How does indestructable work?
Asked by student-of-life 12 years ago
If I laid Avacyn, Angel of Hope down then all of my permanents are indestructible. If my opponent attacked with a Flowering Lumberknot and I defended with Baneslayer Angel I would lose my angel. Am I correct in that?
GreatSword says... Accepted answer #2
From the Mtg comprehensive rules:
"700.4. If a permanent is indestructible, rules and effects cant destroy it. (See rule 701.6, Destroy.) Such permanents are not destroyed by lethal damage, and they ignore the lethal-damage state-based action. Rules or effects may cause an indestructible permanent to be sacrificed, put into a graveyard, or exiled"
Basically it doesn't die due to damage marked on it, or to "destroy" effects like Doom Blade or Supreme Verdict .
In your above example, your Baneslayer Angel wouldn't die, if only because she has first strike. Even if she didn't though, she still wouldn't die because she'd be indestructible (lethal damage wouldn't cause her to die).
Deathtouch causes any amount of damage greater than 0 to be considered lethal damage, which is exactly the kind of thing indestrucability stops.
March 30, 2013 12:50 p.m.
Indestructible means that they are not affected by lethal damage or destroy effect. Normally, blocking Flowering Lumberknot with a 5/5 creature would destroy both since they both do lethal damage to each other. If your creature is indestructible, it will still take damage but that damage will not destroy your creature. Cards like Murder also do not work on cards that are indestructible since their effect is to destroy. Indestructible cards can still be exiled, returned to your hand, discarded, sacrificed, and killed for having 0 or less toughness (this would be the result of a spell like Cower in Fear on a 1/1 creature, since Cower in Fear doesn't say destroy). Also you are right about deathtouch. Deathtouch makes any damage assigned by a creature lethal damage and indestructible cards are not affected by lethal damage.
Lastly, if you used Baneslayer Angel to defend against Flowering Lumberknot , Baneslayer Angel has first strike. Unless Flowering Lumberknot also has first strike or a toughness higher than 5, it would be destroyed and Baneslayer Angel would take no damage.
March 30, 2013 12:59 p.m.
Schuesseled says... #4
Indestructibility prevents the destruction of a creature from death effects and lethal damage, i.e. they can't be killed via combat or destroy spells.
So Flowering Lumberknot would not be able to destroy a creature with indestructibility, as damage does destroy such creatures. Also Baneslayer Angel has first strike so it would lill the treefolk long before it dealt any damage.
March 30, 2013 1:57 p.m.
Schuesseled says... #5
Deathtouch is a destroy effect, so no it would not harm an indestructible creature either.
student-of-life says... #1
Also, deathtouch does not work on an indestructible creature correct?
March 30, 2013 12:39 p.m.