Does Trample Still Work with Protection?
In Magic: The Gathering, Trample and Protection are two mechanics that can interact with each other in complex ways. As a player, it’s essential to understand how these mechanics work together to maximize your chances of winning.
Direct Answer
In short, yes, Trample still works with Protection. When a creature with Trample attacks and is blocked by a creature with Protection, the defending player can still assign life loss to the attacking player, but the excess damage will still deal to the blocking creature. We’ll dive deeper into this explanation below.
How Protection Works
Protection is a static ability that prevents the damage dealt by a creature with Protection from being assigned to the player it’s blocking. This means that if a creature with Protection is blocking an attacking creature, the attacking player cannot assign life loss to themselves. Instead, the life loss is assigned to the blocking creature.
How Trample Works
Trample is a static ability that allows a creature to deal excess damage to the opponent’s life total. When a creature with Trample attacks and is blocked, the excess damage dealt by the creature is still assigned to the opponent’s life total, even if the blocking creature would have been destroyed by the initial damage.
Combining Trample and Protection
When a creature with Trample attacks and is blocked by a creature with Protection, the defending player can still assign life loss to the attacking player. The excess damage dealt by the Trampling creature is then assigned to the blocking creature, which will take the damage even if it’s protected.
Example Scenarios
- Scenario 1: A 3/3 Trampling creature attacks a 2/2 creature with Protection. The defending player assigns 2 life loss to the attacking player and the remaining 1 damage is assigned to the blocking creature.
- Scenario 2: A 5/5 Trampling creature attacks a 3/3 creature with Protection. The defending player assigns 3 life loss to the attacking player and the remaining 2 damage is assigned to the blocking creature.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Trample still works with Protection, but the defending player can still assign life loss to the attacking player. The excess damage dealt by the Trampling creature is still assigned to the blocking creature, even if it’s protected. Understanding how these mechanics interact with each other is crucial for building and playing effective decks in Magic: The Gathering.
Additional Tips
- When building a deck with Trampling creatures, consider including creatures with Protection to take advantage of this interaction.
- When defending against Trampling creatures, make sure to include creatures with Protection to mitigate the damage dealt.
- Trample is a powerful ability, but it’s not always a guarantee of winning. Consider including other forms of card advantage, such as Lifegain or card draw, to supplement your Trampling creatures.
References
- Official Magic: The Gathering Website
- MTG Wiki
- Vintage Is the New Old