Protection
Protection from [quality] is a deciduous keyword ability that grants several different effects to the permanent or player it is affecting.[2] The definition of protection, and the rules backing it, have changed over the course of the game’s history.
From the Comprehensive Rules (November 8, 2024—Edge of Eternities)
- 702.16. Protection
- 702.16a Protection is a static ability, written “Protection from [quality].” This quality is usually a color (as in “protection from black”) but can be any characteristic value or information. If the quality happens to be a card name, it is treated as such only if the protection ability specifies that the quality is a name. If the quality is a card type, subtype, or supertype, the ability applies to sources that are permanents with that card type, subtype, or supertype and to any sources not on the battlefield that are of that card type, subtype, or supertype. This is an exception to rule 109.2.
- 702.16b A permanent or player with protection can’t be targeted by spells with the stated quality and can’t be targeted by abilities from a source with the stated quality.
- 702.16c A permanent or player with protection can’t be enchanted by Auras that have the stated quality. Such Auras attached to the permanent or player with protection will be put into their owners’ graveyards as a state-based action. (See rule 704, “State-Based Actions.”)
- 702.16d A permanent with protection can’t be equipped by Equipment that have the stated quality or fortified by Fortifications that have the stated quality. Such Equipment or Fortifications become unattached from that permanent as a state-based action, but remain on the battlefield. (See rule 704, “State-Based Actions.”)
- 702.16e Any damage that would be dealt by sources that have the stated quality to a permanent or player with protection is prevented.
- 702.16f Attacking creatures with protection can’t be blocked by creatures that have the stated quality.
- 702.16g “Protection from [quality A] and from [quality B]” is shorthand for “protection from [quality A]” and “protection from [quality B]”; it behaves as two separate protection abilities.
- 702.16h “Protection from each [characteristic]” is shorthand for “protection from [quality A],” “protection from [quality B],” and so on for each possible quality the listed characteristic could have; it behaves as multiple separate protection abilities.
- 702.16i “Protection from each [set of characteristics, qualities, or players]” is shorthand for “protection from [A],” “protection from [B],” and so on for each characteristic, quality, or player in the set. It behaves as multiple separate protection abilities.
- 702.16j “Protection from everything” is a variant of the protection ability. A permanent or player with protection from everything has protection from each object regardless of that object’s characteristic values. Such a permanent or player can’t be targeted by spells or abilities and can’t be enchanted by Auras. Such a permanent can’t be equipped by Equipment, fortified by Fortifications, or blocked by creatures. All damage that would be dealt to such a permanent or player is prevented.
- 702.16k “Protection from [a player]” is a variant of the protection ability. A permanent or player with protection from a specific player has protection from each object that player controls and protection from each object that player owns not controlled by another player, regardless of that object’s characteristic values. Such a permanent or player can’t be targeted by spells or abilities the specified player controls and can’t be enchanted by Auras that player controls. Such a permanent can’t be equipped by Equipment that player controls, fortified by Fortifications that player controls, or blocked by creatures that player controls. All damage that would be dealt to such a permanent or player by sources controlled by the specified player or owned by that player but not controlled by another player is prevented.
- 702.16m Multiple instances of protection from the same quality on the same permanent or player are redundant.
- 702.16n Some Auras both give the enchanted creature protection from a quality and say “this effect doesn’t remove” either that specific Aura or all Auras. This means that the specified Auras aren’t put into their owners’ graveyards as a state-based action. If the creature has other instances of protection from the same quality, those instances affect Auras as normal.
- 702.16p One Aura (Benevolent Blessing) gives the enchanted creature protection from a quality and says the effect doesn’t remove certain permanents that are “already attached to” that creature. This means that, when the protection effect starts to apply, any objects with the stated quality that are already attached to that creature (including the Aura giving that creature protection) will not be put into their owners’ graveyards as a state-based action. Other permanents with the stated quality can’t become attached to the creature. If the creature has other instances of protection from the same quality, those instances affect attached permanents as normal.
History
Despite intuitive expectations for the keyword, protection was recognized as potentially complicated even prior to the game’s release. Early attempts to define protection led the Alpha designers to invent the fundamental concept of targeting.[5] However, even the original rulebook described it informally, offering only examples of things that protection would prevent.[6]
Protection was excluded from core sets beginning with Sixth Edition and returned to them in Ninth Edition, reflecting concerns about its complexity for newer players. With the release of Magic Origins, protection was demoted from evergreen to deciduous, relegating it to only occasional use.[7][8] In the three blocks following that decision, it was used only once: on Emrakul, the Promised End.
Players can also gain protection, the first instance of which was Seht’s Tiger in the Futureshifted category of Future Sight. Naturally, the blocking text is not relevant, nor is the equipped text. Only six cards give protection to a player, of varying usefulness. In contrast, True-Name Nemesis is the first to give protection from a player, which was a maligned card for its impact on Legacy. For two-player games, this gave it hexproof and general unblockability, making it an uninteractable threat. Protection from a player has only shown up once after on Eon Frolicker.
Later, it reappeared in Modern Horizons.[9] It also returned in Core Set 2020, where it was back to evergreen on a probationary status.[2][10][11] Although it didn’t show up in every set, protection became officially evergreen again in 2021.[12][1] It’s probationary status lasted until approximately Core Set 2021 and by the release of Magic: The Gathering Foundations it had been demoted back to deciduous.[13]
Two white cards have a condensed version of Protection: Sungold Sentinel and Skrelv, Defector Mite. Both have an activated ability that grants hexproof from a color and prevent blocking by creatures of that color, making up about half of protection’s text and most of its gameplay. As with many gameplay design choices, the “prevent damage” aspect is left out as to avoid the “infinite blocking” scenario.
Protection in practice
Protection is a defensive static ability with the means to preserve permanents on play that can’t be affected by a particular source.
