Protect (Final Fantasy IX)

Protect is a Wht Mag spell in Final Fantasy IX for Garnet/Dagger and Eiko, used to bestow the status of the same name that mitigates the physical damage the affected takes. Protect is vulnerable to Reflect and would work with Return Magic were enemies to use it on the player party; the enemies that use it upon themselves are Iron Man, Lizard Man, and the final boss.
==Obtained==
Protect is learned from numerous equipment pieces: Mythril Racket, Rod, Wizard Rod, Steepled Hat, and Desert Boots. Garnet starts with a Rod, so she can use Protect before she even changes her name. The player should save some of the equipment pieces that teach Protect in the inventory for when Eiko joins in Conde Petie Mountain Path so she can learn the spell as well.
==Mechanics==
Protect bestows the Protect status to one target at the cost of 6 MP, which mitigates damage from physical-based attacks by halving the "Bonus" during damage calculation phase.
:Status duration = Spirit * 360 
The status duration takes into account Battle Speed as set in the Config, as well as the unit's speed status (Stop, Slow, Normal, Haste).
The support ability that affects Protect is Reflect-Null, which allows Protect to pierce target's Reflect.
In Eiko's Trance, Wht Mag turns into Dbl Wht where Eiko can cast two spells on her turn. The spells cost MP and expend the Trance gauge independently.
==Use==
Protect is a status enhancement that helps mitigate physical damage taken. It is mostly useful in long battles, such as boss battles, where the enemy is expected to get multiple turns against the party. However, a superior way to bestow Protect is with Eiko's Carbuncle when she has Boost equipped to bestow the status to all of the party in one go. Quina can also do the same with Mighty Guard, though this is expensive MP-wise.
However, at 6 MP Protect is a cheap spell to cast for one that could stay relevant until the endgame, providing blanket protection to various enemy abilities. Its downside is that Protect lapses, meaning battle animations eat a lot of time from beneficial statuses' durability unless they can be automatically applied via support abilities, but there is no "Auto-Protect" in the game. Status enhancement spells are most relevant in boss battles, but these are also the battles where animations—from both the player party and the boss—consume a lot of battle time.
Category:White Magic in Final Fantasy IX