Usually, no. A creature with protection from white is still destroyed by a white spell that says “Destroy all creatures.” Protection prevents certain interactions, not every effect from a source of that color. It does prevent damage dealt to the creature by a white source, so the wipe’s exact wording matters.
What protection from white actually prevents
Under Magic’s protection rules, protection from white prevents damage from white sources, stops white spells and abilities from targeting the creature, and prevents white Auras or Equipment from being attached to it. It does not make the creature immune to every white spell or effect. See Wizards’ Comprehensive Rules and protection mechanics explanation.
For a board wipe, check what the effect does—not just its color or the fact that it affects many creatures.
- Targets the creature: Protection from white prevents a white spell or ability from targeting it.
- Deals damage to it: Protection from white prevents damage from a white source.
- Destroys it without targeting or dealing damage: Protection does not prevent that destruction.
- Exiles it, makes its controller sacrifice it, or reduces its toughness: These are distinct from damage and are not generally prevented by protection.
Why a white “destroy all creatures” spell still works
A spell that says “Destroy all creatures” does not target the creatures it destroys, and destruction is not damage. Wizards gives this exact example: a creature with protection from white can still be destroyed by a white spell with that instruction because the spell “neither targets nor tries to damage it.” Wizards’ Modern Horizons mechanics article explains the interaction directly.
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Wizards’ Ultimate Masters release notes likewise use Akroma’s Vengeance as an example of an effect that can destroy a creature with protection from white. The protection ability does not negate a nontargeted destroy instruction.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When protection does save the creature from a wipe
If a white source would deal damage to the protected creature, protection prevents that damage. That is why a damage-based wipe can have a different result from a destroy-all spell. A rules FAQ contrasts Day of Judgment, which destroys, with Blasphemous Act, whose red damage is prevented by protection from red. The Magic Judge rules FAQ gives that comparison; the Comprehensive Rules are the authoritative source.
Rank #2
- Name: Planar Cleansing
- Set: Magic 2014
- A single individual card from the Magic: the Gathering (MTG) trading and collectible card game (TCG/CCG).
If the damage is prevented, the creature is not destroyed by that damage. This does not prevent other parts of a spell or ability from affecting it unless those parts are also covered by protection.
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- Name: Walker of the Wastes
- Set: Oath of the Gatewatch
- A single individual card from the Magic: the Gathering (MTG) trading and collectible card game (TCG/CCG).
Rank #4
- Name: Feed the Clan
- Set: Khans of Tarkir
- A single individual card from the Magic: the Gathering (MTG) trading and collectible card game (TCG/CCG).
Rank #3
- Name: Fumigate
- Set: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth - Commander
- A single individual card from the Magic: the Gathering (MTG) trading and collectible card game (TCG/CCG).
How to check a specific board wipe
- Read the complete card text. A card may combine more than one effect, so do not rely on its color, name, or the phrase “board wipe.”
- Check whether it targets. If a white spell or ability targets the creature, protection from white prevents that target.
- Check whether it deals damage. If damage from a white source would be dealt to the creature, protection prevents that damage.
- Identify any other instruction. Destruction, exile, sacrifice, and toughness reduction are not damage; protection does not generally stop them just because the source is white.
- Apply each part separately. If an effect combines damage with another instruction, protection may stop the damage while leaving an uncovered instruction effective. For unusual interactions, use the current Comprehensive Rules and the full card text.
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