Why does Dismember kill an indestructible creature?

The scenario

Your otherwise unmodified Darksteel Myr is a 0/1 with indestructible. Compare an opponent resolving Lightning Bolt on it with an opponent resolving Dismember on it. Why are the outcomes different?

Short answer

Bolt marks 3 damage, but indestructible prevents destruction from lethal damage. Dismember gives the Myr -5/-5, making it -5/-4; zero-or-less toughness sends it to the graveyard without destroying it. Indestructible does not stop that state-based action.

Step by step

1. Damage does not reduce toughness. After Bolt, the Myr still has 1 toughness and 3 damage marked. Indestructible prevents the lethal-damage destruction.
2. Dismember actually modifies power and toughness. The Myr's toughness becomes -4.
3. After Dismember resolves, the zero-or-less-toughness state-based action puts the Myr into its owner's graveyard before anyone gets priority. There is no opportunity to respond after resolution to that state-based action.

What changes the answer?

Respond before the toughness reduction resolves

You can act in response to Dismember if you have a legal action. An effect that keeps the creature's toughness above zero may save it. The response must happen before the spell resolves, not in response to the SBA.

Sacrifice and exile

Indestructible also does not prevent sacrifice or exile. It only prevents destruction; each instruction or rule must be evaluated on its own terms.

Rules and verification

Checked against the Comprehensive Rules effective 2026-09-25. Read the dated official source. Rule-browser links may use an older site snapshot; the dated official document is this scenario's verification source.

• CR 702.12b: Indestructible prevents destruction, including lethal-damage destruction.
• CR 704.5f: Zero-or-less toughness puts a creature in the graveyard without destruction.
• CR 704.5g: Lethal marked damage normally destroys a creature.
• CR 117.5: SBAs are performed before priority.

Card sources

Oracle text snapshot checked 2026-10-15. These quotations are card reference material, not original MtG-RC explanations.

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