Whenever
the Ring tempts youCertain spells and abilities have the text “the Ring tempts you.” Each time the Ring tempts you, choose a creature you control. That creature becomes your Ring-bearer until another creature becomes your Ring-bearer or another player gains control of it.
Ring-bearer is a designation a permanent can have. Being a Ring-bearer is not a copiable value.
If a player doesn’t have an emblem named The Ring at the time the Ring tempts them, they get an emblem named The Ring before choosing a creature to be their Ring-bearer. The Ring has “Your Ring-bearer is legendary and can’t be blocked by creatures with greater power.” As long as the Ring has tempted that player two or more times, it has “Whenever your Ring-bearer attacks, draw a card, then discard a card.” As long as the Ring has tempted that player three or more times, it has “Whenever your Ring-bearer becomes blocked by a creature, the blocking creature’s controller sacrifices it at end of combat.” As long as the Ring has tempted that player four or more times, it has “Whenever your Ring-bearer deals combat damage to a player, each opponent loses 3 life.”
Some abilities trigger “Whenever the Ring tempts you.” The Ring tempts a player whenever they complete the actions in 701.54a, even if some or all of those actions were impossible.
Some abilities check to see if a creature “is your Ring-bearer.” For the purposes of those abilities, that condition is true if that creature is on the battlefield under your control and has the Ring-bearer designation. (CR 701.54), if you chose a creature other than Aragorn as your
Ring-bearerA creature chosen when the Ring tempts you; it is a designation, not a copiable value. (CR 701.54), put your choice of a
counterTo counter a spell or ability is to cancel it: remove it from the stack without resolving it. A counter on an object or player is instead a marker that changes characteristics or interacts with rules or abilities; for example, a +1/+1 counter modifies a creature’s power and toughness. (CR 701.6; 122.1) from among
first strikeFirst strike is a static ability that modifies the rules for the combat damage step. (See rule 510, “Combat Damage Step.”)
If at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike or double strike (see rule 702.4) as the combat damage step begins, the only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are those with first strike or double strike. After that step, instead of proceeding to the end of combat step, the phase gets a second combat damage step. The only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are the remaining attackers and blockers that had neither first strike nor double strike as the first combat damage step began, as well as the remaining attackers and blockers that currently have double strike. After that step, the phase proceeds to the end of combat step.
Giving first strike to a creature without it after combat damage has already been dealt in the first combat damage step won’t preclude that creature from assigning combat damage in the second combat damage step. Removing first strike from a creature after it has already dealt combat damage in the first combat damage step won’t allow it to also assign combat damage in the second combat damage step (unless the creature has double strike).
Multiple instances of first strike on the same creature are redundant. (CR 702.7),
vigilanceVigilance is a static ability that modifies the rules for the declare attackers step.
Attacking doesn’t cause creatures with vigilance to tap. (See rule 508, “Declare Attackers Step.”)
Multiple instances of vigilance on the same creature are redundant. (CR 702.20),
deathtouchDeathtouch is a static ability.
A creature with toughness greater than 0 that’s been dealt damage by a source with deathtouch since the last time state-based actions were checked is destroyed as a state-based action. See rule 704.
Any nonzero amount of combat damage assigned to a creature by a source with deathtouch is considered to be lethal damage for the purposes of determining if excess damage is being dealt.
The deathtouch rules function no matter what zone an object with deathtouch deals damage from.
If an object is no longer in the zone it’s expected to be in as an effect causes it to deal damage, its last known information is used to determine whether it had deathtouch.
Multiple instances of deathtouch on the same object are redundant. (CR 702.2), and
lifelinkLifelink is a static ability.
Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source’s controller, or its owner if it has no controller, to gain that much life (in addition to any other results that damage causes). See rule 120.3.
If an object is no longer in the zone it’s expected to be in as an effect causes it to deal damage, its last known information is used to determine whether it had lifelink.
The lifelink rules function no matter what zone an object with lifelink deals damage from.
If multiple sources with lifelink deal damage at the same time, they cause separate life gain events (see rules 119.9–10).
Multiple instances of lifelink on the same object are redundant. (CR 702.15) on Aragorn.
Whenever you put one or more
countersTo counter a spell or ability is to cancel it: remove it from the stack without resolving it. A counter on an object or player is instead a marker that changes characteristics or interacts with rules or abilities; for example, a +1/+1 counter modifies a creature’s power and toughness. (CR 701.6; 122.1) on Aragorn, put one of each of those kinds of
countersTo counter a spell or ability is to cancel it: remove it from the stack without resolving it. A counter on an object or player is instead a marker that changes characteristics or interacts with rules or abilities; for example, a +1/+1 counter modifies a creature’s power and toughness. (CR 701.6; 122.1) on up to one other target creature.