The Ultimate Guide: How to Kill Progenitus in Magic: The Gathering
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Progenitus, the five-colored behemoth boasting protection from everything, is a formidable force in Magic: The Gathering. Its iconic status comes not just from its power, but also from the seemingly insurmountable challenge of removing it from the battlefield. But fear not, aspiring planeswalkers! While Progenitus might seem invincible, it has weaknesses that, when exploited, can lead to its demise. So, what kills Progenitus?
The key to defeating Progenitus lies in understanding what “protection from everything” actually means. It boils down to four primary immunities while Progenitus is on the battlefield:
- Damage Prevention: All damage dealt to Progenitus is prevented.
- Targeting Immunity: Progenitus cannot be the target of spells or abilities.
- Blocking Immunity: Progenitus cannot be blocked.
- Enchantment/Equipment Immunity: Progenitus cannot be enchanted or equipped.
With this in mind, the most effective strategies for eliminating Progenitus circumvent these protections by utilizing effects that don’t target, damage, block, or attempt to attach auras or equipment. Here’s a breakdown of successful methods:
- Sacrifice Effects: Effects that force a player to sacrifice a creature, such as Diabolic Edict or Liliana of the Veil’s -2 ability, bypass protection entirely. The player controlling Progenitus is forced to sacrifice it, regardless of its protective abilities.
- Non-Targeting Exile Effects: Cards like Merciless Eviction, Farewell, or the overloaded version of Cyclonic Rift don’t target and can effectively remove Progenitus. These effects simply exile all creatures or all nonland permanents, ignoring individual protections.
- Negative Power/Toughness Effects (Non-Targeting): While tricky, effects that reduce Progenitus’s toughness to 0 or less without targeting it will cause it to die. This is less common, but cards that give all creatures -X/-X until end of turn can work if X is high enough. Note that -X/-X effects given to specific creature types won’t work because Progenitus has protection from everything.
- Counterspells: Protection abilities only apply to permanents on the battlefield. Therefore, counterspelling Progenitus as it’s being cast is a clean and direct answer. Cards like Counterspell, Negate, and Force of Will can prevent it from ever resolving.
- Discard Effects: Causing a player to discard Progenitus from their hand also prevents it from entering the battlefield. This can be achieved with cards like Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek.
- Cloning: Cloning Progenitus with a card like Clone will cause both the original and the clone to be put into the graveyard since legendary permanents with the same name cannot both be on the battlefield at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Killing Progenitus
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the nuances of dealing with Progenitus:
Can Progenitus be countered?
Yes! Counterspells are among the most reliable ways to deal with Progenitus. Protection abilities only function on the battlefield. While Progenitus is a spell on the stack, it can be countered by cards like Counterspell, Force of Will, or Swan Song.
Does Wrath of God kill Progenitus?
Yes. Wrath of God and similar effects that destroy all creatures without targeting circumvent Progenitus’s protection. These are commonly referred to as board wipes.
Can Progenitus be targeted in the graveyard?
No. Progenitus has a replacement effect that shuffles it back into its owner’s library if it would be put into the graveyard from anywhere.
Does Cyclonic Rift work on Progenitus?
Yes, if it’s overloaded. The overloaded version of Cyclonic Rift returns all nonland permanents you don’t control to their owner’s hands without targeting. Since it doesn’t target, protection from everything is irrelevant.
Can you clone Progenitus?
Yes, you can clone Progenitus. However, due to the Legend Rule, having two legendary permanents with the same name on the battlefield results in both being put into the graveyard as a state-based action.
Does Progenitus survive board wipes?
Progenitus survives board wipes that deal damage, but it does not survive board wipes that destroy all creatures such as Wrath of God or exile all creatures such as Merciless Eviction.
Can Progenitus block Progenitus?
No. “Protection from everything” specifically states that Progenitus cannot be blocked.
Can Progenitus be exiled?
Yes, but only by effects that don’t target. Merciless Eviction, Farewell, and similar cards can exile Progenitus because they exile all creatures/permanents without targeting.
Can you attach equipment to Progenitus?
No. Protection from everything prevents Progenitus from being enchanted or equipped. Any attempt to attach an aura or equipment to it will fail.
Is Progenitus legal in Commander?
Yes, Progenitus can be your commander, and you are required to play five colors. The Rules Committee requires a Commander of all colors to include it into your deck.
Does Hexproof stop board wipes?
No. Hexproof only prevents your opponents from targeting the permanent. Board wipes generally don’t target, so they will affect creatures with hexproof.
Can Progenitus take damage?
No. “Protection from everything” specifically prevents all damage from being dealt to Progenitus.
Does Progenitus have summoning sickness?
Summoning sickness only prevents a creature from attacking or using abilities with the tap or untap symbol on the turn it comes under your control. If it survives summoning sickness, Progenitus will be able to attack the following turn.
What can affect Progenitus?
Anything that doesn’t target, deal damage, try to enchant/equip, or block can affect Progenitus. Board wipes, sacrifice effects, and non-targeting exile effects are prime examples.
Is Relic of Progenitus good?
Relic of Progenitus is a strong card in graveyard-heavy metagames. It provides graveyard hate and card draw, making it a versatile inclusion in many decks. As a tool to “kill” Progenitus, it’s only relevant if you can somehow force Progenitus into a graveyard first. However, it can still be used to exile other relevant targets in the graveyard to protect yourself.
While defeating Progenitus can be challenging, it is far from impossible. By understanding the nuances of its protection ability and employing the right strategies, you can overcome this five-colored titan and emerge victorious.
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