Hi! Can Circle of Protection: Red prevent damage from red spells and permanents when Ghostly Flame is on the battlefield? The ruling on GF is it does not change the color of the source and COP:Red prevents damage from the source which would still be red.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Battle doesn't need a purpose; the battle is its own purpose. You don't ask why a plague spreads or a field burns. Don't ask why I fight."
No. Due to Ghostly Flame, "[b]lack and/or red permanents and spells" are treated as colorless for purposes of them dealing damage (even though they are not treated as colorless this way for any other purpose) (C.R. 101.1). Thus, such permanents and spells are even treated as colorless for purposes of effects that would prevent damage that red sources or black sources would deal, such as the ability of Circle of Protection: Red.
Hi! Can Circle of Protection: Red prevent damage from red spells and permanents when Ghostly Flame is on the battlefield? The ruling on GF is it does not change the color of the source and COP:Red prevents damage from the source which would still be red.
609.7. Some effects apply to damage from a source—for example, “The next time a red source of your choice would deal damage to you this turn, prevent that damage.”
609.7a If an effect requires a player to choose a source of damage, they may choose a permanent; a spell on the stack (including a permanent spell); any object referred to by an object on the stack, by a replacement or prevention effect that’s waiting to apply, or by a delayed triggered ability that’s waiting to trigger (even if that object is no longer in the zone it used to be in); or a face-up object in the command zone. A source doesn’t need to be capable of dealing damage to be a legal choice. The source is chosen when the effect is created. If the player chooses a permanent, the effect will apply to the next damage dealt by that permanent, regardless of whether it’s combat damage or damage dealt as the result of a spell or ability. If the player chooses a permanent spell, the effect will apply to any damage dealt by that spell and any damage dealt by the permanent that spell becomes when it resolves.
609.7b Some effects from resolved spells and abilities prevent or replace damage from sources with certain properties, such as a creature or a source of a particular color. When the source would deal damage, the “shield” rechecks the source’s properties. If the properties no longer match, the damage isn’t prevented or replaced. If for any reason the shield prevents no damage or replaces no damage, the shield isn’t used up.
A Circle of Protection: Red will only prevent damage from a red source of damage, not a colorless one. While Ghostly Flame is out, this means it can't do anything about red spells and permanents.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Why bother with mere rulings when so many answers can be found in the Rules?
A Circle of Protection: Red will only prevent damage from a red source of damage, not a colorless one. While Ghostly Flame is out, this means it can't do anything about red spells and permanents.