Does Indestructible Ignore Deathtouch? The Definitive Guide
Yes, indestructible does indeed ignore deathtouch. This is a core interaction in Magic: The Gathering (MTG) that can be crucial to understand for effective gameplay. While a creature with deathtouch will usually destroy any creature it deals damage to, indestructible provides an exception to this rule. The reason lies in how these abilities work, and how the game resolves conflicts between them. Let’s delve deeper into this interaction and related questions.
The Core Interaction: Indestructible vs. Deathtouch
A creature with deathtouch has the ability that any amount of damage it deals to a creature is considered lethal damage. This means even if it only does 1 point of damage, the target creature will be destroyed. However, the indestructible keyword means a creature can’t be destroyed by damage or effects that say “destroy.”
When a creature with deathtouch deals damage to a creature with indestructible, the deathtouch ability still triggers but it is ultimately ineffectual. The creature with indestructible takes the damage, but because it cannot be destroyed, it remains on the battlefield. This interaction highlights one of the fundamental rules of MTG: “Can’t” trumps “does.” In this case, a creature can’t be destroyed due to its indestructible ability, negating what the deathtouch ability would normally do.
Practical Examples
Consider these scenarios:
- A Darksteel Myr, a creature with indestructible, blocks an Ambush Viper, a creature with deathtouch. The Darksteel Myr will take the damage, but it will not be destroyed and will remain on the battlefield.
- A creature with deathtouch and trample attacks a player whose only blocker is a creature with indestructible. The blocker takes the damage but does not die. The rest of the trample damage proceeds through to the player.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To clarify these core concepts further, here are 15 FAQs on related topics:
1. Do Board Wipes Kill Indestructible Creatures?
It depends on the type of board wipe. If the board wipe deals damage or uses the word “destroy”, then indestructible creatures will be unaffected. However, if the wipe exiles creatures, gives them -X/-X until they have zero toughness, or forces the player to sacrifice them, indestructible will not protect them. For example, “Damnation” is ineffective while “Wrath of God” is still an effective removal spell against Indestructible creatures.
2. How Does Deathtouch Interact with Trample and Indestructible?
Deathtouch and trample together can be devastating. The trample damage allows you to assign lethal damage from the attacker (even if only one point due to deathtouch) to any blocker, and the remainder to the player they are attacking. If you attack a player with a trampling creature with deathtouch, they can block with an indestructible creature and no damage from the attacker will be stopped; any extra damage will proceed to the player that was attacked.
3. Does Hexproof Negate Deathtouch?
No, hexproof does not negate deathtouch. Hexproof prevents a permanent from being targeted by spells or abilities your opponents control. Deathtouch is a static ability that affects damage, it doesn’t target.
4. Is Indestructible Better Than Hexproof?
Both indestructible and hexproof are powerful abilities, but neither is definitively better. Indestructible protects against damage and destruction effects but is vulnerable to exile, sacrificing, and negative toughness. Hexproof protects against targeted spells and abilities but does not protect from board wipes or damage. The ideal ability depends on the game context.
5. Can You Counter Deathtouch?
You cannot directly counter deathtouch, as it is a static ability on a creature. However, you can counter the creature with deathtouch before it can deal damage. Similarly, if your blocker has first strike or double strike, that creature can kill the deathtouch creature before it deals combat damage.
6. Does Deathtouch Work on Flying Creatures?
Yes, deathtouch functions on flying creatures just as it would on non-flying creatures. Having flying does not change how deathtouch operates.
7. Does Deathtouch Cancel Deathtouch?
No, multiple instances of deathtouch on a single attacker are redundant. They do not cancel each other out.
8. Does Indestructible Prevent Sacrifice?
No, indestructible only prevents destruction via damage or effects that say “destroy”. It does not prevent sacrificing a permanent as part of a cost or effect.
9. What Destroys Indestructible Creatures?
Indestructible creatures can be removed from the battlefield by effects that exile them, bounce them back to the owner’s hand, force you to sacrifice them, or reduce their toughness to zero or less.
10. Can You Enchant a Creature with Indestructible?
Yes, you can use enchantments that provide indestructible. For example, the card “Rancor” grants trample and indestructibility.
11. Can Combat Damage Kill Indestructible?
No, combat damage, like other types of damage, cannot kill a creature with indestructible.
12. Can You Exile Indestructible Permanents?
Yes, indestructible does not protect against exile. Exiling is a method of removing a permanent from the game altogether, and indestructible has no bearing on this removal.
13. What is the Rule for Indestructible?
The rule for indestructible is that it prevents a permanent from being destroyed by damage or effects that say “destroy”. If a creature is dealt lethal damage or targeted by a destroy effect, but then stops being indestructible at some point afterward, it’s destroyed the next time state-based actions are checked.
14. Do Planeswalkers Get Affected by Deathtouch?
No, planeswalkers are not creatures and are not directly affected by the deathtouch ability. You would need an additional ability that allows damage dealt by creatures with deathtouch to target planeswalkers to affect them.
15. Does First Strike or Double Strike Negate Deathtouch?
First strike or double strike can effectively negate deathtouch. If a creature with first strike deals lethal damage to a creature with deathtouch during the first strike damage step, the deathtouch creature will die before it can deal its combat damage. Similarly, a creature with double strike can also deal its first damage and kill a deathtouch creature before it returns combat damage.
Conclusion
The interaction between indestructible and deathtouch is one of many complex but vital interactions in MTG. Understanding that indestructible trumps deathtouch is crucial for both offensive and defensive gameplay. By understanding these rules and answering some of the frequently asked questions surrounding this topic, you can significantly enhance your gameplay strategy. These rules provide a foundation for deeper knowledge within the world of Magic.