Protection (from)

Keywords · intermediate

A permanent or player with protection from [quality] has four protections against sources with that quality. The mnemonic is DEBT:

• Damage from those sources is prevented.
• Enchanted, equipped, or fortified by those sources is impossible (they fall off).
• Blocked by those sources is impossible.
• Targeted by those sources is impossible.

How it works

The "quality" can be a color, a card type, a creature type, a card name, or even something more exotic like "everything" (Progenitus has protection from everything -- the most extreme version of protection).

Examples

• Knight of Grace has protection from black: black creatures can't block it, can't deal damage to it, can't target it, can't enchant or equip it.
• White Knight has protection from black -- a venerable Magic stalwart.
• True-Name Nemesis has protection from a chosen player -- a notorious card from Legacy.

What protection does NOT do

• It does not stop wraths that destroy or exile without targeting.
• It does not stop indirect effects (e.g. an artifact that pings whenever you cast a spell).
• It does not stop sacrifice effects you control.

Rule reference

[702.16]