Can I Sacrifice an Indestructible Creature?
The short and definitive answer is yes, you can absolutely sacrifice an indestructible creature. Indestructibility is a powerful ability in trading card games, especially in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), but it’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card for everything. Understanding why you can sacrifice an indestructible creature boils down to understanding exactly what indestructibility protects against.
Understanding Indestructibility
Indestructibility, at its core, only prevents a permanent from being destroyed. This means two primary things:
- It is not destroyed by lethal damage. This means damage equal to or greater than a creature’s toughness.
- It ignores effects that specifically say “destroy“.
Notice that sacrificing isn’t mentioned in either of those points. Sacrificing is a completely different mechanic from destroying.
Sacrifice vs. Destroy: A Critical Distinction
The key difference is that destroying is often a result of something, while sacrificing is a choice made by a player. Think of it this way:
- Destroy Effects: These are things like spells or abilities that specifically say “Destroy target creature” or effects that deal damage.
- Sacrifice Effects: These are costs or requirements that players choose to pay or fulfill. Often these are triggered to get a powerful effect.
When you sacrifice a permanent, you are deliberately moving it from the battlefield to the graveyard as a cost or part of an effect. Indestructibility does nothing to stop this. It is a voluntary action, not an action forced by a destruction effect.
Why Sacrificing Works on Indestructible Creatures
The reason sacrificing works on indestructible creatures is because sacrificing is not destroying. The game rules treat them as two separate actions with distinct outcomes. Indestructibility is a shield against destruction, not against a player’s own choices. It cannot shield the user from the sacrifice mechanic.
You are voluntarily giving up the permanent as part of a cost or to trigger an ability. The game rules allow you to do this, even with an indestructible creature.
Practical Examples
Let’s look at a few practical examples from MTG:
- Viscera Seer: This creature has an ability that lets you sacrifice a creature to scry 1. You can absolutely sacrifice an indestructible creature to Viscera Seer to look at the top card of your library.
- Altar of Dementia: This artifact allows you to sacrifice a creature to mill another player. Sacrificing an indestructible creature is valid here to remove cards from an opponents deck.
- Cards that require sacrifices as a cost: Some cards need you to sacrifice a creature as a part of playing the card. You can pay this cost with an indestructible creature if you choose.
When Indestructibility Matters
While indestructible creatures can be sacrificed, keep in mind when indestructibility does matter. If a spell or ability says “Destroy all creatures,” your indestructible creature will survive. Similarly, it will survive effects that deal lethal damage.
Indestructibility provides protection against targeted or mass destruction, but it does not grant immunity to voluntary sacrifice.
FAQs: Indestructible Creatures and Sacrifice
Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify the interaction between indestructible creatures and sacrifice effects:
1. If I sacrifice an indestructible creature, does it trigger “dies” abilities?
Yes, sacrificing an indestructible creature triggers any abilities that trigger when a creature “dies” or is “put into the graveyard from the battlefield.” Sacrificing still results in the creature going to the graveyard, regardless of its indestructibility.
2. Can my opponent force me to sacrifice my indestructible creature?
Yes, certain cards and effects can force a player to sacrifice a creature. Since sacrifice is not destruction, indestructibility does not protect against this.
3. What happens if I have multiple creatures with indestructible and I have to sacrifice one?
You get to choose which creature to sacrifice. You are free to choose any creature you control, even if they have indestructible.
4. Does indestructible prevent me from discarding a creature from my hand?
No. Indestructibility only applies to permanents on the battlefield. It has no effect on cards in your hand, library, or graveyard.
5. If I copy an indestructible creature and then sacrifice the copy, does the original survive?
Yes, the original indestructible creature survives. Sacrificing the copy only affects the copy, not the original.
6. Does indestructible prevent -X/-X effects?
No. Indestructible prevents destruction, but if a creature’s toughness is reduced to zero or less by -X/-X effects, it will be put into the graveyard as a state-based action, even if it is indestructible.
7. What if an effect says “Exile target creature?” Does indestructible help?
No. Indestructible only prevents destruction, not exile. A creature exiled will go to the exile zone.
8. If I have a creature with indestructible and deathtouch, will it destroy blocking creatures?
Yes. Deathtouch means that any amount of damage dealt by the creature is considered lethal. Indestructible prevents destruction, but deathtouch still functions normally against creatures without indestructible.
9. Can I regenerate an indestructible creature?
No. Regeneration replaces destruction with exile of the card instead. Because indestructible creatures cannot be destroyed, there is nothing to replace with regeneration.
10. Does indestructible prevent me from bouncing a creature back to my hand?
No. “Bouncing” a creature (returning it to its owner’s hand) is a completely separate action from destroying it.
11. If a creature has both indestructible and hexproof, can I still sacrifice it?
Yes. Hexproof only prevents the creature from being the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. You can still target it yourself, and you can still sacrifice it.
12. Does indestructible stop combat damage?
Indestructible prevents a creature from being destroyed by lethal combat damage, but the damage is still dealt. A creature with indestructible will survive combat, even if it takes lethal damage.
13. Can I use the “legend rule” to get rid of an indestructible legendary creature?
Yes. The legend rule forces a player to choose one legendary permanent they control to keep when they control multiple with the same name. The rest are put into the graveyard. This isn’t destruction, so indestructible doesn’t prevent it.
14. Does indestructible prevent a creature from being exiled due to the “dies” trigger?
Indestructible does not prevent a creature from being exiled as part of a replacement effect or triggered ability when it would otherwise die. For example, if a card states, “When this creature dies, exile it instead,” the creature will be exiled even if it is indestructible. The death trigger still works.
15. Can Indestructible permanents be put into their owner’s graveyard?
Indestructible permanents can still be put into their owner’s graveyard by other means, such as by the “legend rule”, by being sacrificed or (in the case of creatures) having zero or less toughness. They can also be removed from the battlefield by being bounced or exiled for example.
Conclusion
While indestructible creatures are resilient and can be difficult to remove from the battlefield, they are not invincible. Sacrificing is a key example of a mechanic that bypasses indestructibility because it relies on a player’s choice, not a destruction effect. Understanding the nuances of indestructibility and its limitations is crucial for mastering gameplay and developing effective strategies, which is a focus of the Games Learning Society. Knowing how all these mechanics interplay is crucial to becoming a better player. Learn more at GamesLearningSociety.org.