Rootborn Defenses
Rootborn Defenses: Instant, Ravnica: Clue Edition. Populate. Creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn. Prices and printings on Mana Grove.
- Mana cost
- {2}{W}
- Mana value
- 3
- Type
- Instant
- Colour identity
- White (W)
- Rarity
- Common
- Set
- Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
- Released
- 2024-02-23
- Collector number
- 71
- Artist
- Mark Zug
- Commander rank
- 1,342 (by how often it appears in Commander decks)
- Keywords
- Populate
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About Rootborn Defenses
Rootborn Defenses is a Magic: The Gathering card, a common white instant from Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU), a draft-focused set released in February 2024. It is collector number 71 in that set, with art by Mark Zug. It costs {2}{W} (two generic and one white mana) to cast, for a mana value of 3. Its colour identity is white. It is legal in Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Pauper, Commander, Duel Commander, Oathbreaker, Pauper Commander and Penny Dreadful. It has been printed in 7 sets, from Return to Ravnica (2012) to Ravnica: Clue Edition (2024). The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $0.26 (normal finish, as of 2026-11-01).
Card text
Populate. Creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn. (To populate, create a token that's a copy of a creature token you control.)
"No harm can come to me while the Worldsoul shelters me."
Market price
Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $0.26 (as of 2026-11-01).
The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.
Format legality
Legality of Rootborn Defenses by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.
| Pioneer | Legal |
|---|---|
| Modern | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper Commander | Legal |
| Penny Dreadful | Legal |
Other printings of Rootborn Defenses
Rootborn Defenses has been printed in 7 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.
| Printing | Rarity | Year |
|---|---|---|
| The List (PLST) #RVR-26 | Common | 2026 |
| Ravnica Remastered (RVR) #26 | Common | 2024 |
| Starter Commander Decks (SCD) #32 | Common | 2022 |
| The List (PLST) #MM3-21 | Common | 2019 |
| Commander 2019 (C19) #74 | Common | 2019 |
| Modern Masters 2017 (MM3) #21 | Common | 2017 |
| Return to Ravnica (RTR) #19 | Common | 2012 |
Official rulings
Seven official rulings apply to Rootborn Defenses, newest first.
- If you control no creature tokens when you populate, nothing will happen.
- If you choose to copy a creature token that's a copy of another creature, the new creature token will copy the characteristics of whatever the original token is copying.
- Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied token will trigger when the new token enters the battlefield. Any "as [this creature] enters the battlefield" or "[this creature] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the copied token will also work.
- The new creature token copies the characteristics of the original token as stated by the effect that created the original token.
- Populate doesn't target the creature token you're copying. You choose that creature token as you're taking the populate action. You can choose any creature token you control. If a spell or ability causes you to create a creature token and then instructs you to populate, you may choose to copy the token you just created, or you may choose to copy another creature token you control.
- The new token doesn't copy whether the original token is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras and Equipment attached to it, or any noncopy effects that have changed its power, toughness, color, and so on.
- Rootborn Defenses affects only creatures you control after populating at the time it resolves. The creature token you create will gain indestructible, but creatures you begin to control later in the turn will not.
Similar cards
Other instant cards with a white colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.
In these precons
Rootborn Defenses is in the decklist of these preconstructed Commander decks.
Mentioned in these guides
These guides mention Rootborn Defenses.