blocking/tapping

[Avodroc13]

Does blocking cause a creature to tap?

[Splicer]

Nope, not at all.

[Avodroc13]

To add onto this question,

I attack with a 2/2, my opponent declares a 2/1 to block. As he declares which is blocking, I unsummon the 2/1. Does he take the 2? He claims that he still declared that the creature was blocked and I only returned his to his hand. Could you please explain how the process works?

From my understanding, if I attack with, say, a 1/1 and my opponent flashes a 2/3, I can, in response, play {Titanic Growth} on my 1/1, killing the 2/3 blocker. Yet, I can't unsummon his blocker? I don't understand how some instants work and some dont.

[Splicer]

506.4.:
506.4a Once a creature has been declared as an attacking or blocking creature, spells or abilities that would have kept that creature from attacking or blocking don't remove the creature from combat.

In other words, the creature you unsummoned left the battlefield, but your creature is still considered a "blocked" creature.({Curtain of light}). {Titanic Growth} will kill his creature because it is taking damage from your buffed creature.

[Mr_Fahrenheit]

The combat step is broken up into 5 phases:

-Beginning of combat
-Declare attackers
-Declare blockers
-Assign combat damage (this is also split into 2 parts if there are first strike/double strike creatures involved)
-End of combat

For you to cast the unsummon spell during combat to force the damage through you need to cast the spell either in the beginning of combat phase or in the declare attackers phase after attackers are declared. If you wait until the declare blockers phase it is too late.

[Avodroc13]

Do split second cards ({Trickbind}, etc) follow the same rules as instants during the combat steps?

[Splicer]

Yes, the only difference is that they can't be responded to.

[rarehuntertay]

Yes, the only difference is that they can't be responded to.

Not quite true. Abilities that trigger upon a spell being cast, such as  {Counterbalance}, will still go off.

[Splicer]

Yes, the only difference is that they can't be responded to.

Not quite true. Abilities that trigger upon a spell being cast, such as  {Counterbalance}, will still go off.

You are correct, I just meant that neither player can activate spells or abilities that aren't triggered by something else.