Death touch broken

[Blast from the Past]

Okay so when I attack the computer opponent and it has a creature with death touch, I automatically die, which is exactly what should happen. Now the other way around, when the computer opponent attacks me and I have a creature with death touch, my creature dies while their creature is still alive and well. I mean, what gives? Why is this broken? Does this happen to anyone else? Does this happen in multiplayer? Any feedback would be great because this is a big bug...

I have only been played Single Player Sealed Decks and have been using Magic Complete Gold edition to let you know the specifics.

[demopan]

did they have first strike? because they will attack first with that

[dh50]

Deathtouch works properly; it's not a bug. I think two possible things could have happened -

1. if the attacking creature had first strike, it will deal its damage prior to receiving damage, which means the creature with deathtouch would die prior to it being able to deal damage. Deathtouch requires dealing at least one point of damage to trigger.

2. in sealed, there's a creature called Protean Hydra, with the text "If damage would be dealt to Protean Hydra, prevent that damage and remove that many +1/+1 counters from it.". Because it "prevents that damage", deathtouch never actually triggers, because that damage was never assigned to the creature.

[Daft Gamer]

Also, double strike counts as first strike + normal combat damage so if said creature had double strike, that could be the cause. Another possible cause is if their creature is indestructible.

[Blast from the Past]

I should of mentioned I know how to play magic and learned the rules from playing irl. They didn't have first strike, it usually happens when the AI would play an enchantment like +2/+2 or something with the card but never mentions first strike or double strike. It has happened multiple times and should not have happened any of the times.

[Bravo]

Perhaps screenshots of the situations (F12 then upload when you close the game), because we can't read minds.
The AI might have been enchanting a protean hydra which then becomes effectively immune to damage, because you will not be able to remove enough +1/+1 counters to make the hydra a 0/0 so it doesn't die due to 0 toughness (it would always have as minimum toughness the amount provided by the boosting enchantment/spell).

[dig314]

I think it is broken:
Me - Giant Scorpion (1 / 3 DeathTouch ) enchanted with Indestructible
blocked opponent's Rotting Legion ( 4 / 5 ) which did not have any enchantments.
Opponent had Staff of Death Magus ( cast black spell & gain life ).
Both creatures survived. DeathTouch did not destroy Rotting Legion.

[Tom]

I've sometimes seen a creature fail to deal combat damage in unmodded single player 2HG. No screenshot yet, sorry. IIRC it was my attacking 1/1 Myr surviving a 2/2 blocker, and my Dolmen Gate definitely wasn't in play.

Anyway, if this failure-to-damage thing is real, the failure-to-deathtouch may be a downstream consequence of it.

[Boizaum]

Have seen it happen as well, resulting in a rage quit.