What is Protection from Color Combat Damage?

Protection from color combat damage refers to a magic ability that prevents a creature from being affected by combat damage dealt by creatures of a specific color, as well as being blocked, targeted, enchanted, or equipped by anything of that color. This protection ability is a powerful tool in Magic: The Gathering, allowing players to safeguard their creatures from specific color-based threats and gain a strategic advantage in the game.

Understanding Protection from Color

Breaking Down the Basics

Protection from color is a complex ability that can be confusing for new players, but understanding its implications is crucial for success in Magic: The Gathering. To provide more insight into this ability, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions that address various aspects of protection from color combat damage.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does protection from a color include combat damage? Protection prevents damage, disallows things to be attached (like Auras or Equipment), disallows blocking, and stops targeting, but it does not necessarily include combat damage.
2. What does protection from color mean? 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 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 prevented.
3. What is considered combat damage? Combat damage is damage dealt by an attacking or blocking creature to another source, specifically during the damage step.
4. Does protection prevent combat damage? Protection stops damage, enchanting/equipping, blocking, and targeting, but it doesn’t do anything against other kinds of effects, including combat damage in some cases.
5. Does protection from color stop board wipes? Unfortunately, protection from a color doesn’t prevent board wipes most of the time, as these effects often don’t target specific creatures.
6. What does protection from multicolored mean? Multicolor means cards with two or more different mana symbols in their mana cost, including hybrid mana, or cards with a color indicator and more than one color in it.
7. What is the 3:1 rule of combat? The 3:1 rule of combat states that for the attacker to win the battle, their forces should be at least three times the force of the defender.
8. Who decides how combat damage is assigned? The active player announces how each attacking creature assigns its combat damage, then the defending player announces how each blocking creature assigns its combat damage.
9. Is combat damage the same as damage? Unlike other kinds of damage, combat damage is dealt only by creatures and only during the combat damage step of the Combat Phase.
10. Can I block with a protection from that color? A creature with protection from a color can’t be blocked by creatures of that color.
11. Does protection from a color prevent abilities? Yes, protection from a color will prevent all damage dealt by creatures and spells of that color to whatever has that protection.
12. Does protection from color remove Auras? Yes, creatures with protection from a color can’t be damaged, enchanted, blocked, or targeted by anything of that color, which means Auras of that color are removed.
13. What color is best for protection? The color black is often associated with protection and can be used to ward off negative effects.
14. What counts as non-combat damage? Non-combat damage is any damage dealt by any source during the game that is not combat damage.
15. Does protection stop Deathtouch? Yes, protection from a color will prevent Deathtouch effects from creatures or spells of that color, as Deathtouch relies on dealing lethal damage, which protection can prevent.