Circle of Protection: Green MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 22 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Deters green attacks and protects life, thus conserving other resources for critical plays.
  2. Can be activated at instant speed, offering reactive defense against green sources.
  3. Situational utility, best included for meta-games dominated by green strategies.

Text of card

o1: Prevents all damage against you from one green source. If a source does damage to you more than once in a turn, you must pay 1 mana each time to prevent the damage.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Circle of Protection: Green enables you to mitigate damage from green sources effectively, essentially negating the advantage an opponent may have from green creatures or spells, preserving the cards on your side of the battlefield without losing them to combat or green-targeted effects.

Resource Acceleration: Although this card doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it’s a low-cost spell which helps in maintaining your life resources against green-heavy opponents. Its mere presence can deter attacks and protect your life total, allowing you to save your resources for more crucial plays.

Instant Speed: While Circle of Protection: Green operates at enchantment speed, its ability can be activated at instant speed. This allows you to adapt to the board state reactively, using your mana to prevent damage from green sources whenever necessary without preemptively committing mana to the ability.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Circle of Protection: Green can be situationally inefficacious as it doesn’t necessitate a discard but involves a reactive strategy, possibly ceding the tempo to opponents who opt for proactive plays.

Specific Mana Cost: Emanating from a line of color-specific cards, Circle of Protection: Green requires a white mana, binding it to decks that can produce or have access to such mana, potentially limiting deck-building diversity and strategic variation.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Investing two mana for a narrow-focus enchantment may not always align with a player’s tactical curve, particularly when those resources could be allocated towards more multifaceted or impactful spells, especially in formats where green isn’t prolific.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Circle of Protection: Green offers a flexible defense mechanism that can be an asset to any collection. Its broad shield against green creatures makes it a handy tool for control decks looking to protect themselves from various green threats on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card works exceptionally well in combination with effects that target green creatures or strategies that encourage opponents to commit to a green creature-based board state, enhancing its tactical value across multiple formats.

Meta-Relevance: With the ever-shifting landscape of the game, having Circle of Protection: Green can be especially useful in metas where green decks, ramp tactics, or large green creature strategies are prevalent.


How to beat

Circle of Protection: Green represents a classic defensive enchantment with the capacity to neutralize green sources’ damage. Well-known in player circles for its ability to throw a wrench in mono-green deck strategies, it’s become essential to understand how to navigate against it. Players often seek alternative ways to handle such a specific protection mechanism that seems to halt green creatures in their tracks.

To effectively circumvent this defensive measure, consider incorporating non-combat damage spells or abilities, which do not fall under the ‘damage from a green source’ category. Thus, cards like burn spells, which can target either players or creatures directly, or leveraging abilities from colorless creatures or artifacts, can prove to be viable strategies. Additionally, employing enchantment removal cards or relying on creatures with protection from white can strip opponents of the safety Circle of Protection: Green promises. Another angle is to play spells that force the opponent to use resources in an unfavorable manner, thereby undermining the enchantment’s value. This could involve using creatures with trample to ensure damage goes through despite the Circle’s activation.

Ultimately, Circle of Protection: Green is not an insurmountable obstacle. With a well-thought-out approach that includes an array of tactics and a diverse deck, maintaining the upper hand becomes a tangible reality, even in the presence of this particular protective enchantment.


Cards like Circle of Protection: Green

Exploring the realm of protective enchantments within Magic: The Gathering, Circle of Protection: Green stands as a testament to defensive strategies. Much like its counterparts in the Circle of Protection series, it allows players to prevent damage from green sources at the cost of a single mana per instance. This specificity makes it a formidable tool against mono-green decks.

Delving into comparable shields, we discover Story Circle, which offers more flexibility by letting the player choose the color to protect against when it enters the battlefield. While Circle of Protection: Green is narrowly focused, Story Circle adapts to diverse threats. Moreover, Rune of Protection: Green follows a similar mold but brings cycling into play, thereby offering card draw utility if the enchantment proves unnecessary.

Conclusively, Circle of Protection: Green presents a classic defense mechanism in games where green spells dominate. Its role is well understood – a stalwart guardian against the forces of nature. When comparing to its kin, the value it provides is unmistakable for those seeking color-focused protection with straightforward, accessible gameplay.

Story Circle - MTG Card versions
Rune of Protection: Green - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Blue - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: White - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Black - MTG Card versions
Story Circle - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Rune of Protection: Green - Urza's Saga (USG)
Circle of Protection: Red - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Circle of Protection: Blue - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Circle of Protection: White - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Circle of Protection: Black - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)

Cards similar to Circle of Protection: Green by color, type and mana cost

Blessing - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Red - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Black - MTG Card versions
Island Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: White - MTG Card versions
Crusade - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Blue - MTG Card versions
Hallowed Ground - MTG Card versions
Circle of Protection: Artifacts - MTG Card versions
Serra Bestiary - MTG Card versions
Energy Storm - MTG Card versions
Ward of Lights - MTG Card versions
Gossamer Chains - MTG Card versions
Angelic Renewal - MTG Card versions
I'm Rubber, You're Glue - MTG Card versions
Absolute Grace - MTG Card versions
Pacifism - MTG Card versions
Serenity - MTG Card versions
Mageta's Boon - MTG Card versions
Seal of Cleansing - MTG Card versions
Blessing - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Circle of Protection: Red - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Circle of Protection: Black - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Island Sanctuary - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Circle of Protection: White - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Crusade - Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeret (DDF)
Circle of Protection: Blue - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Hallowed Ground - Ice Age (ICE)
Circle of Protection: Artifacts - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Serra Bestiary - Homelands (HML)
Energy Storm - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Ward of Lights - Mirage (MIR)
Gossamer Chains - Visions (VIS)
Angelic Renewal - Weatherlight (WTH)
I'm Rubber, You're Glue - Unglued (UGL)
Absolute Grace - Urza's Saga (USG)
Pacifism - Duel Decks: Divine vs. Demonic (DDC)
Serenity - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Mageta's Boon - Prophecy (PCY)
Seal of Cleansing - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Circle of Protection: Green MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Circle of Protection: Green and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Circle of Protection: Green Magic the Gathering card was released in 18 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-08-05Limited Edition AlphaLEA 111993normalblackSandra Everingham
21993-10-04Limited Edition BetaLEB 121993normalblackSandra Everingham
31993-12-01Unlimited Edition2ED 121993normalwhiteSandra Everingham
41993-12-10Collectors' EditionCED 121993normalblackSandra Everingham
51993-12-10Intl. Collectors' EditionCEI 121993normalblackSandra Everingham
61994-04-01Revised Edition3ED 111993normalwhiteSandra Everingham
71994-04-01Foreign Black BorderFBB 111993normalblackSandra Everingham
81994-06-21Summer Magic / EdgarSUM 111993normalwhiteSandra Everingham
91995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 161993normalwhiteSandra Everingham
101995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 161993normalblackSandra Everingham
111995-06-03Ice AgeICE 141993normalblackSandra Everingham
121996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC bl14sb1993normalgoldSandra Everingham
131996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC bl16sb1993normalgoldSandra Everingham
141997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 191997normalwhiteGerry Grace
151997-10-14TempestTMP 101997normalblackHarold McNeill
161999-04-21Classic Sixth Edition6ED 101997normalwhiteGerry Grace
172001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 8★1997normalblackAlan Pollack
182001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 81997normalwhiteAlan Pollack
192003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 12★2003normalblackAlan Pollack
202003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 122003normalwhiteAlan Pollack
212022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 122015normalblackSandra Everingham
222022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 3091997normalblackSandra Everingham

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Circle of Protection: Green has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Circle of Protection: Green card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2004-10-04 A source of damage is a permanent, a spell on the stack (including one that creates a permanent), or any object referred to by an object on the stack. A source doesn’t need to be capable of dealing damage to be a legal choice.
2004-10-04 Can be used even when there is no damage to prevent. It prevents the next damage (if any) from the source this turn.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks