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Teferi's Protection

2X2 · rare · Released 2022-07-08

Power

brawl
tier-1Game-defining
commander
tier-1Game-defining

Tier shown as baseline → best-case (in its ideal shell).

Derived from the 7 atoms below.

over

above rate

standalone

meaningful alone

modular

fits anywhere

takes over

can take over a game

flexible

multiple modes

broad

broadly useful

n/a

n/a

Commander Bracket

1Precon2Core3Upgraded4Optimized5cEDH

Archetypes

positive:
controlcombostax-prison
negative:
aggroburn

Roles

protection-massprotection-targetedfog-effectcombo-piece

Risks

once-per-game

Mechanics

Typal

synergy:

anti:

Structural

replacement-effectstatic-ability

Rationale

Teferi's Protection is a 3cmc white instant that phases out all your permanents, locks your life total, and grants you blanket protection from everything until your next turn — effectively making you untouchable for a full round. It is the premier emergency-response spell in Commander, saving boards from boardwipes, preventing combat lethal, and blanket-countering targeted removal. As a WotC Game Changer, it sits at bracket 3+. The self-exile clause means it cannot be recurred for free (Flashback), but spell-recursion effects (Snapcaster, Kaalia) can still reuse it.

Learnings (3)

  • Teferi's Protection phases out your permanents — phased-out permanents are treated as though they don't exist, so they cannot be targeted, destroyed, or sacrificed; counters and auras on them are preserved and phase back in with them.

    tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6

  • The exile clause only exiles Teferi's Protection itself on resolution; if the spell is countered or exiled from the stack before resolution, the effects do not occur, but the card also does not end up in exile (it goes to the graveyard instead).

    tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6

  • Because your life total can't change (replacement effect) rather than granting you hexproof, effects like Mana Drain that ask you to 'pay life' or 'lose life' are also blanked — even effects you control — which can disrupt your own plans if you have upkeep life-payment costs active.

    tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6

Popularity

  • EDHREC rank: #106
  • Game changer: yes

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