Does protection stop proliferate?

Does Protection Stop Proliferate?

Proliferate is a powerful mechanic in Magic: The Gathering that allows players to add counters to permanents and players. But what happens when a protection ability is present? Does it stop proliferate in its tracks, or does it allow the proliferate effect to take place?

Direct Answer

To answer this question, we need to look at the official Magic: The Gathering rules. According to the Comprehensive Rules (701.23a), proliferate means to choose any number of permanents and/or players that have a counter, then give each one additional counter of each kind that permanent or player already has.

Protection Does Not Target

Protection is a type of ability that prevents a permanent or player from being the target of spells and abilities. Protection does not target (emphasis mine), which means it doesn’t interfere with the proliferate effect. Proliferate doesn’t target any permanents or players, it simply adds counters to them.

No Interference

Since protection doesn’t target, it doesn’t interfere with the proliferate effect. Proliferate can still add counters to permanents and players with protection, just like it would to any other permanent or player.

Example

Let’s say we have a permanent with a protection ability and a counter on it. We use a proliferate effect to add another counter to that permanent. The protection ability won’t stop the proliferate effect from taking place, and the permanent will end up with two counters.

Table: Protection and Proliferate

In-Game Examples

There are several in-game examples of protection abilities that allow proliferate to take place. For instance, Meren of Clan Nel Toth has protection from red and can still be affected by proliferate effects. Vizzerdrix, Wisdom Savant has protection from blue and can still have counters added to it by proliferate effects.

Conclusion

In conclusion, protection does not stop proliferate. Protection abilities do not target, which means they don’t interfere with the proliferate effect. Proliferate can still add counters to permanents and players with protection, just like it would to any other permanent or player.

Remember

When playing with protection abilities and proliferate effects, keep in mind that protection does not target and therefore does not interfere with the proliferate effect. This can lead to some interesting interactions and strategies, so make sure to pay attention to the rules and your opponent’s moves.

Future Considerations

As new sets and cards are released, it’s possible that we may see changes to the protection and proliferate mechanics. However, for now, it’s clear that protection does not stop proliferate.