Can I activate Marrow-Gnawer's ability with a creature that has protection from black?
Asked by Dead_DDP 4 years ago
I'm working on a Rat tribal commander deck with Marrow-Gnawer as the commander, and I'm wondering about how his activated ability would work with Akroma's Memorial . It's the cost that requires a creature be chosen, not the ability itself, and it says "Sacrifice a Rat," not "Sacrifice target Rat." Would I still be able to use his ability or would the protection from black prevent me from doing it?
You can remember what Protection covers by the acronym DEBT. Something with protection from [characteristic] can't be:
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Damaged
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Enchanted, Equipped, or Fortified
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Blocked
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Targeted
by anything with [characteristic].
Marrow-Gnawer 's rat sacrifice is a cost. Costs never target and are never prevented by protection. If instead the ability read ": Sacrifice target rat. Create X 1/1 rat tokens..." then protection would apply (note in the hypothetical that the sacrifice portion is after the colon, with the rest of the ability's effect, rather than before the colon with its cost).
Speaking from experience, what you need to watch out for are effects like on Angel of Jubilation , which prevents you from sacrificing creatures to activate abilitys. That shuts down Marrow-Gnawer decks.
August 22, 2019 5:16 p.m.
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DwaginFodder says... #1
You can still use the ability because it isn't being targeted, dealt damage, equipped, enchanted, or blocked; those are the only things that protection does.
August 22, 2019 2:10 p.m.