What does giving an oponents creature hexproof achieve?
Asked by Shape_Shifter 6 years ago
Hello.In a friendly draft i had a while ago we had a situation where, in combat, i was attempting to use a combat trick on my creature. In response my oponent attempted to give my creature hexproof to prevent me from targeting it.
I said: Hexproof is an ability of a permanent, so you have to look at it from the permanents view.Since the permanent that gets hexproof is under my control, i would still be able to target it, but he wouldn't.
My opponent said: No the text of hexproof says 'your oponent' and the spell i'm applying it with is mine so you cant target your creature.
We later found out his card could only give his own creatures hexproof but the idea behind it is intriguing.(Which is why i'm not linking any cards in particular since it wont matter to the question)
Who's assumption was correct in this hypotethical matter?
It feels weird not to mention Vines of Vastwood here, which has the unique capability of giving creatures something very much like Hexproof, except it's not Hexproof, and by not being a keyword ability, the owner of the effect actually matters. If you cast Vines on an opponent's creature, you will be able to fizzle spells in the way your friend was thinking.
Vines of Vastwood was actually errata'd at some point to say "Hexproof" instead of it's original text, but then reverted back because of the vast difference in functionality. Because of this, it's one of the more versatile green instants.
June 13, 2017 4:26 p.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #3
Yeah, there are a handful of cards that sound like they "give hexproof" to a creature, but actually don't. Vines of Vastwood, as BlueScope said, as well as Shielding Plax and Canopy Cover. If your opponent uses any of these, it would work that way. That said, a quick search for instant-speed hexproof that isn't limited to creatures you control only found Rattlechains. That's almost a shame, I could see some hella multiplayer shenanigans in instant-speed hexproof on somebody else's card.
This is actually where my personal obsession with Stave Off comes from. It can do exactly this, and it's hilarious to see.
June 13, 2017 6:38 p.m. Edited.
@Tyrant-Thanatos: The reason they're worded that way is likely to prevent players asking exactly the question you inquired about here - while being fundamentally logical, it's not necessarily apparent that Hexproof is an ability of the permanent, not an effect related to the player who granted it in the first place.
That said, those effects would be powerful, but if you consider how easily they disrupt some Commander deck concepts (such as Aura-heavy Sram, Senior Edificer or Uril, the Mistwalker decks, or any equipment-based deck if you bring Protection from Artifacts in the mix), I'm not unhappy that only a few cards do those things. That's also the reason why casting Vines of Vastwood or Stave Off at an extraordinarily beneficial time is all that much better, and because they tend to be very low-costed, it's a very powerful effect as it is - imagine Mother of Runes would (in addition to it's already powerful effect of protecting up to all of your creatures, including itself) also threaten lethal damage to any opponent on the board, at any time. It's a broken card as it is, and limiting the effect to your own creatures is very sensible in my opinion. :)
Aiding you in your search, I believe Ring of Evos Isle is the only other card capable of giving Hexproof to a creature you don't control, if control over the equipped creature changes. Other than that, there are instant-speed options that grant Shround (which serves the same purpose for your intentions): Alexi's Cloak, Mage's Guile, Mystic Veil, Shell Skulkin, Stonewood Invocation, Svyelunite Priest, Veil of Secrecy, and with a bit of setup and the stars aligning even Spectral Guardian. I believe this further underlines that the difference in ease of understanding these mechanics is why there are much more cards available that grant Shround than ones giving Hexproof.
June 14, 2017 6:10 a.m.
Shape_Shifter says... #5
Thank you for the answers :) Always happy to know i was right hehe =D
June 14, 2017 1:25 p.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #6
@BlueScope: Yeah, in the case of Mother of Runes, I totally agree. That card is mad strong even with that limitation. But I will always use Stave Off over the various "knock-off" cards WotC has printed, like Gods Willing and Emerge Unscathed for exactly this reason.
I'm not surprised at all that they limit the number of cards with these sorts of effects, and I appreciate the note on Shroud, Mage's Guile looks like it could be a lot of fun.
June 14, 2017 2:07 p.m.
you should have just looked him dead in the eye and called him on his bluff. he was searching desperately for a way out of losing, and he knew it. because he also "conveniently" ignored the part about it only effecting his own creatures. which would have been clearly stated, so im not sure how you guys found that out "later".
June 14, 2017 10:06 p.m.
@Tyrant-Thanatos: I agree, except for two cards that are remarkably good - Faith's Shield (which protects all permanents, not just creatures, and even comes with a bonus) and Apostle's Blessing (which at least also protects artifacts, and due to it's only colorless casting requirement sometimes won't be expected even in a protection-heavy run at times). I'd rate Stave Off's advantage just like those two's - situational, but not insignificant. I actually hadn't realized it had that advantage before you mentioned it, and it's going to find a spot in my decks as well now ;)
June 15, 2017 6:02 p.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #9
@BlueScope: Yeah, I never noticed Faith's Shield, that's actually relevant, and Apostle's Blessing is used a LOT because you can run it in non-white decks and just take the life hit. But I LOVE Stave Off. Not only can you protect things, you can block combat tricks, you can knock Auras off, plus multiplayer shenanigans. I play a lot of multiplayer, so that's almost always a relevant option for me.
Jaymspeights says... Accepted answer #1
While your opponent was correct in his statement that hexproof keeps "your opponents" from targeting the creature with spells or abilities, since the creature is under your control, "your opponents" would refer to the opposing players, even though your opponent cast the spell.
June 13, 2017 4:02 p.m.