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[QUOTE=ZacAttackFtw]I've been having a hard time exactly figuring out what the Indestructible effect means for creatures. Ie: Darksteel Juggernaut.
It says that "Destroy" effects don't kill it. Okay, I understand that. But the lethal damage part confuses me. I understand that if it's toughness is reduced to 0 it is sent to the graveyard. But, does it mean that when the creature is blocked or does block, that it doesn't take combat damage? And does it negate death touch?[/QUOTE]

Combat Dmg = Does not die
Death Touch = Does not die
Toughness reduced to 0 (NOT by dmg, i.e. -1/-1 counters) = Dies

Let me be a little bit more specific. The creature still takes dmg, so say it's 4/4 indestructible, then it would still deal a full 4 dmg to it, but when dmg resolves, it gets reduced to 0.

something that may been confusing you:

when a creature is dealt damage, it's toughness does not get modified in any way.

dealing 2 damage to a 4/4 does not make it a 4/2, it remains a 4/4 that has 2 damage applied to it.

the way damage lethality is determined is a state based check comparing the total damage that has been applied to a creature during a turn and it's toughness...if at any point the damage is equal to (or is greater than) the toughness, then the creature 'dies' and is moved to the graveyard.

now when it comes to the Indestructible ability, this countermands that check. a creature with Indestructible does not die from damage.

[QUOTE=fywdyl]The creature still takes dmg, so say it's 4/4 indestructible, then it would still deal a full 4 dmg to it, but when dmg resolves, it gets reduced to 0.[/QUOTE]

Indestructible does NOT 'prevent' or reduce the damage, this is very important to note. the full amount of damage was dealt, the damage's effect simply gets ignored by the creature.

And here are the rules quotes.

700.4. If a permanent is indestructible, rules and effects can’t destroy it. ...


704. State-Based Actions

704.1. State-based actions are game actions that happen automatically whenever certain conditions (listed below) are met. State-based actions don’t use the stack.
...
704.5f If a creature has toughness 0 or less, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard. Regeneration can’t replace this event.

704.5g If a creature has toughness greater than 0, and the total damage marked on it is greater than or equal to its toughness, that creature has been dealt lethal damage and is destroyed. Regeneration can replace this event.

704.5h If a creature has toughness greater than 0, and it’s been dealt damage by a source with deathtouch since the last time state-based actions were checked, that creature is destroyed. Regeneration can replace this event.


Damage and deathtouch cause destruction, so indestructibility helps against them.

Effects that say "destroy" (in their current texts) also fail to destroy indestructible permanents (for example, Afterlife would not destroy an indestructible target, though it would create its Spirit token).

Rules and effects that say "put," "sacrifice," "return," or "exile," though, are not hampered by indestructibility.

Thanks everyone. I understand now. I appreciate it.
Expect to see more questions from me in the future. =p

[QUOTE=Seras]something that may been confusing you:

Indestructible does NOT 'prevent' or reduce the damage, this is very important to note. the full amount of damage was dealt, the damage's effect simply gets ignored by the creature.[/QUOTE]

My bad, didn't mean to confuse you. But what I meant to say was that the creature would still have to be dealt lethal dmg first before anything else happens. (i.e. trample dmg) so if you had an indestructible 4/4 and they attack you with an 8/8 trample, and you block w/ the 4/4, then 4 is dealt to the indestructible creature and the other 4 goes through to you.