How do get rid of an Indestructible creature or artifact?
Asked by Darkcrusader 6 years ago
My friend who has been playing alot longer than me says that only an enchantment, or an instant that removes the indestructible can stop it. Are there any other ways?
ClockworkSwordfish says... #2
You can see a good rundown on how different forms of removal interact with different defenses here.
December 31, 2017 1:54 p.m.
Things that get around indestructible:
- Effects that exile.
- Effects that cause them to be sacrificed.
- Effects that remove indestructible that happen before a destroy effect
Additional Effects that get rid of indestructible creatures:
- Reducing toughness to 0 or less (normal damage does not reduce toughness, just marks damage on the creature until end of turn).
- Effects that remove indestructible from a creature which has already taken enough damage to destroy it that turn.
December 31, 2017 11:14 p.m.
OpenFire_V2 says... #5
Stuff like Tragic Slip will kill indestructible creatures (unless they have more than 13 toughness). Oblivion Ring type effects will also work, as will Swords to Plowshares and Burn from Within. These are examples of cards that interact with it.
January 1, 2018 1:55 p.m.
Uragbonebreaker says... #6
pskinn01 if you reduce toughness to zero then use a card like Pillar of Flame or Magma Spray cards with "...if this creature would die exile it instead"
January 2, 2018 1:44 p.m.
Uragbonebreaker - if you reduce a creatures toughness to 0, it is put into its owners graveyard as a state based action. No player gets priority between it getting toughness reduced and it hitting the graveyard.
If you hit a indestructible creature with Magma Spray then made its toughness to 0 or less. Then when it would try to go to graveyard, it would get exiled. This is because in magic "dies" means when a creature goes from battlefield into the graveyard.
Just remember damage is "marked" on a creature, it does not reduce toughness.
January 2, 2018 2 p.m.
Uragbonebreaker says... #8
pskinn01 technically we are both right. It doesn't reduce it all it does is take damage which carries over through the phases of the turn. and i understand that it does not do it but my point does work i did it with Hazoret the Fervent with Shock and Magma Spray
January 2, 2018 2:07 p.m.
Uragbonebreaker : Shock and Magma Spray together will not destroy Hazoret the Fervent. Neither reduce toughness, and neither remove indestructible. They both just deal damage, and indestructible rules state that normal damage cant kill it. Magma Spray just creates a replacement effect if the creature goes to the graveyard. And since damage wont send it to the graveyard, the effect does nothing. And just because someone let you do something, does not make it correct by the rules.
702.12b A permanent with indestructible cant be destroyed. Such permanents arent destroyed by lethal damage, and they ignore the state-based action that checks for lethal damage (see rule 704.5g).
January 2, 2018 2:26 p.m.
Uragbonebreaker says... #10
While playing in the PPTQ with a Wizard official judge said that will exile Hazoret the Fervent, which I placed 2nd loosing to the same deck i did that to
January 8, 2018 12:34 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #11
@Uragbonebreaker: Unfortunately, the judge was wrong in your case. Damage will be marked on indestructible creatures, but it won't do anything. Magma Spray creates a replacement effect that will change how the creature enters the graveyard, but damage won't cause an indestructible creature to enter the graveyard.
Hazoret the Fervent hit by Shock and Magma Spray is a 5/4 indestructible with 4 damage marked on it.
January 8, 2018 1:01 p.m.
Uragbonebreaker says... #12
I have seen many people do it during PPTQ and during Champion events
BlueScope says... #1
Enchantments (as in the card type) don't have any special qualities that would interact with Indestructible. Also, removing Indestructible doesn't get rid of the creature, just of the keyword - and most of the time only until end of turn.
That said, Indestructible only keeps permanents from being destroyed by cards that use the word "destroy", or lethal damage. You can still exile them, reduce their toughness to 0 or less (if they're a creature), shuffle them into their owner's library, or plenty of other options.
December 30, 2017 8:37 p.m.