Does Protection from a Color Prevent Targeting?
Fast answer first. Then use the tabs or video for more detail.
- Watch the video explanation below for a faster overview.
- Game mechanics may change with updates or patches.
- Use this block to get the short answer without scrolling the whole page.
- Read the FAQ section if the article has one.
- Use the table of contents to jump straight to the detailed section you need.
- Watch the video first, then skim the article for specifics.
Protection from a color indeed prevents targeting, as it stops damage, enchanting/equipping, blocking, and most importantly, targeting by sources of that color. According to the official MTG mechanics, a permanent or player with protection can’t be targeted by spells with the stated quality and can’t be targeted by abilities from a source with the stated quality.
Understanding Protection from a Color
What is Protection from a Color?
Protection from a color means that the target creature can’t be blocked by creatures of that color, can’t be the target of spells of that color or abilities from sources of that color, can’t be enchanted or equipped by Auras or Equipment of that color, and all damage that sources of that color would deal to it is reduced to zero.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Protection from a Color Prevent Multicolor? Yes, because multicolor spells count as both colors. A multicolor card that’s green and blue is fully green and fully blue, meaning protection from blue will fully work against it.
- Can You Target Your Own Creature if it Has Protection from a Color? No, according to the MTG mechanics, a permanent or player with protection can’t be targeted by spells with the stated quality and can’t be targeted by abilities from a source with the stated quality.
- Does Protection from a Color Stop Board Wipes? Protection doesn’t protect from things with that color identity, including board wipes that don’t directly target, enchant, equip, block, or deal damage.
- Does Protection Work on Multicolored Creatures? Yes, protection works on multicolored creatures because they are considered to be of all the colors they possess.
- Does Protection Stop Deathtouch? Yes, protection from a color will prevent all damage dealt by creatures and spells of that color to whatever has that protection, effectively stopping deathtouch.
- Does Shroud Protect from Board Wipes? No, creatures with shroud are not protected from board wipes or other spells that don’t target.
- What Does Protection Not Protect Against? Protection does not protect against effects that do not involve damage, targeting, enchanting, equipping, or blocking.
- How Does Protection from Black Work? For example, if a creature has protection from black, it cannot be dealt damage by black creatures or spells, cannot be enchanted by black enchantments, and cannot be equipped by black equipment.
- Does Protection Prevent Commander Damage? Yes, protection makes you cannot be dealt damage, including combat damage.
- Do Board Wipes Destroy Indestructible Creatures? It depends on the board wipe; if it destroys or damages, indestructible creatures are unaffected, but if it exiles or gives -X/-X, they can be affected.
- Can I Block a Black Creature if I Have Protection from Black? No, protection from black (or any color) means that the creature with protection cannot be blocked by creatures of that color.
- Does Protection from a Color Make a Creature Unblockable? No, protection from a color means whatever your creature has protection from can’t block it, but it doesn’t make it entirely unblockable; spells like Fog Patch can still declare it blocked.
- Does Protection Stop Trample? No, trample works by letting a creature assign lethal damage to the creature it is blocking and may assign the rest to the player, which protection does not prevent.
- Does Protection from All Colors Include Colorless? There is currently no way to grant ‘protection from colorless‘ by! any existing card, but if it were possible, it would work like any other protection.
- Can Mother of Runes Give Protection from Board Wipes? While cards like Mother of Runes can protect against targeted removal, they do not protect against board wipes that do not target.
Conclusion
In conclusion, protection from a color is a powerful mechanic in MTG that can significantly affect gameplay by preventing damage, targeting, enchanting, equipping, and blocking from sources of a specific color. Understanding how protection works, including its limitations and interactions with other mechanics like multicolor, deathtouch, and board wipes, is crucial for effective strategy and gameplay. By answering the question of whether protection from a color prevents targeting and addressing related FAQs, players can better navigate the complexities of MTG and improve their overall performance.