Card Talk 28

Cactuar card art

Time for Card Talk! Reminder how this works:

• I go to Scryfall and select 'Random Card'
• I present and blog about the card. I could discuss any aspect: the art, abilities, cost, set, impact on the game, and so on. Stream of consciousness.

Card Talk is a fun, uncurated way to look at Magic's cards, mechanics, history, art, sets, and so on. And of course it exposes some of my own preferences, biases, and memories of the game.

Today's card is . . .

Crimson Acolyte—a common creature from Invasion.

Crimson Acolyte has Protection from red (and can grant this to other creatures). "Protection from _____" can be a tricky concept. From the official rules, section 702.16:

702.16b A permanent or player with protection can’t be targeted by spells with the stated quality and can’t be targeted by abilities from a source with the stated quality.

702.16c A permanent or player with protection can’t be enchanted by Auras that have the stated quality. Such Auras attached to the permanent or player with protection will be put into their owners’ graveyards as a state-based action. (See rule 704, “State-Based Actions.”)

702.16d A permanent with protection can’t be equipped by Equipment that have the stated quality or fortified by Fortifications that have the stated quality. Such Equipment or Fortifications

become unattached from that permanent as a state-based action, but remain on the battlefield. (See rule 704, “State-Based Actions.”)

702.16e Any damage that would be dealt by sources that have the stated quality to a permanent or player with protection is prevented.

702.16f Attacking creatures with protection can’t be blocked by creatures that have the stated quality.

That is wordy . . . some cards summarize, like the text on Apostle of Purifying Light below.

Genericizing: Protection from [color] means "This creature can’t be blocked, targeted, dealt damage, enchanted, or equipped by anything [color]." A helpful mnemonic: if you rearrange the words you get DEBT (Damaged, Enchanted/Equipped, Blocked, Targeted); this website has more.

Protection is often from a color, but sometimes from other things (which is why the 702.16 sections quoted above talks about "stated quality"). Some cards even have Protection from a player or Protection from everything. 

Invasion was an expansion released in 2000; it is headliner set of the block of the same name. One of its themes was 'color matters,' which is why Protection from [color] showed up on several cards in this set.

Until next time . . . keep exploring.