Does Deathtouch Break Indestructible in Magic: The Gathering?

The short answer is no, deathtouch does not break indestructible. While deathtouch is a potent ability capable of destroying most creatures in Magic: The Gathering (MTG) with just a single point of damage, it falters when confronted with the unwavering resilience of indestructible permanents. Deathtouch causes “lethal damage” to creatures. Indestructible creatures cannot be destroyed by “lethal damage.” This interaction is a fundamental aspect of the game’s rules and highlights the interplay between different keyword abilities.

Understanding the Mechanics: Deathtouch vs. Indestructible

To grasp why deathtouch is ineffective against indestructible, we must first delve into the mechanics of each ability.

What is Deathtouch?

Deathtouch is a static ability that states: “Any amount of damage this creature deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.” This means that any amount of combat damage (even one point) from a creature with deathtouch will, under normal circumstances, cause a creature that is dealt damage to be destroyed. It essentially turns even a weak 1/1 deathtouch creature into a lethal threat.

What is Indestructible?

Indestructible is another static ability that prevents a permanent from being destroyed by damage and effects that say “destroy.” This means a creature or other permanent with indestructible will not be sent to the graveyard by lethal damage, board wipes that use “destroy,” or any other effect that would traditionally eliminate it through these methods. Indestructible permanents can, however, be removed by other means, which we will explore further.

The Interaction Explained

The crucial part of understanding why deathtouch doesn’t bypass indestructible is that deathtouch causes the creature to be destroyed, but it does not bypass the mechanic itself. Indestructible creatures are simply immune to the “destroy” part of deathtouch’s effect. They are not removed from the battlefield by damage or any effects that say “destroy.”

Let’s look at an example. A Darksteel Myr (an indestructible creature) can block an Ambush Viper (a deathtouch creature) repeatedly without any consequence. The Ambush Viper will deal damage, but the Darksteel Myr’s indestructible ability will prevent it from being destroyed. The deathtouch still applies, but it can’t complete the action. The damage has been dealt, but it doesn’t result in the destruction of the indestructible creature.

The Limitations of Indestructible

While indestructible is a powerful ability, it doesn’t make a permanent impervious to everything. Indestructible permanents can be put into their owner’s graveyard in several ways, such as:

• Sacrifice: Indestructible doesn’t stop you from being forced to sacrifice the permanent. In the game rules, though sacrifice does kill a creature, it doesn’t destroy it.
• Legend Rule: If you control two or more legendary permanents with the same name, you must choose one and sacrifice the others.
• Zero Toughness: If a creature’s toughness is reduced to zero or less through -X/-X effects or counters, it will still go to the graveyard.
• Exile: Effects that exile a permanent, such as a board wipe that exiles rather than destroys, will remove an indestructible permanent from the battlefield.
• Bounce: Effects that return a permanent to its owner’s hand will also remove it from the battlefield.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can combat damage kill indestructible?

No. Creatures with indestructible are impervious to any effects that normally destroy creatures, including damage (combat or otherwise).

2. What can destroy an indestructible creature?

Indestructible creatures can be removed from the battlefield through methods like sacrifice, the legend rule, being reduced to zero or less toughness, exile, or bounce effects. They can also have their abilities removed, like with the card Humility.

3. Does deathtouch work against hexproof?

Yes. Deathtouch doesn’t target, so hexproof doesn’t prevent it. Deathtouch is a static ability and is unaffected by hexproof.

4. Can deathtouch kill a planeswalker?

No. Deathtouch only applies to creatures. You’ll need an additional ability or card to deal with planeswalkers.

5. Does deathtouch destroy a creature with fog bank?

No. Fog Bank’s ability denies your opponents’ creatures the ability to harm it, so deathtouch’s effect won’t trigger.

6. Does a board wipe destroy indestructible?

It depends on the effect. If the board wipe destroys or deals damage, indestructible is unaffected. If the wipe exiles or gives -X/-X to creatures, it will remove indestructible permanents.

7. Does trample go through indestructible?

Yes. Trample works by dealing excess damage to the defending player. You only need to assign “lethal” damage to the indestructible creature to clear the way for your trampling creatures.

8. Do -X/-X counters beat indestructible?

Yes. Indestructible only prevents dying to lethal damage and destroy effects. -X/-X counters and continuous effects will reduce its toughness, potentially causing it to die by having zero or less toughness.

9. Does deathtouch apply poison counters?

No. Deathtouch itself doesn’t apply poison counters; however, a creature with both Deathtouch and Infect deals damage as poison counters.

10. Can you counter deathtouch?

You can’t counter deathtouch because it is a static ability. However, you can employ many methods to deal with deathtouch creatures, such as first or double strike, making your creatures indestructible, using evasion, or removing the deathtouch creature before it deals damage.

11. Does indestructible prevent 0 toughness?

Yes. If a creature’s toughness is reduced to zero, it still goes to the graveyard, even if it has indestructible.

12. Does deathtouch work with 0 power?

No. If a creature with deathtouch has zero power, it cannot deal damage and thus cannot destroy an attacking or blocking creature.

13. Does deathtouch kill commanders?

No. Deathtouch only kills creatures, not planeswalkers, players, or battles. Commanders still take damage as normal and are not destroyed by damage alone.

14. Does shroud negate deathtouch?

No. Deathtouch does not target a creature. Shroud only prevents a permanent from being the target of spells or abilities. A deathtouch creature will still be able to destroy a creature with shroud.

15. Does first strike beat deathtouch?

Yes. If a creature with first strike deals lethal damage to a creature with deathtouch before the deathtouch creature gets to deal its damage, the deathtouch creature will die.

Conclusion

While both deathtouch and indestructible are powerful keywords, they interact in a very specific way in Magic: The Gathering. Deathtouch’s “destroy” effect is nullified by the indestructible ability. This illustrates the importance of understanding the rules and interactions within the game. While deathtouch can be a nightmare for most opponents, indestructible creatures offer a solid defense, requiring players to find other methods to remove them from the battlefield. The ability to understand the complex interaction of keywords and abilities are what make MTG such a compelling and strategic game.