Protection from non-creatures
If ~ would leave play due to an ability or effect on a creature, counter that ability or effect.
This limits it to combat damage - and ONLY combat damage, as you can't even Tim it to death (that last 1 damage will just be countered) - that can directly send it to the graveyard (or remove it from the game, for that matter), but it allows for weakening it and such by way of creature effects.
It does lead to weird side effects of its own (can't be blocked by artifact creatures, land creatures, or enchantment creatures, for example; only pumpable by other creatures and "give all creatures X" things...) but it looks a little more manageable.
Protection from non-creatures
If ~ would leave play due to an ability or effect on a creature, counter that ability or effect.
This limits it to combat damage - and ONLY combat damage, as you can't even Tim it to death (that last 1 damage will just be countered) - that can directly send it to the graveyard (or remove it from the game, for that matter), but it allows for weakening it and such by way of creature effects.
It does lead to weird side effects of its own (can't be blocked by artifact creatures, land creatures, or enchantment creatures, for example; only pumpable by other creatures and "give all creatures X" things...) but it looks a little more manageable.