Decoding Indestructible in Magic: The Gathering: A Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse (and Board Wipes)
Magic: The Gathering features many keywords. One standout keyword is “indestructible.” It denotes resilience. In a game focused on strategic deck-building, indestructible shines. So, what does it mean? How do you counter those stubborn permanents? Let’s explore.
Indestructible: The MTG Tank
In MTG lingo, “indestructible” offers defense against removal tricks. Indestructible means it cannot be destroyed by lethal damage or ‘destroy’ effects. Picture a magical barrier around your creatures, artifacts, or lands. A creature resisting a Lightning Bolt exemplifies indestructibility.
However, remember that indestructibility has limits. It isn’t invincibility. Indestructible counters ‘destroy’ effects and lethal damage only. It is specific protection, not a shield against everything. Think of it as strong armor against swords, not against falling into a volcano.
What Indestructible Doesn’t Stop
What else can remove an indestructible permanent? Various things exist. First, indestructible can’t prevent forced sacrifices. Edicts or specific black spells make opponents sacrifice creatures. Why? Sacrificing isn’t destroying. It’s offering to the MTG gods, who require a toll.
Indestructible vs. Deathtouch: The Unstoppable Force Paradox
Now for interactions. What occurs when indestructible meets tactics like deathtouch? Indestructible creatures ignore deathtouch entirely. Indeed, deathtouch, which makes any damage deadly, fails against indestructible beings. It’s akin to cutting steel with a butter knife. Indestructible stands firm against any damage.
Trample and Indestructible: Damage Still Gets Through
Trample brings another scenario. Picture a massive beast trampling an indestructible blocker. Even if the blocker isn’t destroyed, it still receives damage. Trample allows excess damage to affect the defending player (or planeswalker). An indestructible creature can take hits while life totals dwindle from trample’s damage. It’s protecting against the weapon but still pushed back by force.
Hexproof and Indestructible: Separate Defenses
Does hexproof add extra protection? Not exactly. Hexproof prevents targeting by opponents. Since deathtouch does not target, hexproof doesn’t shield creatures from it. Hexproof and indestructible serve different purposes. Hexproof hinders spells from selecting your permanents, while indestructible prevents destruction. They can work together, but they guard against various threats.
Board Wipes and Indestructible: The Ultimate Showdown?
Now, board wipes pose an issue for creature-heavy decks. Do spells like “Wrath of God” finally eliminate those pesky indestructibles? No, board wipes that destroy creatures are futile against indestructible creatures. Your creatures remain unharmed while others are swept away. It is satisfying for you, terrifying for your rival.
Not every board wipe acts similarly, though. Wipes that exile, bounce, or prompt sacrifices can affect indestructible creatures. Exile spells, like “Farewell,” remove them from play without destroying them. Bouncing abilities return them to hand and bypass indestructibility. As discussed, sacrifice effects directly counter indestructibility. Damage-based wipes that reduce toughness can also eliminate them, despite their strength.
Regeneration and Indestructible: Redundancy or Pointlessness?
Regeneration was once the premier method for keeping creatures alive. How does it relate to indestructibility? If something states “can’t be regenerated,” the regeneration effect won’t occur. However, this is mostly irrelevant with indestructible creatures. After all, they inherently avoid destruction. Using regeneration feels redundant, like wearing two bulletproof vests—overkill but harmless.
Blasphemous Act: A Fiery Exception (Unless You’re Indestructible)
Now consider “Blasphemous Act,” a red sorcery known for its devastating impact. This spell deals 13 damage to all creatures. Usually, this clears the board of threats. But indestructibles? They merely shrug off the impact. The damage won’t bring them down unless their toughness falls below 13 before resolution.
Importantly, “Blasphemous Act” does not target creatures. This means protections against targeting such as hexproof are moot. Its global effect strikes everything at once. [[Blasphemous Act]]’s nature means ward doesn’t trigger. Ward punishes targeting but is useless here. This global nature grants potency and sidesteps some protections while failing against indestructibility.
Timing is crucial. Players can respond after casting Blasphemous Act but not before calculating its mana cost. This follows standard spellcasting procedure and matters if you hoped to alter payment plans during casting. Once announced and paid for, the spell’s damage is certain.
Ways to Remove Indestructible Creatures: Beyond Destruction
How do you eliminate these indestructible nuisances? There are methods available. We mentioned some earlier, but let’s clarify:
- Exile: Exiling an indestructible permanent remains the most definitive action. Exile entirely removes permanents without destruction. Cards like “Swords to Plowshares” provide excellent exile options.
- Sacrifice: As noted, opponents can force sacrifices despite indestructibility.Edict effects compel sacrifice even if a permanent is tough.
- Toughness Reduction: Remember that indestructible allows survival against lethal damage but fallibility against reduced toughness. If toughness reaches 0 or less from counters or effects, it dies regardless of that toughness. This action isn’t destruction or lethal damage tactically.
- -X/-X Effects: Mass -X/-X spells are valuable options. Mass -X/-X spells (e.g., Toxic Deluge) can drag toughness down to nullify even the strongest indestructibles. “Toxic Deluge” notoriously bypasses indestructibility alongside many defenses like “The Meathook Massacre.”
Deathtouch, Hexproof, Trample, Double Strike, and Planeswalkers: Quick Interactions
A rapid recap of interactions follows:
- Deathtouch: In Magic: The Gathering, “deathtouch” states any damage from a creature with deathtouch to another creature deals lethal damage.
- Deathtouch is lethal damage. It destroys a creature regardless of toughness. However, indestructible creatures ignore deathtouch. They take damage but are not destroyed.
- Hexproof: This protects a permanent or player from an opponent’s target spells or abilities. Hexproof prevents targeting. It does not stop non-target effects, board wipes, or sacrifices. It works against targeted removal but not against indestructible.
- Trample allows a creature to deal damage to the player or planeswalker after assigning lethal damage to a blocker. Indestructible creatures take damage assigned to them. Trample damage still goes through even when blocked by indestructible creatures.
- Double Strike: Creatures with double strike deal combat damage in the first combat step. This is critical in battles involving indestructible creatures. If a double striker is blocked, it stays blocked even if the blocking creature is destroyed. Indestructible blockers survive both damage steps.
- Planeswalkers: Damage to a planeswalker removes loyalty counters. If a planeswalker’s loyalty reaches zero, it goes to the graveyard, even if it is indestructible. Indestructibility does not stop loyalty loss or the trigger at zero loyalty.
Other MTG Cards: Toxic Deluge and The Meathook Massacre Revisited
Cards like “Toxic Deluge” and “The Meathook Massacre” bypass indestructible and other protection effects. They use -X/-X toughness reduction. These methods are powerful against indestructible strategies.
Even if a creature is indestructible due to equipment like “Darksteel Plate,” you can still wipe the board or destroy those items. Destroying the source of indestructibility is another way to handle indestructible creatures. It often takes a slower approach.
Indestructibility in Real Life: Nature’s Tanks
The concept of “indestructibility,” or extreme resilience, exists in nature. Consider Tardigrades (Water Bears). These small creatures thrive in Earth’s harshest environments. They may be the most indestructible animal. Tardigrades withstand extreme temperatures, radiation, vacuum, and drying out for long periods.
They can enter a state of cryptobiosis, suspended animation, to survive tough conditions. Given their durability, it’s plausible they could endure a nuclear blast’s initial explosion.
Tardigrades are tiny, measuring around 0.002 to 0.05 inches (0.05 to 1.2 millimeters) long. They are visible to the naked eye, but just barely. Tardigrades do not live in or on humans. They pose no threat to us.
Beyond animals, materials like Nacre, the resilient substance lining mollusk shells, are known for toughness. Additionally, graphene can hold about 2 tons of weight. Nature and science showcase many things that are notably resistant to damage.
Lastly, consider the Turritopsis dohrnii and Turritopsis nutricula. These jellyfish can revert to their polyp stage when injured or stressed. This effectively resets their life cycle. This cycle might repeat indefinitely, giving them a form of biological immortality.
Blasphemy in Religion: The Act Behind the MTG Card Name
The term “Blasphemous Act” has religious meanings. Blasphemy laws prohibit insulting or disrespecting a deity or sacred objects.
Religious texts often mention blasphemy. For example, the Bible declares, “All sins will be forgiven… But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven” (Mark 3:28-29).
While “Blasphemous Act” is just a game card, its name draws from a deeply disrespectful concept. It reflects the spell’s devastating nature on the battlefield.
This guide covers indestructible in Magic: The Gathering. You’ve learned its definitions, limitations, interactions with other mechanics, and real-world connections. Now you can wield indestructible effectively and counter it when facing opponents behind unkillable creatures.
