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Example 1) Let's say I have some random creature with protection from white, and my opponent plays Day of Judgment, a white card with the effect "Destroy all creatures." Can my creature with protection from white be destroyed by a white card that isn't actually targeting it specifically?

Example 2) I was playing a match with a friend where I had Elite Inquisitor on the field against his 3 zombies. Is he able to declare his zombies as blockers even though Elite Inquisitor has "protection" from zombies? If he can declare them as blockers, does protection mean that no damage is dealt by the zombies to Elite Inquisitor?

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4 Answers 4

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Yes, Day of Judgement will destroy a creature with Protection from White.

(from AlexP) No, Elite Inquisitor cannot be blocked by Zombies. Elite Inquisitor can, block Zombies normally. If a Zombie would assign combat damage to him, it is prevented and he takes no damage instead.

Protection from {quality}, grants four different things that can be easily remembered from the acronym, DEBT.

Creatures with Protection from {quality} cannot be:

  • D amaged, by sources with that quality (the damage is prevented).

  • E nchanted / E quipped / Fortified, by cards with that quality.

  • B locked, by creatures with that quality.

  • T argeted, by spells or abilities from sources with that quality.

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  • Regarding the E for Equipment/Enchantment, this skill could work against my creature, right? Let's say I have protection from White, and that I have a nice White Enchantment or White Equipment in my own hand that will give my creature +3/+3, but since my creature is "Protected from White" it won't be able to assign the Enchantment/Equipment to my creature, I am right? Or the protection is only from cards played by other players? Sep 17, 2012 at 22:18
  • @AbelMorelos, normally you should ask this in a different quesrion, but...It works regardless of the controller of the Enchantment/Equipment. I.E. Pasifism won't be able to enchant a pro-white creature, and neither will Behemoth Sledge.
    – user1873
    Sep 18, 2012 at 1:29
  • Protection also prevents Fortification by cards with {quality}, but that breaks the nice mnemonic, and there's only one card with Fortify anyway. :) (The technical term replacing Enchant, Equip, and Fortify is that you can't Attach objects with {quality} to the protected permanent.)
    – Brian S
    Aug 25, 2014 at 14:56
  • 1
    That the damage is prevented is relevant with a card like [mtg:Skullcrack], which says that damage can't be prevented this turn. After that resolves, the D stops working. Mar 12, 2015 at 15:13
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Protection is a rather busy keyword. The easiest way to remember it is the mnemonic "DEBT".

A permanent or player with protection from a quality cannot be: (from user1873's answer)

  • D amaged, by sources with that quality (the damage is prevented).

  • E nchanted / E quipped / Fortified, by cards with that quality.

  • B locked, by creatures with that quality.

  • T argeted, by spells or abilities from sources with that quality.

So, in your example:

Elite Inquisitor cannot be blocked by Zombies.

Elite Inquisitor can, however, block Zombies normally. If a Zombie would deal combat damage to him, it is prevented and he takes no damage instead.

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  • Nit: s/and he takes 0 damage instead/and he takes no damage instead/. One cannot deal 0 damage.
    – ikegami
    Jun 24, 2012 at 8:47
  • To clarify why this is important, if you could deal 0 damage then you would have an extra way to trigger abilities that are triggered "when x deals damage" or "when x is dealt damage".
    – Cronax
    Mar 12, 2015 at 12:16
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Yes, it can.

In a nutshell, Protection from X on a creature means:

  • The creature can't be targeted by X spells or abilities from source with X.
  • It can't be blocked by X creatures.
  • Damage from X sources is prevented.
  • Auras with quality X on that creature are destroyed, equipments with quality X fall off (but are not destroyed).

Day of Judgment or similar cards do not target any creatures, and they deal no damage. Therefore, Protection would not protect that creature.

Reference:

702.15. Protection

702.15a 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. 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.

702.15b 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.

702.15c 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.")

702.15d 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.")

702.15e Any damage that would be dealt by sources that have the stated quality to a permanent or player with protection is prevented.

702.15f Attacking creatures with protection can't be blocked by creatures that have the stated quality.

702.15g "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. If an effect causes an object with such an ability to lose protection from [quality A], for example, that object would still have protection from [quality B].

702.15h "Protection from all [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. If an effect causes an object with such an ability to lose protection from [quality A], for example, that object would still have protection from [quality B], [quality C], and so on.

702.15i "Protection from everything" is a variant of the protection ability. A permanent with protection from everything has protection from each object regardless of that object's characteristic values. Such a permanent can't be targeted by spells or abilities, enchanted by Auras, equipped by Equipment, fortified by Fortifications, or blocked by creatures, and all damage that would be dealt to it is prevented.

702.15j Multiple instances of protection from the same quality on the same permanent or player are redundant.

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Zombies cannot be declared as blockers against a creature with Protection from Zombies.

The Comprehensive Rules:

702.15f Attacking creatures with protection can't be blocked by creatures that have the stated quality.

If the Zombies somehow deal damage to the Elite Inquisitor, like with an Ulvenwald Tracker:

702.15e Any damage that would be dealt by sources that have the stated quality to a permanent or player with protection is prevented.

See Section 702.15 for more information about Protection.

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