Protection
Keyword abilities
DEBT: the four things "protection from X" stops — and the board wipe it doesn't.
How it works
Protection from a quality (a color, a card type, "everything") does exactly four things, remembered as DEBT. The permanent can't be Damaged by sources with that quality (the damage is prevented), Enchanted or Equipped by them, Blocked by creatures with it, or Targeted by spells with it or abilities from sources with it.
Nothing else is stopped. Protection is not immunity: a creature with protection from black can still be destroyed by a black board wipe, sacrificed to a black edict, or bounced by anything that doesn't target it.
Common confusions
“Does protection from white save my creature from Wrath of God?”
No. Wrath of God doesn't target, doesn't deal damage, and doesn't block — it destroys. Even protection from everything only stops DEBT; Progenitus still dies to a Day of Judgment.
“I gave my creature protection in response to their removal.”
The removal's target is now illegal. If that was its only target, the spell doesn't resolve and none of its effects happen — including any unrelated to the target. If it had other legal targets, it does as much as it can to those.
“My own Auras and Equipment fell off.”
Protection doesn't care who controls the source. Give your creature protection from white and your own white Auras on it go to the graveyard, and Equipment of that quality becomes unattached.
“Can my protection-from-red creature block a red attacker?”
Yes. Protection stops red creatures blocking IT, not it blocking them — and the red attacker's damage to it is prevented, which makes it an excellent blocker.
“Protection from all colors vs. protection from everything.”
"All colors" means protection from white, blue, black, red and green separately, so colorless sources (most artifacts, the colorless Eldrazi) still get through. "Everything" means every source — but it is still only DEBT.
“A player has protection (Teferi's Protection).”
All damage that would be dealt to them is prevented, they can't be targeted, and Auras can't enchant them. Creatures can still attack them, and effects that don't target — "each opponent discards" — still apply.
Cards with protection
Ranked by how often Commander decks actually play them.
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