Can two creatures with protection block each other?
No, two creatures with protection from each other cannot block each other, as protection prevents a creature from being blocked, targeted, dealt damage, enchanted, or equipped by anything with the specified quality. This means that if two creatures have protection from each other, they are essentially immune to each other’s effects, and blocking is not possible between them.
Understanding Protection in Magic: The Gathering
To delve deeper into the nuances of protection and its implications on gameplay, particularly in scenarios involving blocking, it’s crucial to understand the DEBT acronym, which stands for Damage, Enchanting/Equipping, Blocking, and Targeting. Protection shields a creature from these specific interactions based on the quality (such as color, creature type, etc.) it has protection from.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I block with a creature that has protection from creatures?
A creature with protection from creatures cannot be blocked by other creatures, but it can block other creatures itself, as protection only prevents certain interactions and does not inherently stop a creature from performing actions like blocking.
2. Does protection stop you from blocking MTG?
Protection stops a creature from being blocked, targeted, dealt damage, enchanted, or equipped by the specified quality, but it doesn’t prevent the creature with protection from blocking other creatures, assuming those creatures do not have a quality that the blocking creature has protection from.
3. How does protection from creatures work with blocking?
If a creature with protection from creatures blocks another creature, the protection will prevent damage from being dealt to it by creatures it has protection from, but it won’t stop the act of blocking itself.
4. Can creatures with protection from everything be blocked?
No, creatures with protection from everything cannot be blocked, dealt damage, or targeted because their protection covers all possible qualities.
5. Can You Block with Multiple Creatures?
Yes, you can block with multiple creatures, but each blocking creature can only block one attacking creature unless a specific ability allows it to block additional creatures.
6. Can you proliferate a creature with protection?
Yes, protection does not stop you from proliferating (giving an additional counter of a kind that the permanent or player already has) a creature because proliferate does not target.
7. Does indestructible prevent Deathtouch?
Yes, indestructible creatures are immune to deathtouch because indestructible prevents destruction, and deathtouch works by destroying a creature after it deals damage.
8. Does protection protect from board wipes?
No, protection does not protect from board wipes unless the board wipe directly targets and damages, in which case protection from the appropriate quality would apply.
9. How does blocking with two creatures work?
When blocking with two creatures, you choose which of your creatures block which attacking creatures. The order in which blockers deal damage is determined by the controller of the blocked creature.
10. Does protection stop you from targeting your own creatures?
Yes, protection stops targeting, including by the creature’s controller, for the specified quality.
11. Can you block with protection magic?
Protection magic (or the protection ability) doesn’t inherently allow a creature to block; it determines what can and cannot interact with the creature in certain ways.
12. Does protection stop destroy?
Protection only stops interactions covered by DEBT and does not prevent global destroy effects or exiling.
13. Does protection prevent commander damage?
Yes, protection can prevent commander damage, which is a form of combat damage.
14. Can you sacrifice a creature that is already blocking?
Yes, a creature can be sacrificed after it has been declared as a blocker but before damage is dealt, in which case it will not deal its combat damage.
15. Does protection from blue stop counterspell?
Protection from blue would prevent blue spells, including counterspells, from targeting or affecting the protected creature, but protection from blue does not prevent non-blue counterspells from being used against blue spells.