Not life gain.

[Destore117]

Does {Beacon of Immortality} double your life total if {Havoc Festival} is in play? It doesn't say you gain life.

[Ekann1]

This is from the rules on gatherer.wizards.com for havoc festival.  I would say this means that you can't double someone's life total with havoc festival on the battlefield, but I'm not completely sure


10/1/2012   If an effect says to set a player's life total to a certain number and that number is higher than the player's current life total, that part of the effect won't do anything. (If the number is lower than the player's current life total, the effect will work as normal.)

[Destore117]

But it doesn't specify a number. :/ ugh I really need a way around this. When my friend plays that card. I will lose because of one turn difference. I hate it.

[Ekann1]

You might be right. Guess we'll have to wait for someone who can find the right rule from the life gain section or wherever it is.

[Destore117]

Yeah. Well. Thanks for trying to help. You mcjt be right.

[xStrayKnightx]

Just look at the rulings for the card. Third card ruling states that its effect fits under the Lifegain ability. While it doesn't state a number, you still gain that life, therefore making it a Lifegain spell.

[Kaleo42]

Any increase in life is considered lifegain.

[xStrayKnightx]

The only thing with this card is that, if you have immortality running (say with {Phyrexian Unlife} + {Melira, Sylvok Outcast}), and you're at negative life, you need to do basic math. So double -10 is -20. That's the only time this card doesn't count as lifegain.

[Destore117]

Any increase in life is considered lifegain.

So there's no way to increase my life to avoid this cards affect?
Oh well..

[Gorzo]

Whenever your life total changes, you are gaining or losing the difference. There's no way to increase your life total without gaining life.

[Double-O-Scotch]

Always a way around. {platinum empyrion}. You can't gain life, but you can't lose it either...