Does hexproof protect against board wipes like Wrath of God?

No. Hexproof only prevents opponents from *targeting* a permanent or player. Wrath of God says "destroy all creatures" — it doesn't target anything specifically, so hexproof offers no protection. The same applies to any spell or ability that affects all creatures or all permanents without singling one out.

What is the difference between hexproof and shroud?

Shroud prevents *any* player from targeting the permanent — including its own controller. Hexproof only prevents opponents from targeting it. This means you can still enchant, equip, or pump your own hexproof creature, which makes hexproof strictly better than shroud from the controller's perspective. Wizards of the Coast has stated they don't intend to print new cards with shroud.

What is the difference between hexproof and ward?

Hexproof completely blocks opponents from targeting the permanent. Ward allows opponents to target it, but they must pay an additional cost (often life, mana, or discarding a card) or the spell is countered. Ward is more interactive — opponents can still choose to remove the creature if they're willing to pay the tax — whereas hexproof is a hard stop. Recent Magic sets have mostly moved toward ward over unconditional hexproof for this reason.

Can you remove hexproof from an opponent's creature?

Yes. Cards like Arcane Lighthouse (a Land), Glaring Spotlight, and Kaya, Bane of the Dead all remove hexproof from opponents' creatures, or allow you to target creatures as though they didn't have hexproof. Once hexproof is stripped, those creatures can be targeted normally for the rest of the turn (or longer, depending on the card).

Does hexproof on a player do anything different from hexproof on a creature?

The rule is the same — opponents can't target that player with spells or abilities. In practice, player hexproof (from cards like Leyline of Sanctity or Imperial Mask) shuts off discard spells, direct-damage Burn spells aimed at the face, and any other spell that targets a player. It doesn't stop damage from creatures attacking, which doesn't use the targeting system.

When was hexproof introduced and what did people call it before?

The effect existed as early as Portal Three Kingdoms, but was keyworded officially in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, then made its paper debut in the Magic 2012 Core Set. Before it had a name, the community called it "Troll Shroud" — a reference to Troll Ascetic from Mirrodin (2003), one of the most popular early cards with the ability.

Hexproof in MTG: Rules, Strategy & Notable Cards

If you've ever had your best creature wiped off the board by a well-timed Murder the turn before it could win the game, you already understand why hexproof exists. It's the keyword that says: not this one. My opponents don't get to point removal at it.

Hexproof is one of the most straightforward evergreen keywords in Magic - and one of the most powerful. Understanding exactly what it does (and what it doesn't do) is essential for playing around it correctly, whether it's on your side of the table or theirs.

What is hexproof?

Hexproof is an evergreen keyword ability that prevents a permanent or player from being targeted by spells or abilities an opponent controls. Think of it as a one-way force field: your opponent can't point a finger at it, but you still can.

That asymmetry is the key difference between hexproof and the older keyword shroud. Shroud prevents all players from targeting the permanent - including its own controller. Hexproof loosens that restriction so you can still buff, enchant, or equip your own creatures freely.

Blue uses hexproof the most, both on creatures and as a way to protect them temporarily with instants. Green is a strong secondary colour for it, typically putting hexproof on big, beefy creatures that don't need evasion to close out games. White gets it occasionally, sometimes granting it to players rather than creatures.

Lore aside: Before it had an official name, the community called this ability "Troll Shroud" - after Troll Ascetic from Mirrodin (2003), one of the earliest and most beloved cards with the effect. The nickname stuck for years before the keyword was formalised.

How hexproof works: the rules

Hexproof is a static ability. It doesn't trigger, doesn't use the stack, and doesn't require any activation. It's simply always on.

The comprehensive rules define it clearly:

"'Hexproof' on a permanent means 'This permanent can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.'" - CR 702.21

"'Hexproof' on a player means 'You can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.'" - CR 702.21

A few important clarifications:

You can still target your own hexproof permanents. Equip it, enchant it, pump it with an instant - all fine. Hexproof only blocks opponents.
In multiplayer (Commander), teammates can also target it. If you're playing a team format, your allies aren't blocked by your permanents' hexproof.
Hexproof doesn't stop non-targeted effects. A Wrath of God, a Toxic Deluge**, a board-wide -1/-1 counter effect - none of these target anything, so hexproof is no protection against them. This is one of the most common misunderstandings at the table.
It can be removed. Cards like Arcane Lighthouse and Glaring Spotlight strip hexproof from creatures entirely, making them targetable again.

Conditional hexproof

Not all hexproof is permanent or unconditional. Wizards of the Coast has experimented with narrower versions to reduce the feel-bad moments of facing an uninteractable threat:

Hexproof from [colour]: As seen on Knight of Grace (hexproof from black), this only blocks spells and abilities of a specific colour.
Hexproof until your next turn: Granted temporarily, often by a spell.
Hexproof if untapped / not attacking / hasn't dealt damage: These conditional versions mean the creature can be a solid blocker or defensive threat without being completely uninteractable as an attacker.

This conditional design space eventually evolved into the ward keyword, which doesn't fully block targeting but taxes the opponent for doing it. R&D found that blanket hexproof could create frustrating game states, so ward has largely taken its place in recent Standard-legal sets.

Rules note: Hexproof counters are a thing! Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO, 2020) introduced counters that grant hexproof, meaning a creature can have hexproof added to or removed from it via counter effects.

Strategy: playing with and against hexproof

Building around hexproof

When you have a hexproof creature, opponents can't remove it cleanly with targeted spells. That makes it the ideal base for an Aura or Equipment strategy - sometimes called "Voltron" in Commander circles. Enchant or equip a hexproof creature and your opponents have to either block it in combat, use sweepers, or find non-targeted removal.

The classic build-around for this strategy is a hexproof creature + multiple power-boosting Auras. Since your opponent can't destroy the creature in response to you suiting it up, the enchantments are rarely wasted.

Some spell-based hexproof is designed specifically for protection in combat or in response to removal:

Dive Down ({U}) - Gives +0/+3 and hexproof until end of turn for a single blue mana. A classic tempo play to save a creature.
Heroic Intervention ({1}{G}) - All permanents you control gain hexproof and indestructible until end of turn. One of the most efficient protection spells in green.
Hapatra's Mark ({G}) - Hexproof plus removing all -1/-1 counters. Very situational, but exactly right when you need it.
Sheltering Word ({1}{G}) - Hexproof until end of turn and life gain equal to the creature's toughness. Great for big green creatures.

Granting hexproof to everything

Some enchantments scale hexproof across your whole board:

| Card | What it protects | Cost | |---|---|---| | Privileged Position | All other permanents you control | {2}{G/W}{G/W}{G/W} | | Asceticism | All creatures you control | {3}{G}{G} | | Archetype of Endurance | All creatures you control (and removes it from opponents') | {6}{G}{G} | | Imperial Mask | You (the player) | {4}{W} | | Leyline of Sanctity | You (the player) | {2}{W}{W} |

Leyline of Sanctity in particular has seen serious competitive play in white sideboards, shutting off discard spells, Burn targeting, and other spells that target the player directly.

Playing against hexproof

Hexproof is powerful, but it has real answers:

Non-targeted removal is your best friend. Board wipes, -1/-1 counters spread across all creatures, fight spells that target your creature, and "each creature" effects all bypass hexproof entirely.
Edict effects - "each opponent sacrifices a creature" - are a classic way to kill hexproof threats without targeting them.
Strip the hexproof. Arcane Lighthouse, Glaring Spotlight, and Kaya, Bane of the Dead can all remove hexproof from opponents' creatures, making them targetable again.
Attack the mana or the enchantments. If a hexproof creature has been built up with Auras, you might not be able to remove the creature - but sometimes the Auras themselves are targetable.

Notable cards with hexproof

Creatures with innate hexproof

Some of the most impactful hexproof creatures in Magic's history:

Troll Ascetic (Mirrodin, 2003) - The card that gave hexproof its original nickname. A regenerating 3/2 for {1}{G}{G} that couldn't be targeted by opponents. Extremely frustrating to deal with in its era.
Thrun, Breaker of Silence - Notable for having "hexproof from nongreen", which created interesting rules questions around multicoloured green spells. An example of how conditional hexproof can be tricky to word precisely.
Sacred Wolf - A simple textbook example of hexproof on a creature: a 3/1 Wolf that can't be targeted by opponents.

Protection spells

Heroic Intervention ({1}{G}) - Probably the most played green protection spell in Commander. Two mana to make your entire board hexproof and indestructible is an enormous blowout against anyone trying to wipe the table.
Blacksmith's Skill ({W}) - A one-mana answer for artifacts or artifact creatures, giving hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
Karametra's Blessing ({W}) - Provides hexproof and indestructible conditionally, but only {W} and a +2/+2 bonus makes it feel like tremendous value for enchantment-based decks.
Blinding Fog ({2}{G}) - Mass hexproof plus damage prevention for your creatures in one card. Useful in creature-heavy builds that fear combat tricks as much as removal.

Enchantments that grant hexproof

Privileged Position ({2}{G/W}{G/W}{G/W}) - Gives every other permanent you control hexproof. Pairs naturally with Asceticism or Argothian Enchantress in Commander enchantment builds.
Leyline of Sanctity ({2}{W}{W}) - Gives you hexproof. Devastating against any strategy that targets the player directly: discard, Burn's direct damage, certain combo finishers.

History of hexproof

Hexproof existed as an effect long before it had a name. The first creatures to have the ability appeared in Portal Three Kingdoms on two green creatures - but without any keyword or reminder text, it was just bespoke card text.

For years after that, the community used the shorthand "Troll Shroud" to describe the effect, largely because Troll Ascetic (Mirrodin, 2003) was the most visible and beloved card with the ability. It felt like shroud that only worked against your opponents - intuitive enough that a nickname stuck.

The ability was formally keyworded in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012**, and made its paper debut shortly after in the Magic 2012 Core Set**. All older cards with functionally identical text were retrospectively updated with the hexproof keyword in their official Oracle wording.

Since Magic 2012, hexproof has been considered evergreen - always available for use in any set. It largely replaced shroud, and Wizards of the Coast has stated there's no intention to print new cards with shroud going forward.

However, widespread hexproof created design friction. A creature that opponents simply cannot interact with can lead to unfun, solitaire-like gameplay - especially when suited up with Auras. In response, R&D started pulling back on standard hexproof in Standard-legal sets, exploring conditional versions first ("hexproof from X colour", "hexproof if untapped") before landing on ward as the cleaner modern expression of "this creature costs something to remove."

Ward lets opponents still choose to interact - they just pay a tax to do it. That design philosophy has dominated recent sets, while unconditional hexproof has been pushed toward older formats and Commander products where the power level is higher.

Format check: Hexproof as an evergreen keyword appears across all formats. Ward has taken over a lot of hexproof's design space in Standard-legal sets since roughly 2021, so if you're drafting recent sets you'll see far more ward than hexproof on creatures.