Can I Block with a Creature That Has Protection From Color?
The short answer is yes, you absolutely can block with a creature that has protection from a color. However, the interaction between protection and blocking in Magic: The Gathering (MTG) can be nuanced, leading to some confusion. While a creature with protection from a color can block a creature of that color, the protection ability prevents damage from the attacking creature and some of the other negative effects. Understanding these details is crucial for effective gameplay. Let’s dive into the details and related scenarios.
The Basics of Protection
First, let’s define what protection actually does. In MTG, a creature with protection from a color or any specific quality has the following properties, remembered by the acronym DEBT:
- Damaged: Cannot be dealt damage by sources with the specified quality (e.g. a black creature cannot be dealt damage by black sources)
- Enchanted or Equipped: Cannot be enchanted or equipped by cards with the specified quality
- Blocked: Cannot be blocked by creatures with the specified quality.
- Targeted: Cannot be the target of spells or abilities of the specified quality
These four elements are consistent across all protection abilities, regardless of what is being protected from. For example, “protection from instants” prevents instant spells from targeting the creature or dealing damage to it, but it does not prevent instants from affecting other targets on the board.
Blocking and Protection
Now, let’s clarify the interaction between blocking and protection. If a creature with protection from a color is blocking a creature of that color, it can indeed block. The “can’t be blocked” aspect of protection only applies to the creature with protection when it’s attacking, not when it’s being used as a blocker.
The key here is the damage prevention. Even though the protected creature can block the creature that has the color it’s protected from, any damage the attacker would normally deal to the blocker is prevented. This makes the blocking creature exceptionally resilient in these circumstances. For example, if a creature with protection from blue blocks a blue creature, the blue attacker will deal no damage.
FAQs About Blocking and Protection
To further clarify the nuances of blocking with a creature that has protection, let’s address some frequently asked questions.
1. Does Protection Make a Creature Unblockable?
No. Protection from a color does not make a creature entirely unblockable. It only means that creatures of that color cannot block it. However, creatures without that specific quality can still block. For example, a creature with protection from blue can be blocked by green creatures. Also, spells and effects can still declare a protected creature as blocked, even though creatures with that specific quality cannot.
2. Can You Block a Black Creature if You Have Protection from Black?
Yes, absolutely. If your creature has protection from black, you can use it to block a black creature. While it will successfully block, the attacking black creature’s damage will be prevented.
3. Does Protection from Black Stop Multicolored Creatures?
Yes. A multicolored creature is treated as having all of its colors. Therefore, if a creature has protection from black and blocks a black and red creature, the damage will be prevented as the attacker is also black. Protection from blue will also work against a green/blue creature, as the creature is fully both green and blue.
4. Does Protection from a Color Prevent Deathtouch?
Yes. Because protection from a color prevents all damage from sources of that color, it will also prevent any damage from a source with deathtouch. Deathtouch means that any amount of damage dealt is lethal, but if that damage is prevented, the deathtouch effect will not apply.
5. What Does “Protection From Multicolored” Mean?
“Protection from multicolored” means that a creature cannot be targeted, enchanted, dealt damage, or blocked by any card with more than one color in its cost, or a color indicator and more than one color in it, such as a planeswalker.
6. Does Protection from a Color Stop Board Wipes?
No. Global effects like board wipes such as [[Wrath of God]] or [[Damnation]] do not target, and as such, creatures with protection from a color will not be protected from them. Board wipes that destroy all creatures of a certain color can, however, be avoided by a creature with that color’s protection.
7. Does Protection Remove Enchantments?
Yes. If a creature gains protection from a color while it is enchanted with an enchantment of that color, the enchantment will be removed as the creature is no longer able to be enchanted by sources with the specified quality.
8. Does Protection from a Color Prevent Counterspells?
No. Protection does not work in the stack. If you cast a spell, it can still be countered by any counterspell with the same color. Protection will only work when the permanent is in play, on the battlefield.
9. Does Deathtouch Cancel Deathtouch?
No. While a creature with Deathtouch does make the damage it deals lethal, two creatures with Deathtouch blocking each other do not cancel each other out. If they both deal damage to each other, then both of those sources are lethal.
10. Does Protection Stop Planeswalkers?
Yes. If a planeswalker tries to deal damage to a creature with protection from a color that matches the planeswalker’s color, that damage is prevented. Therefore, no loyalty counters would be removed because no damage was dealt.
11. Does First Strike Work When Blocking?
Yes. A creature with first strike still deals damage before a creature without first strike, even when blocking. This means your blocker with first strike will deal damage first and the creature it’s blocking will deal damage afterwards. If the creature with first strike deals lethal damage before being attacked, the non-first strike attacker does no damage.
12. Does Hexproof Cancel Deathtouch?
No. Hexproof only prevents spells or abilities an opponent controls from targeting that creature. Deathtouch is not a targeting effect and simply changes how damage from that source is viewed. The damage will still be lethal even if the source has Hexproof.
13. How Does Deathtouch Work with Blocking?
If a creature with deathtouch blocks or is blocked by another creature, any combat damage dealt by the creature with deathtouch will be considered lethal damage. If that damage gets through the opposing blocker, the blocked creature is destroyed.
14. Can You Have Protection from Colorless?
Currently, there are no cards that grant “protection from colorless”. However, if such a card existed, it would function like any other form of protection, preventing damage, targeting, equipping, and blocking by colorless sources.
15. What Is the Difference Between Protection from Multicolored and Deathtouch?
Protection from multicolored prevents all damage, targeting, blocking, and enchanting/equipping from multicolored sources. Deathtouch only modifies the damage of a creature with that ability, making all damage lethal.
Conclusion
Understanding how protection and blocking interact is vital for any Magic: The Gathering player. While a creature with protection from a color can block creatures of that color, its real advantage lies in the prevention of damage it would receive from the attacker and other protection aspects. By understanding these rules, you can greatly improve your gameplay and strategic decision-making. Remember the acronym DEBT to help recall all aspects of protection, and you’ll be well-equipped to handle complex combat scenarios in MTG.