Does Trample Affect Protection?
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Trample does indeed affect protection in the sense that trample damage can still be dealt to a player or planeswalker even if a creature with protection blocks the attacking creature with trample. The trampling creature assigns damage equal to the blocking creature’s toughness and the rest tramples over to the player or planeswalker, making protection from a specific color or type ineffective against trample damage.
Understanding Trample and Protection
To delve deeper into how trample interacts with protection, it’s essential to understand both mechanics. Trample is a keyword ability that allows an attacking creature to deal excess damage to the defending player or planeswalker after assigning lethal damage to the blocking creature. On the other hand, protection prevents damage from sources of a specific color or type from being dealt to the protected creature.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does Trample Work Against Protection?
Yes, trample works against protection because trample damage is not prevented by protection from a specific color or type.
2. How Does Trample Work When Defending?
Trample is a keyword ability that changes the rules for assigning damage in the Combat Damage Step, allowing an attacker with trample to deal excess damage to the defending player, planeswalker, or battle even if it is blocked.
3. Does Trample Go Through Color Protection?
Yes, trample goes through color protection because protection prevents damage dealt to the creature, not the damage that tramples over to the attacked player or planeswalker.
4. Does Trample Go Over Shield?
Shield counters provide no extra protection against trample, as the trampler still has to assign lethal damage to all blockers before assigning damage to the defending player.
5. Does Indestructible Prevent Deathtouch?
Yes, indestructible creatures also ignore deathtouch because they cannot be destroyed by any amount of damage.
6. Does Deathtouch Cancel Trample?
No, deathtouch does not cancel trample, but rather deathtouch means that any amount of damage assigned to a creature is lethal damage.
7. Does Trample Work on Planeswalkers?
No, if a creature with trample is attacking a planeswalker, none of its combat damage can be assigned to the defending player, even if that planeswalker has been removed from combat.
8. Is Deathtouch a Triggered Ability?
No, deathtouch is not a triggered ability but a state-based ability that uses game actions that happen whenever a certain condition is met.
9. Does Trample Go Through Regeneration?
Yes, trample goes through regeneration because regenerate does not prevent any damage done to that creature’s controller from trample.
10. How Does Deathtouch Effect Trample?
Deathtouch affects trample by making any amount of damage assigned to a creature lethal damage, allowing the trampler to deal excess damage to the defending player.
11. Does Vigor Stop Trample Damage?
Yes, Vigor can stop trample damage by making it so the trampler cannot deal lethal damage to the blocking creature, thus trample damage cannot be determined.
12. Does Indestructible Prevent Damage?
No, indestructible does not prevent damage; it prevents damage from causing a creature to be destroyed.
13. Does First Strike Negate Deathtouch?
No, first strike does not negate deathtouch, but creatures with first strike or double strike can deal damage before a creature with deathtouch.
14. Does Deathtouch Affect Noncombat Damage?
Yes, deathtouch checks any damage, not just combat damage, making it effective against noncombat damage as well.
15. Does Hexproof Cancel Deathtouch?
No, hexproof does not make a creature immune to deathtouch since deathtouch does not target the creature; it is a state-based ability.