Does Bury Destroy Indestructible in Magic: The Gathering?

No, bury does not destroy an indestructible permanent in Magic: The Gathering. The “bury” effect, which was a shorthand for “destroy target creature. It can’t be regenerated,” has been replaced with the explicit “destroy” instruction in modern card text. Since indestructible specifically prevents destruction, a “destroy” effect, regardless of its original wording, will not affect a permanent with indestructible. Think of it like this: indestructible is like a magical force field protecting against destruction, but it’s powerless against other removal methods.

Understanding Indestructible and Removal in MTG

Indestructible is a keyword ability that prevents a permanent from being destroyed by lethal damage or effects that say “destroy.” This doesn’t make the permanent invincible, just resistant to certain types of removal. Many other strategies can still get rid of indestructible permanents, making them less of an absolute defense and more of a resilient presence on the battlefield. Understanding the nuances of how indestructible interacts with other game mechanics is crucial for any Magic: The Gathering player looking to build effective strategies.

FAQs About Indestructible

Here are 15 Frequently Asked Questions to further clarify how to deal with the indestructible keyword in Magic: The Gathering:

1. What actually gets rid of indestructible permanents?

Several methods can remove indestructible permanents from the battlefield. The most common include:

• Exile: Sending the permanent to exile completely removes it from the game, bypassing indestructible entirely.

• Sacrifice: Forcing the controller of the indestructible permanent to sacrifice it. Indestructible only prevents destruction, not sacrificing.

• Reducing Toughness to Zero: If a creature’s toughness is reduced to 0 or less, it will still die despite having indestructible.

• Bounce: Returning the permanent to its owner’s hand is a temporary solution but can disrupt their strategy.

• Putting into a Library: Sending the permanent to its owner’s library to be re-drawn later is a good solution.

2. Does sacrifice get around indestructible?

Yes, sacrifice completely bypasses indestructible. Sacrificing a permanent isn’t the same as destroying it. Indestructible only prevents effects that specifically state “destroy” or effects that would cause destruction due to damage.

3. Does Deathtouch beat indestructible?

No, deathtouch does not overcome indestructible. Deathtouch makes any amount of damage dealt by a creature lethal, but indestructible specifically prevents destruction by lethal damage.

4. Do board wipes work on indestructible?

It depends on the type of board wipe. Board wipes that destroy all creatures (like Wrath of God) will not affect indestructible creatures. However, board wipes that exile all creatures (like Farewell) will remove indestructible creatures. Similarly, a board wipe that gives all creatures -X/-X until end of turn can cause an indestructible creature to have zero toughness and die.

5. Can you counter an indestructible spell or ability?

Yes, you can counter a spell that would create an indestructible permanent or grant indestructible to a permanent. Indestructible only protects the permanent after it’s already on the battlefield.

6. Does hexproof stop you from sacrificing a creature?

No, hexproof only prevents your opponents from targeting your permanents with spells or abilities they control. It doesn’t prevent you from sacrificing your own creatures or being forced to sacrifice by an effect that doesn’t target.

7. What happens if you give a Planeswalker indestructible?

While an indestructible Planeswalker cannot be destroyed by effects that say “destroy,” damage dealt to a Planeswalker still results in the removal of loyalty counters. Once the loyalty counters reach zero, the Planeswalker is put into the graveyard regardless of having indestructible.

8. Does trample go through an indestructible blocker?

Yes. When a creature with trample is blocked by an indestructible creature, you must assign lethal damage to the indestructible creature. However, since the indestructible creature won’t be destroyed, any damage exceeding its toughness will “trample over” and be dealt to the defending player.

9. Does indestructible prevent -1/-1 counters from killing a creature?

No. If a creature’s toughness is reduced to zero or less through -1/-1 counters (or other effects), it dies regardless of having indestructible. Indestructible only prevents destruction by damage and “destroy” effects.

10. Does first strike beat deathtouch if the deathtouch creature is indestructible?

No. The creature with First Strike will deal its damage first. However, deathtouch is only effective in destroying creatures. Since the indestructible creature will not be destroyed by lethal damage, it will survive and deal its normal damage in the normal combat damage step, and may destroy the First Strike creature.

11. Why is sacrifice a good way to get rid of indestructible?

Sacrifice is effective because it doesn’t target or destroy. It simply forces the player to put the permanent in the graveyard. Indestructible only protects against effects that destroy the permanent, making sacrifice a reliable removal option.

12. Does hexproof stop board wipes?

It depends on the wording of the board wipe. If the board wipe says “destroy all creatures”, then hexproof would not prevent it. However, if the board wipe says “destroy target creature”, then hexproof would prevent the board wipe from destroying the creature with hexproof.

13. Does blasphemous act get around indestructible?

No, Indestructible doesn’t prevent damage. It just says “lethal damage doesn’t kill this creature.” Blasphemous Act resolved, Sephara dies to lethal damage.

14. Does indestructible prevent 0 0?

However, indestructible does have its limitations. If a creature’s toughness is reduced to zero, it still dies, even if it has indestructible.

15. Does Deathtouch affect indestructible creatures?

Since indestructible can’t be destroyed by rules, it gets rid of deathtouch.

Learning More About Magic: The Gathering

Understanding these interactions is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mastering Magic: The Gathering. For more in-depth analysis, strategy discussions, and resources for learning and improving your game, consider exploring the Games Learning Society. This organization delves into the educational and cognitive aspects of games, providing valuable insights for players of all levels. Visit their website at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. You may also discover opportunities to meet and play with like-minded card game enthusiasts.