Back when Zendikar block was still in standard, Brave the Elements was one of my favorite cards. We may have that back, but we also have Gods Willing, which grants protection to just one of your creatures, but that creature needn’t be white (plus you get to Scry 1). Now, we’re also in a Standard heavy with Auras and Bestow creatures, so there’s an interaction with protection you might not think about!

Protection from a color means four things, essentially. If you give your creature Protection from Black, then any damage from a black source will be prevented. It cannot be enchanted by black Auras, equipped with black Equipment, or fortified by black Fortifications. It can’t be blocked by black creatures, and it can’t be the target of black spells, or abilities from black sources. A common little acronym used to remember the effects of Protection is DEBT– Damage/Enchant-Equip/Block/Target. But the “E” in there is important for this discussion! Not only does it mean you can’t have black Auras THROWN onto your creature (whether by casting them or by cheating them out without casting them, like the old “Sun Titan and Dead Weight” trick), any that are already there fall off as a State-Based Action. It happens immediately, as soon as the protection goes ‘live’, and can’t be responded to in any way. If you cast Gods Willing on one of your creatures, any auras of the chosen color will fall off of it. So if your Boros Reckoner is currently enchanted by a Gift of Immortality and you use Gods Willing calling white to sidestep a Glare of Heresy, you’ll lose your Gift!

Today’s Rules Tip written by Trevor Nunez