Is Prevent All Damage the Same as Indestructible?
The short answer is: absolutely not. While both mechanics can significantly increase a permanent’s survivability in a game, prevent all damage and indestructible are distinct abilities with different applications and limitations. Understanding their differences is crucial for mastering strategic play. They interact with other game mechanics and conditions very differently, which can dramatically impact a game’s outcome.
Understanding Indestructible
What Indestructible Really Means
The keyword indestructible means that damage cannot destroy the permanent. It’s important to note that it doesn’t prevent damage from being dealt; rather, it makes that damage ineffective as a means of sending the permanent to the graveyard. A creature with indestructible can still be dealt damage, it can still be targeted by spells and abilities, and it can still have its toughness reduced by effects or combat. All indestructible does is render it immune to being destroyed by damage.
Limitations of Indestructible
Despite its apparent strength, indestructible has several limitations. It does not:
- Prevent Damage: Damage is still dealt to an indestructible permanent, meaning that triggers that rely on damage being dealt (like lifelink or wither) will still occur.
- Prevent Loss of Toughness: Effects that reduce a creature’s toughness to zero or less, such as -1/-1 counters, will still cause that creature to die, regardless of its indestructible status.
- Prevent Sacrifice: Being forced to sacrifice a permanent bypasses indestructible because sacrifice doesn’t destroy it.
- Prevent Being Exiled: Effects that exile a permanent, or return it to the owner’s hand, can remove an indestructible permanent from the battlefield.
- Prevent the Legendary Rule: The legendary rule does not destroy; so, having two legendary permanents with the same name results in one being sent to the graveyard regardless of indestructible.
Understanding “Prevent All Damage”
How “Prevent All Damage” Works
“Prevent all damage” effects, usually found on spells or abilities, mean that no damage is dealt to the specified target. This could include a single creature, a single player, all permanents a player controls, or even all creatures in play. The key difference here is that damage is never dealt in the first place, not just ignored.
Impact of Prevented Damage
When damage is prevented, it has several notable consequences:
- No Triggers: Abilities that trigger on damage being dealt will not trigger. For example, lifelink or abilities that trigger on taking damage will not function because the damage never occurs.
- No Damage-Based Effects: Damage is completely nullified, so negative effects or counter-placement related to damage are also nullified.
- Protection: “Prevent all damage” effects offer a type of protection, making the protected targets very hard to reduce in life or remove through combat.
Key Differences Summarized
In short, indestructible lets damage happen but prevents it from destroying the permanent, whereas “prevent all damage” stops the damage from happening in the first place. This distinction is critical in understanding how each mechanic functions.
- Indestructible protects against destruction due to damage.
- “Prevent all damage” nullifies the act of damage dealing altogether.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does Indestructible Prevent Combat Damage?
Yes, indestructible prevents combat damage from destroying the permanent. It does not prevent combat damage from being assigned. Thus, trample damage is still assigned to the player once lethal damage to the indestructible blocker is allocated.
2. Does Indestructible Prevent Damage from Spells?
No, indestructible doesn’t prevent the damage from spells, it only prevents that damage from destroying the permanent.
3. Does “Prevent All Damage” Stop Deathtouch?
Technically, since deathtouch requires damage to be dealt in the first place, “prevent all damage” should stop deathtouch. Deathtouch means a single point of damage is enough to destroy the target but, if there is no damage the effect cannot occur.
4. Does Indestructible Work Against -X/-X Effects?
No, indestructible doesn’t prevent creatures from having their toughness reduced. If a creature’s toughness goes to zero, it will be sent to the graveyard, even if it is indestructible.
5. Does Prevent All Damage Stop Lifelink?
Yes, “prevent all damage” effects prevent lifelink because lifelink requires that damage be dealt to gain life. If no damage is dealt, no life can be gained.
6. Can an Indestructible Creature Be Sacrificed?
Yes, indestructible doesn’t protect against being sacrificed. Sacrifice bypasses the destruction rule.
7. Can Indestructible Creatures Be Exiled?
Yes, indestructible does not protect against being exiled or bounced. These are other ways to remove a permanent from the battlefield that have nothing to do with destruction through damage.
8. Does Indestructible Protect Against the Legendary Rule?
No, the legendary rule isn’t an act of destruction; it sends duplicates to the graveyard. It is a state based action and ignores indestructible.
9. What Happens When an Indestructible Creature Takes Lethal Damage With Trample?
With trample, even though the damage assigned to an indestructible creature does not destroy it, you assign lethal damage to the blocker and any excess damage is then assigned to the defending player.
10. Does Protection Include Indestructible?
No, protection is a keyword that prevents damage, targeting, enchanting/equipping, and blocking. Indestructible only addresses the ability of damage to destroy a permanent.
11. Does “Prevent All Damage” Stop Board Wipes?
“Prevent all damage” effects will stop board wipes that deal damage, but will not stop board wipes that exile or give a toughness reduction like -X/-X to creatures.
12. Can Indestructible Planeswalkers be Destroyed?
While indestructible prevents damage from destroying a Planeswalker, a Planeswalker with no loyalty counters goes to the graveyard, regardless of whether it has indestructible.
13. Does Deathtouch Work with 0 Damage?
No. Deathtouch requires a source to deal damage. If the attacking creature has 0 power it will not deal damage so deathtouch is not triggered.
14. Can Deathtouch Beat Indestructible?
No, the deathtouch effect requires the damage to be dealt, but indestructible stops destruction from damage, including from deathtouch.
15. What Is the Closest Thing to Indestructible?
The closest things to indestructible are high-toughness creatures, creatures with regeneration, or effects that grant hexproof or shroud. Indestructible is unique in how it interacts with damage.
Understanding the nuances of “prevent all damage” and indestructible is crucial for players seeking to improve their strategies. Each offers unique advantages and limitations, requiring thoughtful application to maximize their potential.