Decoding Protection from Green and Trample in Magic: The Gathering

Absolutely! A creature with protection from green doesn’t stop trample entirely. The attacking player must still assign enough damage to the creature with protection to account for its toughness, but the remaining damage can then be assigned to the defending player or planeswalker. Let’s dive deeper into this interaction, exploring how protection and trample intertwine in Magic: The Gathering (MTG).

Understanding Protection and Trample: The Basics

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s define our key terms:

• Protection: This ability prevents four things, often remembered by the acronym DEBT: Damage, Enchanting/Equipping, Blocking, and Targeting. A creature with protection from green, for example, cannot be targeted by green spells or abilities, dealt damage by green sources, blocked by green creatures, or be enchanted/equipped by green enchantments/equipment.

• Trample: This ability modifies how an attacking creature assigns combat damage. If a creature with trample is blocked, it must assign lethal damage to each blocking creature before assigning damage to the defending player or planeswalker. “Lethal damage” means enough damage to destroy a creature. If the attacking creature’s power exceeds the toughness of the blockers, the excess damage “tramples over” to the defending player/planeswalker.

The Interaction: Protection from Green vs. Trample

The key to understanding this interaction is knowing that trample dictates how damage is assigned, not whether it’s dealt. Protection prevents damage from being dealt by sources of the specified quality (in this case, green). However, trample still requires the attacking player to assign lethal damage to the blocker, even if that damage is nullified by protection.

For example, if you attack with a 5/5 creature with trample and it is blocked by a 2/2 creature with protection from green, you must still assign 2 damage to the blocker. Protection from green will prevent this damage from having an effect, but the attacking player can then assign the remaining 3 damage to the defending player.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some FAQs to further clarify this interaction and related concepts:

1. Does protection from a color stop all combat damage?

No. Protection only prevents damage from sources of the specified color or quality. Damage from other sources will still affect the protected creature.

2. If my creature has protection from green, can a green creature block it?

Yes, a green creature can block a creature with protection from green, but it can’t deal combat damage to it. Protection prevents the green creature from dealing damage but doesn’t prevent the block itself.

3. Can a green aura enchant a creature with protection from green?

No. One of the functions of protection is that the creature can’t be enchanted by green auras. The aura wouldn’t be able to stay attached.

4. If a creature has both deathtouch and trample, how does protection interact?

If a creature with deathtouch and trample is blocked by a creature with protection from a relevant color, you only need to assign 1 damage to the blocking creature because deathtouch makes 1 damage lethal. The remaining damage can trample through.

5. Does indestructible prevent trample damage from being assigned?

No. Indestructible only means that a creature cannot be destroyed by damage or “destroy” effects. It doesn’t prevent damage from being assigned, so the rest can still trample through.

6. What if the blocking creature has both protection from green and indestructible?

You still have to assign lethal damage to the creature, even though it won’t be destroyed. If you attack with a 5/5 with trample and it is blocked by an indestructible creature with protection from green, you must assign all 5 damage to the blocker.

7. Does hexproof interact with trample?

No, hexproof protects a creature from being targeted by spells or abilities your opponents control. Trample is a static ability that doesn’t target, therefore Hexproof will not protect creatures or players from this damage.

8. If I attack a planeswalker with trample, does protection on a blocking creature affect damage to the planeswalker?

Yes. The attacking creature must assign lethal damage to all blockers before assigning damage to the planeswalker. Any protection abilities on the blocking creature will still factor into how much damage must be assigned to it before the remainder can trample to the planeswalker.

9. Can a creature with protection from green be targeted by a green activated ability?

No. Protection prevents targeting by sources of the specified color, including activated abilities of green permanents.

10. Does first strike or double strike change how trample interacts with protection?

Yes, If a creature with both double strike and trample, the combat damage it assigned during the first combat damage step will be considered when determining how much damage can trample through in the second combat damage step.

11. Does protection stop triggered abilities?

Generally, no. Protection only stops damage, enchanting/equipping, blocking, and targeting. Triggered abilities will still resolve normally unless they try to do one of those four things.

12. How do shield counters work against trample?

Shield counters provide no extra protection against trample. The trampler still has to assign lethal damage to all blockers before assigning damage to the defending player, but this isn’t affected by shield counters in any way.

13. Does protection work against exile effects?

No. Protection only works against Damage, Enchanting/Equipping, Blocking, and Targeting. Exile effects bypass protection.

14. If a creature has protection from all colors, can anything block it?

Yes, creatures can block a creature with protection from all colors. However, since damage can’t be dealt to the protected creature from any colored source, the protected creature won’t take any damage from the blocker.

15. Where can I learn more about MTG rules and strategies?

There are numerous resources available online and in your local gaming community. You can check the official MTG website, reputable MTG content creators, or explore educational platforms like the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. GamesLearningSociety.org is a fantastic resource for understanding the deeper mechanics and strategic elements of games.

Final Thoughts

The interplay between protection from green and trample demonstrates the intricate and nuanced nature of MTG rules. While protection can mitigate the impact of certain threats, it doesn’t negate the mechanics of trample entirely. Mastering these interactions is crucial for any aspiring MTG player to elevate their gameplay and decision-making. Understanding these rules can significantly improve your strategy.