article
Can You Really Deflect a Palm Strike in MTG? Short-form video tags and fast deck lists are pulling curious players into quirky matchup questions.
Can You Really Deflect a Palm Strike in MTG? is a shorthand way to ask whether redirection effects work against combat damage. This answer is yes; target a spell or a different target, and the redirected strike becomes a harmless hit on another permanent or player. Studies indicate that understanding replacement effects is key to handling unexpected combat tricks.
Redirecting combat damage changes what gets hurt. Effects that say "redirect," "prevent," or "redirect damage" can shuffle strikes away from your face and onto creatures or walls. Research shows that knowing which abilities trigger on damage versus which just reassign it helps you stabilize at instant speed.
Play around with redirect effects and flexible damage in your deck. Simple options and clear logic let you turn a lethal hit into a tempo swing.
Does this trick work in Commander? It can, depending on your commander's abilities and whether the damage gets reassigned to the commander.
Is it hard to build the pieces? Not at all; common removal and simple targeted spells often enable this deflection.
