am a little unclear about rules with Shroud
Asked by DimirZer00 9 years ago
Would a cards like: Leyline of Vitality or Spidersilk Armor effect a creature with Shroud ?
TheRedMage says... #2
Yeah, basically shroud protects your creature from
- Instants, sorceries and triggered or activated abilities that use the word "target" (so, for example Unsummon, Void Snare, Aven Surveyor and Waterfront Bouncer would all be unable to return a shroud creature to your hand, but you can still choose to return the creature to satisfy the triggered ability on Invasive Species or as the recipient of the +1/+1 counters coming from Bolster, because, while these effects ask that you pick a creature, they don't explicitly use the word "target")
- Auras that are being cast. While Auras do not explicitly use the word "target", the act of picking a recipient for your Aura when you cast it is considered targeting.
However, there are effects that can still affect a creature without targeting. Most notably:
- Creatures with Shroud are still affected by effects that interest "all creatures" or "every creature" or a subset thereof, if the creature is part of that subset (i.e. if you pick the mode on Temur Charm that prevents creatures with power 3 or less to block, and you control Argothian Enchantress, she still won't be able to block). Wrath of God and similar effects still destroy shroud creatures, and so on.
- As said earlier, there are effects that force a player to pick a creature without targeting. Most notably, you can sacrifice your Shroud creature to Devour Flesh (And you will have to, if you don't have any other creature). These effects are recognizable because they simply do not use the word "target".
I can think of a couple more corner cases that allow a player to circumvent Shroud, but these are unlikely to be relevant very often. However, you might find yourself playing Commander, where every corner case happens all the time, so I thought I'd mention them.
- If you somehow put an aura onto the battlefield without casting it (let's say you attacked with Sun Titan and Pacifism was in your graveyard, or maybe you cast Genesis Hydra for 5 and found Spectra Ward) it will automatically attach itself to something that it can enchant. This does not count as targeting and the card will only look at what it says after "enchant" (so the aforementioned Pacifism, since it says "enchant creature", will only be able to attach itself to a creature as opposed to, say, a land, but it won't check if that creature can be targeted - this is as far as I know the only case for which "cannot be enchanted" is does something that "cannot be targeted" doesn't)
- Voting is also not considered Targeting, so Shroud creatures can still be exiled with Council's Judgment , which I always found incredibly weird.
February 16, 2015 1:33 p.m.
dankentheeldergod says... #3
Wow. I had no idea, that putting enchantment into play avoids targeting... Thanks!
February 16, 2015 4:07 p.m.
DimirZer00 says... #4
Thank you, TheRedMage
I think I got it. Kaysa would be able to work on Argothian Enchantress? Because it effect all creatures.However, Something like Monstrous Growth or Rite of Replication wouldn't be able to work on Argothian Enchantress? Unless, you found a way to put her into play without paying its mana cost?
and dose bring up another question. Is shroud active while in Graveyard? I don't think would be. am just double checking.,
February 16, 2015 4:43 p.m.
Shroud only works while on the battlefield. putting a creature into play without paying its mana cost does not somehow magically modify its abilities, just the cost you pay.
February 16, 2015 4:51 p.m.
TheRedMage says... #6
Shroud does not work in the graveyard, no. So you can target Argothian Enchantress in your graveyard with Zombify and it will work exactly the same way as if you had targeted, say, Verduran Enchantress in your graveyard.
The comment I had before about entering the battlefield without being cast related to Auras that tried to attach themselves to your Shroud creature, not the creature itself. For the most part, though, you can just ignore it and other than that you had it right: she will be affected by Kaysa but cannot be the recipient of a Monstrous Growth, and you can't enchant her with Temur Runemark either, unless you jump through a bunch of hoops, because those actions require targeting.
February 17, 2015 12:01 a.m.
Wookieemaster says... #7
What if I played an enchantment that allowed me to give a creature type shroud such as Werewolf with Steely Resolve. Would the ability of Vildin-Pack Alpha apply to the new Werewolf creatures?
June 23, 2016 12:38 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #8
@Wookieemaster: This question was answered over a year ago. In the future, please ask a new question instead of replying to an old one.
Further, link all cards in your question.
Steely Resolve
Vildin-Pack Alpha
Flip
Vildin-Pack Alpha Flip's ability doesn't target anything. Shroud doesn't affect it. As was explained in the answers originally given 16 months ago, a spell or ability only targets if it uses the word "target" in its text.
Boza says... #1
Shroud and hexproof only prevent cards that explicitly use the word "target" as part of their effect, such as Lightning Bolt. The ability will protect a Slippery Bogle from said bolt, but will not protect it from the global effect of Pyroclasm.
February 16, 2015 8:25 a.m.