Does Protection From All Colors Stop Deathtouch?
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The direct and comprehensive answer is: Yes, protection from all colors completely stops deathtouch. A creature with protection from all colors is immune to any damage dealt by any source, regardless of its color. Since deathtouch requires damage to be dealt in order to destroy a creature, protection from all colors prevents that damage, making deathtouch ineffective. Essentially, protection prevents all of the things that would allow deathtouch to work.
Understanding Protection and Deathtouch
To fully grasp why protection from all colors is a hard counter to deathtouch, we need to understand how each ability functions individually.
What is Protection?
The protection ability in trading card games like Magic: The Gathering grants immunity to a specific set of effects based on the specified source(s) from which that protection is granted. Protection always encompasses four elements:
- Can’t be blocked: A creature with protection from a specified source cannot be blocked by creatures of that source. For example, a creature with protection from black cannot be blocked by black creatures.
- Can’t be targeted: A creature with protection from a specified source cannot be targeted by spells or abilities from that source. For example, a creature with protection from red cannot be targeted by red spells or activated abilities of red cards.
- Can’t be dealt damage: A creature with protection from a specified source cannot be dealt damage by sources of that source. For example, a creature with protection from white cannot be dealt damage by white creatures or white spells. This is the critical aspect that makes it immune to deathtouch.
- Can’t be enchanted/equipped: A creature with protection from a specified source cannot be enchanted or equipped by auras or equipment of that source. For example, a creature with protection from green cannot be enchanted by green auras or equipped by green equipment.
When a creature has protection from all colors, it has all the above immunities for any color source.
What is Deathtouch?
Deathtouch is a static ability that changes how damage from a source is treated when dealt to a creature. If a source with deathtouch deals damage to another creature, that creature is destroyed. The crucial rule here is: “Any amount of damage” that is greater than zero is considered lethal. Importantly, deathtouch only applies to damage, and it does not target a creature.
Why Protection From All Colors Beats Deathtouch
The interaction between these two abilities is where protection from all colors truly shines. The core element of deathtouch is the dealing of damage that is greater than zero. Since protection from all colors completely prevents any damage from any colored source, it therefore prevents deathtouch from ever being able to take effect. Damage that is prevented is not considered as being dealt, meaning that deathtouch doesn’t have anything to work with.
15 FAQs About Protection, Deathtouch and Related Abilities
Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify the interplay of these abilities and other similar mechanics:
1. Does Protection From a Color Prevent Deathtouch?
Yes. Protection from a specific color prevents damage from a source of that color, thus negating deathtouch from a source of that color. For example, a creature with protection from black will not be destroyed by a black creature with deathtouch because the damage will be prevented.
2. Does Hexproof Stop Deathtouch?
No. Hexproof only prevents a permanent from being the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. Deathtouch doesn’t target, it’s a rule of damage, so it bypasses hexproof.
3. Does Indestructible Bypass Deathtouch?
Yes. An indestructible creature cannot be destroyed, meaning the damage from a deathtouch source doesn’t cause it to die. Indestructible makes a creature immune to destruction by lethal damage, including damage from a source with deathtouch.
4. Can You Block a Creature with Protection From All Colors?
No. A creature with protection from all colors cannot be blocked by any creature, as protection prevents being blocked by any color, and protection from all colors covers any possible color.
5. Can a Creature with Protection From a Color Block a Creature of That Color?
Yes, if you are the defending player. Protection from a color means your attacking creature can’t be blocked by creatures of that color. The defending creature with protection can still block attacking creatures of that color.
6. Does Protection From a Color Stop Multicolored Creatures?
Yes. If a card has protection from a color, it’s protected from anything of that color – regardless if it’s multicolored or not. If a card is multicolor, it counts as all of those colors.
7. What Does the Deathtouch Rule Actually State?
Deathtouch means any amount of damage from a source with deathtouch (greater than zero) to another creature is lethal. It’s a static ability that results in the creature taking damage from the source to die.
8. How does protection from multicolored work?
Protection from multicolored only applies to cards with two or more different mana symbols in their mana cost, or cards with a color indicator and more than one color in it. It prevents damage and other effects from multicolored sources, but not monocolored sources.
9. Does 0 Damage Trigger Deathtouch?
No. The rule for deathtouch is that any amount of damage greater than zero is enough to destroy a creature. Damage has to be dealt to the other creature for deathtouch to activate, zero damage doesn’t trigger it.
10. Does Deathtouch Cancel Deathtouch?
No. Two instances of deathtouch do not cancel each other out. They both apply.
11. Does Sacrifice Get Around Indestructible?
Yes. Indestructible only prevents destruction through lethal damage or effects that specifically say “destroy”. Sacrifice is a rule of the game, so indestructible doesn’t protect you from sacrificing a creature.
12. Does Shroud Stop Deathtouch?
No. Shroud prevents a permanent from being the target of spells or abilities. Because deathtouch doesn’t target, shroud doesn’t affect its mechanics.
13. Can a Creature With First Strike Beat a Creature With Deathtouch?
Yes. If the creature with first strike deals lethal damage to the creature with deathtouch during the first strike combat step, the deathtouch creature will die and will not deal damage, preventing its deathtouch from ever taking effect.
14. Does Deathtouch Work on Planeswalkers?
No. Deathtouch only applies to creatures. You will need specific abilities, like that of Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence, to make deathtouch affect planeswalkers.
15. Does Damage Prevention Stop Commander Damage?
Yes, protection prevents all damage, including commander damage, if the damage is prevented by protection. However, if some effect states that the damage cannot be prevented, then the damage will go through, and that commander damage will be applied.
Conclusion
In conclusion, protection from all colors offers a comprehensive defense against the deathtouch ability, rendering it ineffective by preventing any damage from being dealt. Understanding the nuances of these abilities is crucial for strategic play in games like Magic: The Gathering, and knowing how they interact can greatly improve your gameplay. By arming yourself with this knowledge, you’ll be able to navigate complicated board states with confidence and make informed decisions.