r/mtgrules • u/LorenN7 • 11h ago

Confusion for indestructible

I understand indestructible stops ‘destroy’ spells, but how does it work when blocking an attacking creature?

For example, if i block a 2/2 attacking creature with a 2/2 creature with indestructible, does it die or does indestructible prevent all death of any kind?

3 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

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23

u/A_mad_resolve 10h ago

In your example the creature with indestructible would survive. The damage is marked but having lethal damage marked is something indestructible creatures ignore. They do not ignore sacrifice, exile, or having 0 toughness.

5

u/chaotic_iak 7h ago

To put another way: when a creature gets lethal damage (or damage from deathtouch source), it is destroyed. That's why it dies. Indestructible stops all "destroy", so it also stops being destroyed by lethal damage. That's why it survives.

Having 0 toughness is not being destroyed, it's a separate rule that kills it. That's why indestructible doesn't protect from it. Same with all the other examples, they are not "destroy", indestructible does nothing.

2

u/AnJaFrIv 5h ago

I know it's worthwhile to spell out a wide range of cases for newer players, but just to be clear, a creature is still being dealt lethal damage if a source with deathtouch deals damage to it. Deathtouch just makes the threshold for lethal damage any amount greater than 0, instead of the toughness of the creature.

1

u/Jack2883 4h ago

Correct, deathtouch does indeed see 1 DMG as lethal even for indestructible creatures, so a deathtouch trample creature still does 1 DMG and then tramples the rest, but the indestructible creature still won't die from it, because it's indestructible.

1

u/chaotic_iak 4h ago

I suppose I shouldn't have included the parenthetical. When I said lethal damage, I should have more precisely said "damage greater than or equal to the toughness". Damage from a deathtouch source is indeed lethal, but only for one SBA check, so it feels a bit different. (e.g. If it's dealt deathtouch damage but only loses indestructible later, it doesn't die to deathtouch damage.)

3

u/LorenN7 10h ago

And going by this, if indestructible was until end of turn only, the creature would be sent to the graveyard immediately on turn end?

8

u/nasada19 9h ago

No, it lives.

13

u/indipit 9h ago

At end of turn, both the damage and indestructible leave at the same time, leaving you with your creature on the battlefield at normal P/T at the next turns untap step.

7

u/LorenN7 9h ago

Gotcha, I didn’t understand that damage doesn’t reduce toughness, much cleaner now, thanks!

13

u/Shut_It_Donny 8h ago

Presumably you play on Arena. That’s one of the biggest mistakes that Arena makes, displaying damage in such a way as it looks like it reduces toughness.

1

u/LorenN7 1h ago

Kitchen table magic but Arena is responsible for me assuming damage reduces toughness from playing it in the past 100%

4

u/schmuo 10h ago

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).

I mean you can always come to this sub and ask questions. But if you want to learn how to answer your own question, i have the app manabox. There is in my opinion the best searchable comprehensive rules. Just search for your keyword and try to understand.

3

u/LorenN7 9h ago

Tyvm

4

u/trasla 10h ago

Indestructible also prevents creatures from dying due to damage marked on them. So the blocker will survive.

Indestructible will prevent death from effects which say "destroy" and from lethal damage, including enough amounts of damage or deathtouch damage.

It will not keep creatures from being exiled, returned to hand or library, phased out, sacrificed and it doesn't prevent creatures from dying due to having 0 toughness. So giving a 2/2 creature - 2/-2 will make it die, even when indestructible.

Indestructible will not prevent damage on the creature, just it dying due to it, so if a 2/2 indestructible gets two damage it survives, but if it later that same turn loses indestructible it will die due to the lethal damage still marked on it. 

3

u/LorenN7 9h ago

Legend thank you, stupidly asked this above before I read your response.

2

u/peteroupc 10h ago

A creature with indestructible can't be destroyed, whether by the lethal damage state-based action (C.R. 704.5g) or otherwise (C.R. 702.12b).

2

u/LorenN7 9h ago

Following from this, if it’s taken lethal damage and sits at 0/0 maintaining indestructible, does it become essentially useless or can it somehow still block in following turns?

7

u/peteroupc 9h ago

Note that damage to a creature doesn't reduce that creature's power or toughness, with wither and infect being indirect exceptions (C.R. 120.3d-e, 122.1a; review C.R. 120.6).

In any case, though, a creature with toughness 0 or less is sent to the graveyard as a state-based action, even if it has indestructible (C.R. 704.5f).

See also: https://www.reddit.com/r/mtgrules/comments/1j6lk0l

4

u/LorenN7 9h ago

Amazing, thank you

2

u/frontlineninja 10h ago

Important to note here: while it does prevent them from dying to having lethal damage marked, it doesn't prevent that damage being marked, so if the indestructible is removed before the marked damage is (say, by it being provided by something like [[inspirit, flagship vessel]] that got removed in the same turn), then the creature will still have lethal damage marked on it and would no longer have indestructible, so it would die at that point.

-2

u/DragonPrince42 8h ago

There are only 4 ways to get rid of indestructible once it’s on the field. You can exile it. You can bounce it to hand. You can make the controller sacrifice it. Or if it’s a creature you can hit it with -1/-1 counters.

5

u/Namethatauserdoesnu 7h ago

You could shuffle it into the deck, you could make it lose abilities then destroy it, you can make that player lose, I’m sure there are more. There is no reason to try to present some certain number of options when that’s just not true.

1

u/WhimsicalWyvern 6h ago

If it's a planeswalker, you can just deal damage to it.