Card Guides
Best Protection in Commander
Heroic Intervention and Teferi's Protection for the whole board, Swiftfoot Boots and Tamiyo's Safekeeping for one card. The staples that keep a plan alive.
What makes protection good
- One card or the whole board. A single-target hexproof spell and a board-wide indestructible effect solve different problems.
- Hexproof versus shroud. Hexproof stops opponents from targeting your permanent; shroud stops you too, which can cost you your own buffs.
- Speed. A protection effect that can't be cast at instant speed can't respond to removal already on the stack.
Protecting one card
Keeping your commander or a key synergy piece alive against targeted removal.
Swiftfoot Boots ↗
Cheap to cast, cheap to move, hexproof and haste on whatever it's attached to. Protects every turn after it resolves.
Tamiyo's Safekeeping ↗
One mana, hexproof and indestructible on any one permanent, plus a little life. The cheapest instant-speed answer to removal aimed at your best card.
Lightning Greaves ↗
Free to equip, haste and shroud on the creature wearing it. Shroud cuts both ways: it also stops you from targeting your own creature.
Protecting the whole board
For the turn someone else is about to wipe the board, or alpha-strike you out of the game.
Heroic Intervention ↗
Two mana, your whole board gets hexproof and indestructible until end of turn. The best rate on board-wide protection in the format.
Teferi's Protection ↗
Your life total can't change and your whole board phases out until your next turn. The strongest single answer to a wipe, an alpha strike, or a lethal spell.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best protection spell in Commander?
Heroic Intervention for protecting your whole board at instant speed for two mana. Teferi's Protection is the strongest single answer available if you can afford three mana and white, since it stops your life total from changing at all in addition to protecting your permanents.
How much protection should a Commander deck run?
2 to 4 pieces covers most decks, see how much protection to run for the full breakdown and when a Voltron or combo deck wants more.
Is hexproof better than shroud for protection?
Usually, yes. Hexproof only stops opponents from targeting the permanent, so you can still target your own creature with a buff or a protection spell. Shroud stops everyone, including you, which is a real downside on a card like Lightning Greaves.
Should protection be instant speed?
Whenever possible. A protection effect that can only be cast at sorcery speed can't respond to a removal spell already on the stack, which is exactly the moment protection is needed most.
See how often protection actually saved your game.
TurnZero HQ's game recaps log the swings that mattered, so you can tell whether that hexproof spell earned its slot.
Create Free Account