Can You Give a Planeswalker Indestructible? Unveiling the Magic: The Gathering Rules
The short answer is: yes, you can give a planeswalker indestructible, but this doesn’t make them invincible. While an indestructible planeswalker becomes resistant to being destroyed by effects like Planar Cleansing or Hero’s Downfall, it doesn’t stop them from eventually meeting their end under specific circumstances. The nuances of how indestructibility interacts with planeswalkers is a cornerstone of understanding advanced Magic: The Gathering (MTG) gameplay, and we’ll delve deeper into that in this article.
Understanding Indestructibility
Indestructible is a keyword ability in MTG that prevents a permanent from being destroyed by damage or effects that use the word “destroy”. However, it does not make a permanent invulnerable. Indestructible merely protects from destruction; it does not prevent all negative effects.
Indestructibility and Damage
When a planeswalker with indestructible is dealt damage, that damage still results in the loss of loyalty counters, one counter for each point of damage. Indestructibility only ensures that the planeswalker won’t be destroyed by the damage itself. The loss of loyalty is the key here. If a planeswalker reaches zero loyalty, it is put into its owner’s graveyard, a state-based action, even if it’s indestructible.
Indestructibility and State-Based Actions
This leads to a critical understanding of state-based actions. These are automatic checks the game makes to ensure that all rules are being followed, and these state-based actions can impact even indestructible permanents. A key state-based action for planeswalkers is that one with zero loyalty is put into its owner’s graveyard, and indestructibility does not prevent this outcome.
The Importance of Loyalty Counters
Planeswalkers survive by having loyalty counters. These counters act as their health. Many abilities of planeswalkers add or subtract loyalty. When damage is dealt to a planeswalker, loyalty counters are removed equal to the damage. If these counters reach zero, the indestructible planeswalker is still sent to the graveyard.
The Limitations of Indestructibility
While valuable, indestructibility has limitations. It doesn’t prevent a permanent from:
- Being exiled: Spells or abilities that exile a permanent will send even indestructible permanents into exile. Examples include Path to Exile or Oblivion Ring.
- Being Sacrificed: If an effect forces you to sacrifice an indestructible permanent, it must be sacrificed and will go to the graveyard.
- Having its Toughness reduced to zero: While this mainly applies to creatures, the concept is important to understand how negative counters or effects interact with indestructible.
- Losing the game: Indestructibility will not prevent you from losing the game based on various lose conditions.
- The Legendary Rule: Indestructibility will not prevent you from having to put one of two legendary permanents with the same name into the graveyard due to this state-based action.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can deathtouch destroy an indestructible creature?
No, deathtouch does not destroy an indestructible creature. While deathtouch means any amount of damage from a source with deathtouch is lethal to a regular creature, indestructible creatures ignore deathtouch. A creature with deathtouch can still deal damage to an indestructible creature (or planeswalker), but the indestructible permanent is not destroyed by that damage.
2. If a creature has indestructible and its toughness is reduced to zero, does it die?
Yes, indestructible does not prevent a creature from dying if its toughness is reduced to zero. Effects such as Grasp of Darkness or Pestilent Haze can reduce a creature’s toughness, even one with indestructible, and will send the creature to the graveyard if its toughness reaches zero.
3. What beats indestructible?
Several effects can overcome indestructibility including:
- Exile effects: Spells like Path to Exile or Oblivion Ring
- Sacrifice effects: Cards forcing a player to sacrifice a permanent.
- -X/-X effects: Spells or abilities that reduce a creature’s toughness to zero such as Black Sun’s Zenith or Disfigure.
- Infect/Wither: Sources that place -1/-1 counters on a creature.
4. Does a board wipe destroy indestructible creatures?
It depends on the board wipe’s effect. If the board wipe destroys creatures, or deals damage, it will not affect indestructible permanents. However, a board wipe that exiles or gives -X/-X will affect them.
5. Does deathtouch work with zero damage?
No, deathtouch requires that damage be dealt. A creature with deathtouch that deals zero damage to an opponent’s creature will not destroy that creature.
6. Does 0 damage trigger deathtouch?
No, the trigger for deathtouch is that any amount of damage greater than zero must be dealt. Zero damage does not activate deathtouch.
7. Does indestructible prevent the legendary rule?
No, the legendary rule is a state-based action that is not prevented by indestructible. If you have two or more legendary permanents with the same name, you must choose one to keep, and the rest are put into their owner’s graveyard. Indestructibility has no bearing on the legendary rule.
8. Does hexproof block deathtouch?
No, hexproof does not block deathtouch. Hexproof only prevents a permanent from being the target of spells or abilities controlled by an opponent. Deathtouch works through damage, not through targeting, so hexproof does not stop it.
9. Can you exile an indestructible permanent?
Yes, indestructible permanents can be exiled. Indestructibility only prevents destruction by damage or the word “destroy”; effects that exile a permanent can still do so even if it is indestructible.
10. Does first strike beat deathtouch?
Yes, a creature with first strike can kill a creature with deathtouch in combat before the deathtouch creature deals damage back. The first strike damage is dealt first; if this damage is enough to kill the deathtouch creature, the deathtouch creature will not deal damage to the first strike creature.
11. Are planeswalkers killed by deathtouch?
Generally no. Deathtouch only applies to creatures, not planeswalkers. Unless a planeswalker has an ability that makes it a creature (or the damage source affects planeswalkers), deathtouch will not cause them to be destroyed.
12. Do planeswalkers lose loyalty if they are indestructible?
Yes, planeswalkers still lose loyalty counters when dealt damage, even if they have indestructible. Indestructible prevents them from being destroyed by damage, but it doesn’t stop the loss of loyalty counters.
13. Can a deathtouch effect target a creature with shroud?
No. Shroud prevents the creature from being targeted by any spell or ability, even one with deathtouch. Deathtouch does not target a creature; it affects how damage is applied. Therefore, a creature with shroud can still be destroyed if a source with deathtouch deals damage to it during combat.
14. Can you sacrifice an indestructible permanent?
Yes, you can sacrifice an indestructible permanent. Indestructible does not prevent you from being forced to sacrifice the permanent.
15. Does preventing damage stop deathtouch?
Yes, if all damage is prevented, deathtouch will not apply. Deathtouch requires that damage be dealt, so if no damage is dealt to a creature, deathtouch cannot apply and will not cause the creature to be destroyed.