Indestructible
Indestructible is an evergreen keyword ability. Indestructible permanents can’t be destroyed by rules or effects.
From the Comprehensive Rules (November 8, 2024—Edge of Eternities)
- 702.12. Indestructible
- 702.12a Indestructible is a static ability.
- 702.12b A permanent with indestructible can’t be destroyed. Such permanents aren’t destroyed by lethal damage, and they ignore the state-based action that checks for lethal damage (see rule 704.5g).
- 702.12c Multiple instances of indestructible on the same permanent are redundant.
- Damage accumulates on indestructible creatures, and that damage is removed during the cleanup step.
- Lethal damage is defined as an amount of damage greater than or equal to a creature’s toughness. Even though an indestructible creature isn’t destroyed by lethal damage, that definition is still used for things like assigning trample damage.
- If a creature with lethal damage on it stops being indestructible, it’s destroyed the next time state-based actions are checked.
- Being indestructible stops only effects that would destroy the permanent, including destruction due to lethal damage and destruction that doesn’t allow regeneration. An indestructible permanent can be exiled, returned to a player’s hand, put into a graveyard for having 0 or less toughness (via anything that gives -X/-X for example), or sacrificed.
- You can use a regeneration effect on an indestructible permanent, but since that permanent can’t be destroyed, the effect does not apply, unless it loses indestructibility before the end of the end step, then it would regenerate.
- Planeswalkers with indestructible will still have loyalty counters removed from them as they are dealt damage. If a planeswalker with indestructible has no loyalty counters, it will still be put into its owner’s graveyard, as the rule that does this doesn’t destroy the planeswalker.
History
The first card that conferred indestructibility was Consecrate Land in Alpha, followed by Guardian Beast in Arabian Nights, but no other cards followed (and no formal rules existed) until Darksteel.[2][3][4] The word was originally used as a normal English descriptor rather than as a keyword. In this way, it was just an attribute that some permanents had.[5][6] Enough players confused it with a keyword that R&D eventually decided to just make it one in Magic 2014.[7][8]
Starting with Kaladesh, regeneration was retired. Instead, the phrase “gain indestructible until end of turn” came into being for new, but similar cards.[9][10]
Indestructible is primary in white, secondary in black and green, and tertiary in blue and red.[11] White, and to a lesser extent green, tend to have creatures that naturally have indestructible. Black and green, as the replacement for regeneration, often have activated abilities that grant indestructible until end of turn. White will at times use temporary indestructibility where it used to use protection.
Indestructible in practice
Indestructible is a simple condition that negates destroy effects “if this permanent were to be destroyed it isn’t”.
This make Indestructible permanents harder to deal with or remove from the battlefield.
What ends up happening in the majority of scenarios defending player against an indestructible creature attack prepares chump blocks every turn until finds a way to remove or negate the Indestructible effect.
