Deputized Protester is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Menace (This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.) Melee (Whenever this creature attacks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each opponent you attacked this combat.)
Complete guide
Deputized Protester is a red Human Warrior that shines in multiplayer formats like Commander. With its combination of Menace and Melee, it rewards aggressive players for spreading their forces across the battlefield. Understanding how to maximize its power bonus is the key to breaking through your opponents' defenses.
Understanding Melee and Menace
Deputized Protester features two keyword abilities. Menace ensures that it cannot be blocked by a single creature, forcing your opponents to commit at least two blockers to stop it. Melee is a triggered ability that activates the moment Deputized Protester is declared as an attacker, granting it a +1/+1 bonus for every opponent you attacked during that specific combat phase.
The Melee Resolution Process
When you declare attackers, the Melee ability goes on the stack. The game checks how many different opponents were attacked by one or more of your creatures. It doesn't matter if those creatures stay on the battlefield or if the opponent loses the game later in the turn; the bonus is locked in when the ability resolves. Crucially, creatures that enter the battlefield already attacking do not count as 'attacking' for Melee because they were never declared as attackers during the turn's attack step.
Strategic Tips
To get the most out of Deputized Protester, you should aim to attack as many different opponents as possible. Attacking a planeswalker controlled by an opponent will trigger Melee, but the planeswalker itself does not count as an attacked opponent for the +1/+1 calculation. Only the player matters.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumIf you attack Opponent A with Deputized Protester and Opponent B with Solemn Simulacrum, the Melee ability will trigger. When it resolves, the game sees you attacked two different opponents. Deputized Protester will receive +2/+2 until the end of the turn, making it a 4/6 creature with Menace.
Roaming ThroneIf Roaming Throne is on the battlefield with 'Human' chosen as the creature type, Deputized Protester's Melee ability will trigger twice. If you attacked two different opponents, each trigger will grant +2/+2, resulting in a massive +4/+4 total bonus for the turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Deputized Protester
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You determine the size of the bonus as the melee ability resolves. Count each opponent that you attacked with one or more creatures. It doesn’t matter if the attacking creatures are still attacking or even if they are still on the battlefield. It also doesn’t matter if the opponent you attacked is still in the game.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
It doesn’t matter how many creatures you attacked a player with, only that you attacked a player with at least one creature. For example, if you attack one player with Wings of the Guard and another player with five creatures, Wings of the Guard will get +2/+2 until end of turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Melee will trigger if the creature with melee attacks a planeswalker. However, the effect counts only opponents (and not planeswalkers) that you attacked with a creature when determining the bonus.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Creatures that enter the battlefield attacking were never declared as attackers, so they won’t count toward melee’s effect. Similarly, if a creature with melee enters the battlefield attacking, melee won’t trigger.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Deputized Protester
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