Umbra armor

Umbra Armor
Keyword Ability
Type	Static
Introduced	Rise of the Eldrazi
Last used	Modern Horizons 3
Reminder Text	Umbra armor (If enchanted permanent would be destroyed, instead remove all damage marked on it and destroy this Aura.)
Storm Scale	5
Statistics	16 cards 31.3% 25% 37.5% 6.3%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Umbra Armor"

Umbra armor is a keyword ability that was introduced as Totem armor in Rise of the Eldrazi and returned in the Savage Auras deck of Planechase 2012, the Adaptive Enchantment deck in Commander 2018, and in Modern Horizons. If a permanent enchanted by an Aura with totem armor would be destroyed, the Aura is destroyed instead. If that permanent is a creature, all damage is removed from that creature. In this sense, totem armor works similarly to Regeneration.

Description

In the Rise of the Eldrazi set there are 10 aura cards with umbra armor; green (4), white (3) and blue (3). In addition, the creature card Umbra Mystic can give the totem armor ability to auras.

All auras with umbra armor in Rise of the Eldrazi have a two-word name, consisting of the name of an animal followed by the word 'Umbra'. The artwork of these cards (all illustrated by either Howard Lyon or Christopher Moeller) depicts a floating humanoid, surrounded by a glowing 'aura' in the color of the card and in shape of the animal the card is named after. For example, Bear Umbra depicts an elf surrounded by the glowing green figure of a bear, Hyena Umbra depicts a human surrounded by the glowing white figure of a hyena, and Eel Umbra depicts a merfolk surrounded by the glowing blue figure of an eel.

Totem-Guide Hartebeest, also from the Rise of the Eldrazi set, is a card that tutors for an aura. Although its name links it to the totem armor auras, it can tutor for any aura card, not just ones with totem armor.

Three new Umbras were printed in preconstructed decks; one white and the only multicolored one in Planechase 2012, and a blue one in Commander 2018. Estrid, the Masked also generates Aura tokens that have umbra armor. Modern Horizons brought another green Umbra, with the distinction of having a new artist (Zack Stella).

Change from Totem armor to Umbra armor

In 2023, R&D reviewed its stance towards Totem armor as part of a review of terms that might be considered culturally offensive. The decision was made to rename the keyword ability to "Umbra armor". This change was implied to be made for cultural reasons, as Totems are considered sacred objects or symbols that serve as an emblem of certain groups of of people. The change was implemented as part of the Oracle updates for Modern Horizons 3 in June, 2024. That set also featured the first printed card with the amended name in Dog Umbra.

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Umbra Armor

A keyword ability that allows an Aura to protect the permanent it’s enchanting. See rule 702.89, “Umbra Armor.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 702.89. Umbra Armor
  • 702.89a Umbra armor is a static ability that appears on some Auras. “Umbra armor” means “If enchanted permanent would be destroyed, instead remove all damage marked on it and destroy this Aura.”
  • 702.89b Some older cards were printed with the ability “totem armor” or referenced that ability. The text of these cards has been updated in the Oracle card reference to refer to umbra armor instead.

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Totem Armor (Obsolete)

An obsolete keyword ability that has been renamed. See rule 702.89, “Umbra Armor.”

Rulings

• Umbra armor's effect is mandatory. If the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, you must remove all damage from it and destroy the Aura that has umbra armor instead.
• Umbra armor's effect is applied no matter why the enchanted permanent would be destroyed: because it's been dealt lethal damage, or because it's being affected by an effect that says to "destroy" it (such as Doom Blade). In either case, all damage is removed from the permanent and the Aura is destroyed instead.
• Umbra armor has no effect if the enchanted permanent is put into a graveyard for any other reason, such as if it's sacrificed, if it's legendary and another legendary permanent with the same name is on the battlefield, or if its toughness is 0 or less.
• If a permanent you control is enchanted with multiple Auras that have totem armor, and the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, one of those Auras is destroyed instead—but only one of them. You choose which one because you control the enchanted permanent.
• If a creature enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor is indestructible, lethal damage and effects that try to destroy it simply have no effect. Umbra armor won't do anything because it won't have to.
• If a creature enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor would be destroyed by multiple state-based actions at the same time (because it's been dealt lethal damage and been dealt damage by a source with deathtouch, for example), the totem armor's effect will replace all of them and save the creature.
• If a spell or ability (such as Planar Cleansing) would destroy both an Aura with totem armor and the permanent it's enchanting at the same time, totem armor's effect will save the enchanted permanent from being destroyed. Instead, the spell or ability will destroy the Aura in two different ways at the same time, but the result is the same as destroying it once.
• Umbra armor's effect is not regeneration. Specifically, if totem armor's effect is applied, the enchanted permanent does not become tapped and is not removed from combat as a result. Effects that say the enchanted permanent can't be regenerated (as Vendetta does) won't prevent totem armor's effect from being applied.
• Say you control a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, and the enchanted permanent has gained a regeneration shield. The next time it would be destroyed, you choose whether to apply the regeneration effect or the totem armor effect. The other effect is unused and remains, in case the permanent would be destroyed again.
• Say you control a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, and that Aura has gained a regeneration shield. The next time the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, the Aura would be destroyed instead—but it regenerates, so nothing is destroyed at all. Alternately, if that Aura somehow becomes indestructible, the enchanted permanent is effectively indestructible as well.
• If a spell or ability says that it would "destroy" a permanent enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, that spell or ability causes the Aura to be destroyed instead. (This matters for cards such as Karmic Justice.) Umbra armor doesn't destroy the Aura; rather, it changes the effects of the spell or ability. On the other hand, if a spell or ability deals lethal damage to a creature enchanted with an Aura that has totem armor, the game rules regarding lethal damage cause the Aura to be destroyed, not that spell or ability.

Examples

Example

Eland Umbra
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +0/+4.
Umbra armor (If enchanted creature would be destroyed, instead remove all damage from it and destroy this Aura.)

Cards that grant umbra armor

• Umbra Mystic (Auras you control)

Trivia

• Umbra armor (under its original name of Totem armor) was featured as rules card 5 of 5 in the Rise of the Eldrazi set.

External links

• A Planeswalker's Primer to Rise of the Eldrazi: Totem Armor (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.