Can someone please explain to me the steps behind the reasoning why flickering a blocker will result in no combat damage and the creature still being blocked
Because he is blocked during the block phase but before damage is delt he is flickered
So just because your creature is declaired as a blocker the creature is blocked, and combat damage is null because of flicker.
Yes unless the attacker has trample
I bring you a section from rule 510.1c:
"A blocked creature assigns its combat damage to the creatures blocking it. If no creatures are currently blocking it (if, for example, they were destroyed or removed from combat), it assigns no combat damage."
If the creature has trample I'm guessing the creature deals damage as if it wasn't blocked.
Quote from: Twistedten17 on February 13, 2013, 07:10:41 PM
If the creature has trample I'm guessing the creature deals damage as if it wasn't blocked.
This is correct.
702.18c If an attacking creature with trample is blocked, but there are no creatures blocking it when damage is assigned, all its damage is assigned to the player or planeswalker it's attacking.
Here's how i learned to justify combat. You order creatures to run across a field at your opponent and hit them with a hammer. If the opponent puts something in their way then they stop moving and prepare to swing the hammer. If the thing that stopped them moves they swing their hammer and miss. In the case of trample they have a gun with a bullet for each point of power. If their obstruction dies or dissapears before the bullets have been spent then the rest of the bullets will hit the defending player. First strike and flying are fairly obvious additions to this model.