Does first strike deal damage twice?

No. A creature with first strike deals its combat damage once, just earlier than creatures without it. It deals damage in the first combat damage step; creatures without first strike deal theirs in the second step. If you want a creature that deals damage in both steps, you're looking for double strike, which is a separate keyword.

What happens when two first strike creatures fight each other?

They both deal their damage in the first combat damage step simultaneously, the same way two normal creatures would. Neither gets an advantage over the other from first strike alone. The fight plays out based on power and toughness, just compressed into the first damage step.

Does first strike work with deathtouch?

Yes, and it's one of the best combinations in the game. A creature with both first strike and deathtouch deals its damage before the opponent's creature can respond, and since deathtouch means even 1 damage is lethal, the opposing creature dies in the first damage step — before it deals any damage back. Your creature walks away untouched.

Can I give a creature first strike after blockers are declared?

Yes. You can grant first strike during the declare blockers step or the beginning of combat step, before damage is dealt, and it will take effect normally. However, if the first combat damage step has already resolved and you grant first strike after that point, the creature will still deal damage in the second step — it just won't get to deal damage twice.

Does first strike affect damage from abilities, not just combat?

No. First strike only modifies combat damage. It has no effect on damage dealt by spells or activated and triggered abilities. If a creature with first strike also has an ability like 'tap: deal 2 damage to target creature,' that ability isn't affected by first strike at all.

Is first strike better on attackers or blockers?

In my opinion, first strike is often slightly more powerful on blockers than attackers. When blocking, a first strike creature can kill the attacker before it ever deals combat damage — protecting both your creature and your life total. This also acts as a strong deterrent, since opponents often won't want to attack into a known first striker.

First Strike in MTG: Complete Mechanic Guide

There's a reason duelists, knights, and gunslingers all want to shoot first. In Magic: The Gathering, first strike captures exactly that instinct - the ability to deal your damage before your opponent gets a chance to hit back. It's one of the oldest and most intuitive mechanics in the game, and understanding it well will change how you think about combat forever.

What is First Strike?

First strike is an evergreen keyword ability that changes the order in which creatures deal combat damage. Normally, all creatures deal their combat damage simultaneously. A creature with first strike breaks that rule - it deals its combat damage before creatures without first strike get a chance to deal theirs.

The practical effect is huge. If your first strike creature deals enough damage to kill whatever it's fighting, the opposing creature dies before it ever gets to swing back. Your creature survives a fight it would otherwise lose.

That single twist - I hit you before you hit me - makes first strike creatures punch far above their apparent stats in combat.

How First Strike works: the rules

First strike is technically a static ability that modifies the combat damage step. To understand it fully, it helps to know that when at least one creature involved in combat has first strike (or double strike), the combat phase actually gets two combat damage steps instead of one.

Here's how that plays out step by step:

First combat damage step: Only creatures with first strike or double strike deal their damage. Creatures with neither deal nothing yet.
Second combat damage step: Creatures without first strike (and without double strike) now deal their damage. Double strike creatures also deal damage again in this step.
Combat then moves to the end of combat step as normal.

Critically, if a first strike creature kills its opponent in step one, that dead creature deals no damage in step two - because it's already gone.

"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 702.7b

Rules edge cases worth knowing

Gaining first strike mid-combat matters a lot. If you grant first strike to a creature after the first combat damage step has already resolved, that creature won't get to deal damage in the first step - but it will still deal damage in the second step. Crucially, it won't deal damage twice; it just deals it in the second step like a normal creature. (CR 702.7c)

The reverse is also true: if a creature loses first strike after already dealing damage in the first step, it won't get to deal damage again in the second step. You can't trick a creature into dealing double damage by cycling first strike on and off.

Multiple instances are redundant. If somehow a creature gets first strike from two different sources, the second instance does nothing. (CR 702.7d)

First strike is not the same as double strike. Double strike gives a creature damage in both steps - it's a separate keyword that's effectively a combination of first strike and dealing normal damage. A creature with only first strike deals damage once, just earlier in the sequence.

Rules note: First strike only affects combat damage. It has no effect on damage dealt by activated abilities, triggered abilities, or spells. If a creature has first strike and also has an ability like "deals 2 damage to any target," that activated ability isn't affected by first strike at all.

Strategy: playing with and against first strike

Using first strike offensively

First strike makes your creatures survive trades they'd otherwise lose. A 2/2 first striker fighting a 3/3 will still die to the 3/3's power - but a 3/2 first striker kills the 3/3 and walks away untouched. The stat line that matters most for first strike is your creature's power, not its toughness.

This makes first strike particularly effective on creatures with high power and low toughness, since they can threaten to kill anything they block or attack into, while their fragile bodies are protected by the first strike shield.

Instants that grant first strike mid-combat are some of the most efficient combat tricks in the game. Responding to a block by giving your creature first strike can turn a losing trade into a clean kill, and your opponent often won't see it coming until the damage is already done.

Using first strike defensively

First strike is arguably even stronger on blockers than attackers. When you block with a first strike creature, you can often kill the attacker before it deals any damage to your creature or to you. This makes first strikers excellent deterrents - opponents often simply won't attack into them.

In Limited formats especially, a creature with first strike can lock down an entire attack step. Your opponent has to calculate whether any of their creatures can survive the first damage step before they even consider swinging.

Playing against first strike

The cleanest answer to a first strike creature in combat is another first strike creature - they both deal damage in the same step, so neither gets the early-damage advantage over the other.

Otherwise, you have a few options:

Overwhelm it with power. A creature big enough to survive the first damage step can still trade or kill the first striker.
Use spells, not combat. Removal that doesn't involve dealing damage bypasses first strike entirely. First strike does nothing against Doom Blade or Path to Exile.
Pump toughness in response. If you can survive the first strike damage, you can still deal your damage back in the second step.

In my experience, the biggest mistake newer players make is assuming first strike makes a creature invincible in combat. It doesn't - it just shifts the math. Always count whether your creature actually survives the first damage step before committing.

Deck-building considerations

First strike scales especially well with:

Deathtouch.** This is one of the most brutal combinations in the game. A creature with both deathtouch and first strike kills anything it touches in the first damage step, because deathtouch means even 1 damage is lethal. The blocking creature then dies before dealing any damage back.
Power buffs. Combat tricks that raise power - like Sure Strike ({1}{R}) for +3/+0 - pair naturally with first strike, since higher power means fewer creatures can survive the first step.
Lifelink. First strike damage counts for lifelink, which means you gain your life before the opponent's creature gets to deal damage. Surviving a trade while also gaining life is a significant swing.

Notable cards with First Strike

First strike appears across all colours, though it's most common in white and red - two colours that lean into aggressive, combat-oriented strategies.

Combat tricks that grant first strike

Several Instants grant first strike as part of a temporary pump effect. These are flexible tools: they're cheap enough to hold up while doing other things, and the first strike rider can turn a blocked creature into a surprise threat.

Storm Strike** ({R}) - Gives a creature +1/+0 and first strike, then lets you scry 1. One mana for a combat trick plus card selection is genuinely efficient.
Precise Strike ({R}) - The same +1/+0 and first strike for {R}, without the scry. A tight, budget option.
Guided Strike ({1}{W}) - Gives +1/+0 and first strike, then draws a card. The extra mana cost is well worth replacing itself in hand.
Sure Strike ({1}{R}) - The +3/+0 version. That's often enough to kill almost anything in the first damage step. A real combat blowout waiting to happen.
Zealous Strike ({1}{W}) - +2/+2 and first strike. The toughness bonus helps your creature survive the first step if needed, which isn't the case with pure power pumps.
Whirling Strike ({1}{R}) - Pairs first strike with trample, which is an interesting combination. Trample means any excess damage spills over to the player, so first strike can help you kill the blocker fast enough to ensure that spill.
Fervent Strike ({R}) - Grants first strike and haste for a single {R}. Haste on a creature that's already attacking is redundant, but if you're sneaking this on a creature that just entered the battlefield, both keywords become relevant at once.
Hundred-Talon Strike ({W}) - A piece of Magic history from Betrayers of Kamigawa (2005), this grants +1/+0 and first strike while also being spliceable onto other Arcane spells - a mechanic that let you stack effects onto a single spell.

Creatures with built-in first strike

Striking Sliver ({R}) - Gives all your Sliver creatures first strike. In a Sliver deck, sharing keywords across the team is the entire game plan, and first strike is one of the most combat-relevant keywords to spread around.

Enchantments that grant first strike

A handful of Auras and enchantments can provide a permanent first strike buff:

Lance - One of the original first strike granters from the earliest days of Magic.
Lashknife - Grants first strike to a single creature.
Reflexes - Same idea, in red.
Knighthood - Gives all your creatures first strike, which in the right deck is a significant advantage.

History of First Strike

First strike has been part of Magic since the very beginning. It appeared in Alpha (1993), the original core set, where it was primarily associated with white creatures - particularly Knights. The visual identity of a knight with a lance striking before their opponent could respond was a natural flavour fit.

Over the years, first strike spread into red (swords, quick draws, aggression) and occasionally into other colours, but white and red remain the primary homes for the ability. It was eventually codified as an evergreen keyword - meaning Wizards of the Coast considers it a permanent part of the game's design vocabulary and can print it in any set.

Double strike, which combined first strike with normal damage, was introduced later as a variant - giving designers a way to represent even more devastating combatants without needing an entirely new system.

First strike's enduring presence in the game speaks to how cleanly it maps to real-world intuitions about combat. It's one of those mechanics that new players often understand immediately and long-time players never stop respecting.