Magic: The Gathering is a game that heavily relies on words to create a unique playing experience. The language used on each card, and how it’s used, is crucial to how the card functions during gameplay. To make it easier for players to understand these functions, keyword abilities were introduced. Keyword abilities condense a card’s abilities into a single, easy-to-understand word or phrase.
One of the most well-known (and perhaps the most disliked) abilities is hexproof. But what makes this ability so memorable?
Let’s take a closer look.
Hexproof Overview
Hexproof is a keyword ability in Magic: The Gathering that simply means a card cannot be targeted by any spell or ability controlled by an opponent.
In the game, there are many spells and abilities that require you to “target” something, including creatures, planeswalkers, people, enchantments, spells on the stack, or artifacts. However, anything with hexproof cannot be targeted by your opponents.
Hexproof can apply to both players and permanents and provides a high level of defense against your opponent’s spells and abilities. For instance, if your opponent tries to cast a spell like Shock while you control a creature with hexproof, they cannot even choose that creature as the target.
Shroud and protection are two other abilities that provide a similar level of defense. However, unlike hexproof, you cannot target your own permanents with protection or shroud. While using hexproof, you can still enchant, equip, or cast spells on your own creatures because it only interferes with your opponent’s spells and abilities.
Hexproof protects against any spell or ability that targets, regardless of its color, card type, or effect. It applies to any situation where a player chooses a target. Permanents and players with hexproof are protected from being targeted by those spells or abilities.
History of Hexproof
I remember when the term “hexproof” was first introduced in Magic: The Gathering. At that time, I was still new to the game and considered shroud to be the best ability. However, the introduction of hexproof made me realize my mistake. Although hexproof is objectively better, it was also quite challenging to deal with.
Surprisingly, the ability first appeared in Three Kingdoms’ Portal in 1999, before shroud even received its own keyword. Tibetan Hermit, Taoist Hermit, and Zuo Ci, the Mocking Sage were the first cards to feature this ability. It wasn’t until 2011, in the video game Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, that hexproof was given a keyword. The physical sets Magic 2012 and Commander 2011, released that same year, were the first to include the keyword.
Since then, hexproof has become an evergreen ability, appearing on numerous cards in almost every set. It has become a timeless keyword and is expected to continue being used for a long time to come.
Hexproof Changes in MTG
The use of hexproof in Magic: The Gathering has undergone a shift in recent years. Rather than being used as a keyword for individual cards, it is now often used as an ability that can be granted to other creatures you control or even to yourself. For instance, cards like Guardian Augmenter and Keen-Eared Sentry provide hexproof to other creatures you control.
This change is related to the introduction of the “ward” mechanic. The game’s designers felt that hexproof was too powerful and unfun, as it made creatures almost impossible to get rid of. Creatures like the monstrous Fleecemane Lion could become frustrating to play against, making the game less enjoyable. Hexproof still exists on some cards, but ward is now used to give extra protection to individual creatures. Opponents can still target your creatures with ward, but their spells are countered unless they pay an extra cost.
In short, while hexproof remains a part of Magic: The Gathering, it has been significantly minimized in favor of the ward ability.
Hexproof Nuances
Hexproof From
To balance the power of hexproof, some Magic: The Gathering cards have the ability “hexproof from” specific colors or card types. This means the card cannot be targeted by spells or abilities of the specified color/type, making it similar to protection, minus protection from combat damage. For instance, Eradicator Valkyrie is protected from any planeswalker ability that would target it.
Boardwipes
In short, no, hexproof does not protect from board wipes. Board wipes, like Day of Judgment, typically have text that says “destroy all creatures” or similar effects. They do not choose a target, so as long as they do not need to target the permanent with hexproof, they will affect it just like any other permanent.
Deathtouch
Hexproof will not stop deathtouch. Deathtouch makes damage lethal regardless of the creature’s toughness, and only indestructible can stop a deathtouch creature from killing another with combat damage.
Blocking & Attacking
Hexproof does not prevent blocking or damage. Protection is the ability that prevents creatures from being blocked, damaged, or affected in any way by creatures with certain qualities, usually a color.
Additionally, having hexproof does not prevent you from being attacked, as attacking does not involve targeting.
Fight
If a creature has hexproof, it cannot be targeted. This includes the “fight” mechanic, which requires you to target two creatures, usually one of your own and one of your opponent’s. So, if you want to fight a creature with hexproof, you would need to target one of your opponent’s creatures, but you cannot target the one with hexproof.
Counterspells
A hexproof creature can be countered, as it is a creature spell on the stack and not a permanent.
Hexproof and Targeted Creatures
If a creature gains hexproof after being targeted by a spell, the hexproof effect will activate first, making the targeting illegal, and the opponent’s spell will have no effect. Therefore, hexproof can be used as a response to removal or damage spells.
Protection Abilities: Hexproof, Shroud, Protection, and Ward
When it comes to protecting your creatures in Magic: The Gathering, there are four abilities that players can utilize: shroud, hexproof, protection, and ward. Each of these abilities works in a similar way but with some key differences.
Shroud is an ability that makes a creature unable to be targeted by any spell or ability, including your own. While it does offer significant protection, it also comes with the drawback of not being able to target your own creature with equipment, auras, or spells.
Hexproof is essentially the same as shroud, except that you can still target your own creatures with spells and abilities. This makes it a stronger version of the same effect.
Protection is an ability that specifies what the creature is being protected from, usually specific colors or card types. A creature with protection from black, for example, cannot be damaged, enchanted, equipped, blocked, or targeted by anything black. This ability essentially makes the creature immune to the specified thing as long as it’s interacting with it directly.
Ward is a new ability introduced with the release of Strixhaven. It counters any spell or ability that targets the creature with ward unless its controller pays a specified cost, such as mana, life, or cards. This ability forces the owner of the spell to take some form of disadvantage if they don’t want their spell countered.
Each of these abilities serves a different purpose, and there is no clear winner between them. Shroud is the weakest of the four, but it’s been dropped from printing in new cards since it’s essentially a weaker version of hexproof. Hexproof can be too good at times, so the introduction of ward offers a more balanced option for players to consider.
Overall, these abilities allow for some interesting combos and strategies, and the different options available give players flexibility in how they protect their creatures. Protection, in particular, is still an amazing way to defend your creatures and is used in some of the most powerful cards in the game.
Final Thoughts
In our opinion, hexproof can be a powerful ability when used by the player, but it can be frustrating to play against and may become tedious over time. We believe that it’s better to limit the use of the ability to prevent it from becoming too dominant in the game, such as by excluding the effects “you have hexproof” and “additional creatures you control acquire hexproof.”
Ward is a great alternative that offers a high level of protection while also promoting strategic thinking during gameplay. We think it’s important to have a balance between powerful abilities like hexproof and more engaging gameplay elements like ward.
