for-one - or enable a lethal attack the opponent didn't see coming.

Duelist's Heritage

Duelist's Heritage ({2}{W}) is an Enchantment with a triggered ability: whenever one or more creatures attack, you may give target attacking creature double strike until end of turn. The may clause is key - you're not forced to commit every turn. In Commander it becomes genuinely political; you can grant another player's creature double strike as an incentive or a favour, which opens up interesting table dynamics.

Color Identity

Double strike appears primarily in red and white - the two colors most associated with combat training and martial discipline. This makes sense: white already has first strike on aggressive ground creatures, and red leans hard into combat tricks and fast damage. The ability almost never appears cleanly outside these two colors, and virtually every creature with double strike requires {W} or {R} to use the ability in some form.

History

Double strike has an unusual origin story. It was designed by Wayne Alward, a player who submitted it as a mechanic during Magic's first You Make the Card promotion. The submission was ultimately rejected for that specific card - which eventually became Forgotten Ancient - because double strike didn't fit Green's place in the color pie. But the design caught the attention of R&D, who recognised its elegance, and it was quietly folded into Magic's permanent vocabulary.

The mechanic **debuted in Legions** (2003) with Ridgetop Raptor and Rockshard Elemental. It became evergreen almost immediately after launch - a rare honour that signals how cleanly the ability fits the game's core combat rules.

For its first decade, double strike was rare at common rarity. Two-Headed Cerberus in Theros (2013) broke that streak as the first common creature with the ability natively printed. Today double strike remains a stable part of the game, appearing in small numbers each set - its power keeps it scarce, but it's never going away.