Does Frigid Touch kill a 2 Might unit by reducing its Might to 0?

Question

Accepted Answer

Frigid Touch reducing a 2 Might unit's Might to 0 does NOT by itself kill the unit. A unit is killed only when it has nonzero damage marked on it equal to or exceeding its Might [143.2.a]. Reducing Might to 0 changes how lethal damage is calculated, but does not create damage by itself [143.2.b] [FAQ:unleashed#8].

Frigid Touch's -2 :rb_might: effect on a 2 Might unit will set its current Might to 0 but will not kill it unless that unit already has nonzero damage marked that is greater than or equal to its new Might. If the unit has no damage marked, it is not killed by the Might reduction alone [143.2.a] [143.2.b].

You play Frigid Touch and it resolves, applying -2 :rb_might: to the chosen unit; the unit's current Might becomes 0 (units are evaluated by their current Might) [710]. Check the kill condition: a unit is Killed only if it has nonzero damage marked on it equal to or exceeding its current Might [143.2.a]. If the unit has no damage marked, then despite its Might being 0 it does not meet the kill condition because the damage marked is zero (the kill rule requires nonzero damage) [143.2.a]. If the unit already had nonzero damage marked that is >= its new Might (for example, 1 damage marked and Might reduced to 0), it would be Killed as soon as that condition is evaluated [143.2.a]. If Frigid Touch reduces the unit's Might below 0, treat that Might as 0 when referenced; that still does not cause a kill without nonzero damage marked [143.2.b].

If the unit already has nonzero damage marked before Frigid Touch resolves, lowering its Might to 0 can cause that existing damage to meet or exceed the new Might and thus kill the unit (because the kill test checks nonzero damage >= Might) [143.2.a]. If another effect changes what counts as lethal damage (see [FAQ:unleashed#8]), that might change whether the unit dies after its Might is reduced; check those specific effect texts. If the unit is moved to a non-board zone while Frigid Touch is on the chain or as it resolves, interactions about targeting and legality may differ (see general targeting rules). The ruling above assumes the unit remains the same game object on the board.

Frigid Touch gives a chosen unit -2 :rb_might: this turn. Applying that effect to a 2 Might unit changes its current Might to 0; units are evaluated by their current Might when effects resolve [710]. However, the game’s kill condition is not "Might reduced to 0" — it is "a Unit ever has nonzero damage marked on it equalling or exceeding its Might" [143.2.a]. That means that simply reducing a unit's Might to 0 does not, by itself, create damage or kill the unit. For the unit to be killed immediately as a result of the Might reduction, there must already be nonzero damage marked on it such that that damage is >= the unit's new Might (for example, 1 damage marked >= 0 Might would meet the kill condition) [143.2.a]. If the Might reduction would drop the unit below 0, that Might is treated as 0 when referenced by spells and abilities, but that treatment does not cause a kill without nonzero damage marked [143.2.b]. The definition of lethal damage also emphasizes that lethal is a non-zero amount >= Might by default, so zero damage never qualifies as lethal regardless of the unit's Might [FAQ:unleashed#8]. In short: lowering a 2 Might unit to 0 via Frigid Touch does not kill it unless it already has nonzero damage marked that meets or exceeds its new Might [143.2.a] [143.2.b] [FAQ:unleashed#8].