What does と in "対象とする" mean?

Question

In Japanese version of Magic: the Gathering cards, there is a common idiom

"[target description] を対象とする。[subject] それに [action]."

For example, in this card:

the Japanese text says "クリーチャー１体かプレイヤー１人を対象とする。稲妻はそれに３点のダメージを与える。"

The english text says "Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to target creature or player."

1. What does the と in the sentence mean? Wouldn't 対象する work alone?
2. Is there a simpler, less wordy, way to say the same thing, similar to the way that in English, we can use "target" as an adjective?

Answer 1

1. What does the と in the sentence mean? Wouldn't 対象する work alone?

No, 対象する doesn't work alone (since 対象 is not a suru-verb).

ＡをＢとする (or ＡをＢにする) means "make A B", so クリーチャーを対象とする (or クリーチャーを対象にする) literally means "make a creature the target", "set/have a creature as the target," i.e., "Your target will be a creature."

2. Is there a simpler, less wordy, way to say the same thing, similar to the way that in English, we can use "target" as an adjective?

"Target" as an adjective would be 「対象となる」 or 「対象の」 in Japanese.

To literally translate "Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to target creature or player" it'd be like:

稲妻は、対象となる / 対象のクリーチャーかプレイヤーに３ダメージを与える。

... although this does not exactly mean the same thing as the original text; saying 対象となる/対象のクリーチャーかプレイヤー (a creature or player that is your target) implies that you may also encounter 対象とならないクリーチャーかプレイヤー (a creature or player that is not your target).

Answer 2

As the answer was almost developed in the comment line, this is just for the further information sake.

As 永劫回帰 san is already telling at the comment line, and as it is explained here,, that と is either "to" or "as" in English.

Example of "to" ( from the link )

総計は50㌦となった。

・The total came to $50.　

Example of "as"

私はジムを、友人と考えている。

・I regard Jim as my friend.

Let's take "as",

As a target, either one creature or one player will be it. Lightning Bolt will inflict upon it 3 point damages.

Have a nice day.