Heroic Intervention 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
Permanents you control gain hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
Complete guide
Heroic Intervention is a staple defensive instant that provides a protective shield for your entire board. For just two mana, it ensures your permanents stay exactly where they are, safe from both targeted removal and mass destruction effects. It is the ultimate insurance policy for any player relying on a critical board state to win.
What It Does
When Heroic Intervention resolves, every permanent you currently control gains hexproof and indestructible until the end of the turn. Hexproof prevents your opponents from targeting your permanents with spells or abilities. Indestructible means those permanents cannot be destroyed by damage or effects that say 'destroy', such as board wipes.
How It Resolves
First, you cast the spell and it goes on the stack. Upon resolution, the game checks which permanents you control at that exact moment. These specific permanents gain the two keywords. It is important to note that any permanents entering the battlefield after the spell has finished resolving will not have these benefits.
Common Mistakes
Players often forget that indestructible does not prevent all forms of removal. A planeswalker with indestructible still loses loyalty counters when damaged and will be put into the graveyard if its loyalty hits zero. Similarly, creatures can still be exiled, sacrificed, or reduced to zero toughness through -1/-1 effects. Additionally, remember that this only protects permanents you already control; it won't protect a creature you play later in the same turn.
When to Play It
The best time to cast Heroic Intervention is in response to an opponent's spell. If they try to destroy your key piece or cast a spell that wipes the board, you can chain this to ensure your creatures survive while theirs likely perish. It can also be used during combat to ensure your blockers survive an engagement that would otherwise be lethal.
Interaction examples
Beast WithinIf your opponent casts Beast Within targeting one of your lands, you can cast Heroic Intervention in response. As Heroic Intervention resolves first, your land gains hexproof. When Beast Within tries to resolve, it finds its target is now illegal and is removed from the stack with no effect. You keep your land and no Beast token is created.
Worldly TutorIf you cast Worldly Tutor and then cast Heroic Intervention during the same turn, the creature you searched for will not be protected. Because Heroic Intervention only affects permanents on the battlefield at the time it resolves, the creature card you put on top of your library (or even one you draw and cast afterward) will not have hexproof or indestructible.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Heroic Intervention
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A battle with indestructible still loses defense counters as it's dealt damage. If it's a Siege, it will still be exiled when the last defense counter is removed from it, and its controller may still cast it transformed without paying its mana cost.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
A planeswalker with indestructible still loses loyalty counters as it's dealt damage and will still be put into its owner's graveyard if its loyalty reaches 0.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The set of permanents affected by Heroic Intervention is determined as the spell resolves. Permanents you begin to control later in the turn won't gain hexproof and indestructible.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Apex Altisaur + Wrathful Raptors + Heroic Intervention
- 1Cast Apex Altisaur by paying
. - 2When Apex Altisaur enters, its first ability triggers.
- 3Holding priority, cast Heroic Intervention by paying its mana cost, giving creatures you control indestructible until end of turn.
- 4Resolve the Apex Altisaur trigger, causing it to fight a creature you don't control.
- 5If the opposing creature dealt damage to Apex Altisaur, Apex Altisaur's second ability and Wrathful Raptors trigger.
- 6Resolve the Wrathful Raptors trigger, dealing damage to any opponent.
- 7Resolve the Apex Altisaur trigger, causing it to fight a creature you don't control.
- 8Repeat from step 4 until your opponents control no creatures. If they happen to control an indestructible creature with power above 0, this loop can be done infinitely.
Red Hulk + Heroic Intervention + Screaming Nemesis
- 1Give Red Hulk and Screaming Nemesis indestructible using Heroic Intervention.
- 2Deal damage to Red Hulk.
- 3Red Hulk triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on it and dealing damage to Screaming Nemesis.
- 4Screaming Nemesis triggers, dealing damage to Red Hulk.
- 5Repeat from step 3.
Red Hulk + Boros Reckoner + Heroic Intervention
- 1Give Red Hulk and Boros Reckoner indestructible using Heroic Intervention.
- 2Deal damage to Red Hulk.
- 3Red Hulk triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on it and dealing damage to Boros Reckoner.
- 4Boros Reckoner triggers, dealing damage to Red Hulk.
- 5Repeat from step 3.
Red Hulk + Heroic Intervention + Spitemare
- 1Give Red Hulk and Spitemare indestructible using Heroic Intervention.
- 2Deal damage to Red Hulk.
- 3Red Hulk triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on it and dealing damage to Spitemare.
- 4Spitemare triggers, dealing damage to Red Hulk.
- 5Repeat from step 3.
Red Hulk + Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger + Heroic Intervention
- 1Give Red Hulk and Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger indestructible using Heroic Intervention.
- 2Deal damage to Red Hulk.
- 3Red Hulk triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on it and dealing damage to Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger.
- 4Ill-Tempered Loner // Howlpack Avenger triggers, dealing damage to Red Hulk.
- 5Repeat from step 3.
Twinning Staff + Heroic Intervention + Chain of Acid
- 1Cast Heroic Intervention by paying
, giving permanents you control hexproof and indestructible until end of turn. - 2Cast Chain of Acid paying
targeting a permanent you control. - 3Resolve Chain of Acid, failing to destroy the indestructible permanent you control and copying Chain of Acid targeting the same permanent.
- 4Twinning Staff triggers, copying Chain of Acid an additional time, targeting a noncreature permanent an opponent controls.
- 5Resolve a Chain of Acid copy, destroying the permanent an opponent controls; that opponent may copy the spell but cannot target your permanents.
- 6Repeat from step 3.
Cacophodon + Hammerfist Giant + Heroic Intervention
- 1Cast Heroic Intervention by paying , giving permanents you control hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
- 2Activate Hammerfist Giant by tapping it, dealing 4 damage to each creature without flying and each player.
- 3Cacophodon triggers, untapping Hammerfist Giant.
- 4Repeat from step 2.
Sonic the Hedgehog + Krark-Clan Shaman + Heroic Intervention
- 1Cast Heroic Intervention by paying , giving permanents you control hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
- 2Activate Krark-Clan Shaman by sacrificing an artifact, dealing 1 damage to each creature without flying.
- 3Sonic's second ability triggers for each creature you control with haste or flash that was dealt damage, creating that many tapped Treasure tokens.
- 4Repeat from step 2.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Heroic Intervention
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.