Does Protection Stop Destroy? A Comprehensive MTG Guide

Yes and no. It’s a classic Magic: The Gathering (MTG) answer, isn’t it? Protection will stop a “destroy” effect if that effect targets the permanent with protection. However, protection offers absolutely zero defense against non-targeting destroy effects, such as board wipes. Protection, in its essence, prevents D.E.B.T.: Damage, Enchanting/Equipping, Blocking, and Targeting. If the “destroy” effect sidesteps these, protection is irrelevant. Let’s delve deeper into why this is, and explore some common scenarios.

The Nuances of Protection and Destruction

To understand this, it’s vital to grasp what “destroy” actually means in MTG and how it interacts with other keywords. “Destroy” is an instruction that puts a permanent into its owner’s graveyard. Simple enough. However, the way that instruction is delivered makes all the difference when a permanent has protection.

Protection always comes with a qualifier, like “Protection from Black” or “Protection from Everything”. This qualifier dictates what the permanent is shielded from. Let’s imagine a creature with “Protection from Black” on the battlefield.

• Targeted Black Removal: If your opponent casts a spell like “Doom Blade” (destroy target nonblack creature), they can’t target your protected creature. Protection stops the targeting.

• Non-Targeted Black Removal (Board Wipes): Now, your opponent casts “Damnation” (destroy all creatures). Protection does absolutely nothing. “Damnation” doesn’t target; it indiscriminately eliminates all creatures.

• Damage from Black Sources: A black creature attacking your protected creature will have its damage prevented.

• Black Auras/Equipment: Your opponent can’t attach a black Aura or Equipment to your protected creature.

• Blocking by Black Creatures: Black creatures can’t block your protected creature.

The key takeaway is that protection only prevents things that actively try to affect the protected permanent through targeting, damage, blocking, enchanting, or equipping. It’s a personal force field, not an umbrella against global effects. Board wipes operate outside of the bounds of what protection can defend against.

Indestructible vs. Protection

It’s also crucial to differentiate between protection and indestructible. Indestructible means a permanent can’t be destroyed by damage or “destroy” effects. A creature with indestructible will shrug off both targeted removal and board wipes. Protection, as we’ve established, only protects against targeted effects. Indestructible and protection together are extremely powerful on a permanent.

Circumventing Protection: A Few Tricks

While you can’t target a protected creature with a spell or ability of the specified color, there are ways to get around it. Some examples are:

• Forcing Sacrifice: Effects that force a player to sacrifice a creature are effective. The player, not the effect, is “choosing” the creature to be destroyed.

• -X/-X Effects: While damage is prevented, effects that reduce a creature’s toughness can still destroy it. If a creature with protection from black is given -1/-1 by a source that is not black, it will be destroyed as soon as its toughness reaches 0.

The DEBT Acronym

Remember the D.E.B.T. acronym. It’s the key to understanding protection:

• Damage
• Enchant/Equip
• Blocking
• Targeting

If an effect does none of these things, protection won’t help.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Protection and Destroy

Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about protection and destroy in MTG:

1. Does protection from everything stop destroy effects?

Protection from everything stops destroy effects only if they target. Board wipes, which don’t target, will still destroy a permanent with protection from everything.

2. If a creature has protection from white, does Wrath of God affect it?

Yes. Wrath of God destroys all creatures, but it does not target. Protection from white only prevents targeting, damage, blocking, enchanting, and equipping by white sources.

3. Can I target a creature with protection with a destroy effect?

No. Protection prevents a permanent from being targeted by spells or abilities of the specified quality. You cannot cast a targeted destroy spell on a creature with protection from that color.

4. Does protection prevent -X/-X effects that cause a creature’s toughness to reach 0?

If the -X/-X effect is from a source that the creature doesn’t have protection from, then protection doesn’t prevent it. The creature will be destroyed when its toughness reaches 0.

5. If I have protection from black, can a black creature block me?

No. Protection from black prevents black creatures from blocking the protected creature.

6. Does deathtouch bypass protection?

Deathtouch doesn’t “bypass” protection. Protection prevents the damage from being dealt in the first place, rendering deathtouch irrelevant.

7. Can I enchant a creature with protection from enchantments?

No. Protection from enchantments prevents enchantments from being attached to the protected permanent.

8. If a spell says “destroy target creature unless its controller pays 3 life,” can I target a creature with protection?

No. The spell still targets, and protection prevents targeting by spells of the specified quality.

9. Does protection stop a creature from being sacrificed?

No. Sacrificing is an action performed by the player, not an effect of the specified quality. Protection doesn’t stop a player from choosing to sacrifice their own protected creature.

10. What happens if a creature with protection from creatures blocks another creature?

The creature with protection from creatures can block as normal. Any damage that would be dealt to it by the blocked creature is prevented due to the protection. The blocking creature without protection would take normal damage.

11. Can a creature with protection from artifacts be equipped with an artifact?

No. Protection from artifacts prevents artifacts from equipping the protected permanent.

12. Does protection prevent infect counters?

Protection will prevent damage from a source, and if the damage is prevented then poison counters aren’t given through infect.

13. Can you give an example of a card that destroys without targeting?

Cards like Wrath of God, Damnation, Day of Judgment, and Toxic Deluge are examples of cards that destroy creatures without targeting.

14. Does protection stop commander damage?

Protection from the source (for example, protection from a green commander) will stop commander damage as long as the damage is prevented.

15. How does protection interact with trample?

A creature with trample must assign lethal damage to the blocking creature before assigning damage to the defending player. Even if the blocking creature has protection, the trampling creature still needs to assign that lethal damage (which will then be prevented).

Conclusion

Protection is a potent ability in MTG, but it’s essential to understand its limitations. Remember D.E.B.T. and focus on what protection actually prevents. It excels at stopping targeted removal and combat damage, but it’s helpless against board wipes and other non-targeting effects. Mastering the nuances of protection will significantly improve your gameplay and deck building. To further enhance your understanding of the strategic elements of gaming, consider exploring resources such as the Games Learning Society, which brings together researchers and educators passionate about the educational potential of games. Visit GamesLearningSociety.org to learn more.

Understanding the difference between abilities like Indestructible and Protection is key to mastering Magic: The Gathering and other complex games, especially those with a heavy reliance on strategic thinking and decision-making.