The Unbreakable Truth: Making Artifacts Indestructible in Magic: The Gathering
The most direct answer to the question “What card makes artifacts indestructible?” is Darksteel Forge. This powerful artifact bestows the ability “Artifacts you control have indestructible” upon you while it remains on the battlefield. It is important to note that Darksteel Forge affects all artifacts you control, including itself, making it a resilient centerpiece of any artifact-heavy strategy.
Understanding Indestructibility
Indestructibility, as a keyword ability, has profound implications in Magic: The Gathering. An indestructible permanent cannot be destroyed by “destroy” effects or by lethal damage. This doesn’t mean they’re invincible, though; there are several ways to circumvent this protection, which we’ll explore in the FAQs below. Understanding these interactions is key to both utilizing and overcoming indestructible artifacts.
Building Around Indestructible Artifacts
Darksteel Forge is typically included in decks that heavily rely on artifacts. These can be artifact ramp decks, artifact combo decks, or decks that simply aim to establish a powerful board presence using resilient artifacts. Accelerating to its nine-mana cost is often achieved through other artifacts like mana rocks (e.g., Sol Ring, Mana Vault) or through green mana ramp spells that fetch lands.
Beyond Darksteel Forge, several other cards interact with artifact indestructibility, either granting it conditionally or working around it. Knowledge of these cards expands your strategic options in deckbuilding and gameplay.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Artifact Indestructibility
1. Does Darksteel Forge make artifact creatures indestructible?
Yes, absolutely. Darksteel Forge grants indestructible to all artifacts you control. Because artifact creatures are both artifacts and creatures, they benefit from this protection. This makes them significantly harder to remove from the battlefield.
2. How can you “destroy” an indestructible artifact?
While you can’t literally destroy an indestructible artifact with effects that specifically say “destroy,” there are several effective alternatives:
- Exile It: Exiling a permanent removes it from the game entirely, bypassing indestructibility. Cards like Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile are excellent choices for this.
- Reduce Its Toughness to 0: While more relevant for creatures, reducing an artifact creature’s toughness to 0 will still send it to the graveyard. (Note: Indestructible only prevents destruction by lethal damage, not by having 0 toughness.)
- Make Your Opponent Sacrifice It: Sacrifice effects force the controller of the artifact to send it to the graveyard. These bypass indestructibility because the artifact isn’t being destroyed by a spell or ability.
- Counter It: Preventing the artifact from entering the battlefield in the first place is often the most efficient answer.
- Enchant It with a detrimental aura: Some Auras, like Arrest, can effectively neutralize an artifact’s threat by preventing it from activating its abilities or attacking.
- Return it to Your Opponent’s Hand: Effects that return a permanent to its owner’s hand avoid destruction entirely.
- Tuck It: Cards that put the artifact on the bottom of its owner’s library provide a temporary solution, setting your opponent back a few turns while they try to re-draw it.
3. What other cards grant artifacts indestructible?
While Darksteel Forge is the most prominent, other cards can grant indestructible to artifacts in certain situations:
- Teferi, Master of Time: Teferi’s +1 ability can grant a target creature indestructible until your next turn. If you control an artifact creature, it can become indestructible with this ability.
Keep in mind that these effects might be conditional or temporary.
4. Does Deathtouch work on indestructible artifacts?
No. Deathtouch causes damage to become lethal. Indestructible prevents destruction by lethal damage. Therefore, the indestructible effect overrides deathtouch in this scenario. The same logic applies to Wither and Infect.
5. Can you board wipe an indestructible creature?
It depends on the board wipe. A board wipe that uses “destroy” or deals lethal damage will not affect indestructible creatures or artifacts. However, board wipes that exile all permanents or give all creatures -X/-X until end of turn can effectively remove indestructible permanents. For example, cards like Farewell or Toxic Deluge can deal with indestructible threats.
6. Does “destroy artifact” work on artifact creatures?
Yes. The spell or ability that has “destroy artifact” will destroy artifact creatures as well. It is both an artifact and a creature, thus it is affected by the rule to destroy artifacts.
7. Are all colorless cards artifacts?
No. Colorless cards can be of any card type. While most artifacts are colorless, there are also colored artifacts (e.g., artifact creatures with colored mana symbols in their mana costs) and colorless non-artifact cards, such as colorless creatures and lands.
8. What happens if you control 8 artifacts with the same name?
This depends on the specific card that is making you copy artifacts. Some cards will simply create a token copy of an enchanted artifact at the beginning of your upkeep. If the card says “If you control eight or more artifacts with the same name as one another, you win the game,” then you win the game!
9. Do artifacts have summoning sickness?
All permanents experience summoning sickness, but only creatures are affected by it. If an artifact is also a creature (artifact creature), it will be subject to summoning sickness, meaning it can’t attack or use activated abilities with the tap or untap symbol on the turn it enters the battlefield unless it has haste. An artifact that is not a creature is unaffected by summoning sickness.
10. What equipment makes a creature indestructible?
The Kaldra cycle of equipment — Sword of Kaldra, Shield of Kaldra, and Helm of Kaldra — grant indestructible to the equipped creature. However, to gain all three, they must be assembled together, because they are all legendary equipment.
11. What card turns all permanents into artifacts?
Mycosynth Lattice turns all permanents on the battlefield into artifacts in addition to their other types. This can be a powerful strategy, especially when combined with cards that benefit from or interact with artifacts. Be cautious, though, as it also makes your own permanents vulnerable to artifact removal.
12. How do I deal with Darksteel Forge in a game?
The most common strategy is to remove Darksteel Forge itself before your opponent can establish a board of indestructible artifacts. Artifact removal spells like Abrade, Disenchant, or Ancient Grudge are effective for this. If the board state gets out of hand, you can use any method to destroy indestructible artifacts listed above.
13. How can I build a competitive Darksteel Forge deck?
A competitive Darksteel Forge deck relies on quickly generating the nine mana needed to cast it. Mana rocks, artifact ramp, and efficient draw spells are crucial. The deck should also include powerful artifacts that become even more potent with indestructibility, such as equipment like Darksteel Plate, creatures like Blightsteel Colossus, or value artifacts like Gilded Lotus. The deck should also have contingency plans if Darksteel Forge gets countered, destroyed or exiled such as more indestructible engines to take it’s place.
14. Does indestructible protect against infect or wither?
No. Infect and Wither cause -1/-1 counters to be placed on a creature, and if a creatures toughness becomes 0 as a result of the counters, it will be put into the graveyard as a state based action. Indestructible does not protect against this and will not prevent the creature from going to the graveyard.
15. What are some resources to learn more about Magic: The Gathering strategy?
There are many excellent resources available for learning more about Magic: The Gathering strategy. Websites like TCGplayer, Card Kingdom, and ChannelFireball offer articles and videos from experienced players. You can also find helpful communities and forums on Reddit (r/magicTCG) and Discord. Don’t forget to explore the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org for insights into the educational aspects of gaming, which can indirectly enhance your strategic thinking.
By understanding the nuances of indestructibility and the various cards that interact with it, you can become a more skilled and strategic Magic: The Gathering player.