What it does
Protection from something (a color, type, or quality) means that permanent or player can't be targeted, enchanted/equipped, blocked, or damaged by anything with that quality. The handy mnemonic is DEBT: Damage prevented, Enchant/equip blocked, Blocking prevented, Targeting prevented—all from the relevant source.
The big nuance: protection doesn't stop everything. It won't save you from sacrifice effects, "destroy" effects that don't target (like a Wrath), or counters/effects that don't deal damage or target. Also, protection from a color only matters if the source actually has that color—colorless removal slips right through "protection from white." Damage is prevented, not negated retroactively; combat damage from a protected attacker still applies normally.
In Commander, protection is gold for pushing through unblockable attackers, dodging targeted removal, and making creatures sticky—but build around its blind spots, since multiplayer tables run plenty of edicts and board wipes.
Iconic cards with Protection
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