Historical Rules · 20 September 2024
Rule 704.5w
Official source text from the 20 September 2024 Rules release
If a battle has no player in the game designated as its protector and no attacking creatures are currently attacking that battle, that battle’s controller chooses an appropriate player to be its protector based on its battle type. If no player can be chosen this way, the battle is put into its owner’s graveyard. See rule 310, “Battles.”