Hexproof in MTG: Rules, History, and Best Cards

Last updated on November 19, 2025

Saryth, the Viper's Fang | Illustration by Igor Kieryluk

Magic is a game where words are very important. The words a card uses and how it uses them is central to how that card works. Cards have what we know as “keyword abilities” to help make this easier to grasp. If a card like Soulflayer had every single one of its abilities explained in detail, its reminder text would be as long as a book.

I bet most of us don’t even know how many keywords there actually are in the game. If you asked me, I would’ve said something around 50 or 60. There’s actually hundreds! I dare say that hexproof is easily one of the most well-known ones. And possibly one of the most hated, at least every time you have to play against it.

But why is that? Let’s talk about it.

How Does Hexproof Work?

Blossoming Calm | Illustration by Michael C. Hayes

In short, hexproof just means that a card can't be targeted by any spell or ability controlled by an opponent.

There are a lot of spells and abilities in Magic that prompt you to “target” something. Depending on the ability, the target can be a creature, a planeswalker, a player, an enchantment, a spell on the stack, or an artifact. Basically almost anything in the game can be a target. Unless it has hexproof.

Both permanents and players can have hexproof, and things with hexproof can’t be chosen as targets by your opponents. So if you control an Aven Fleetwing and your opponent casts Shock, they can’t even put the spell on the stack pointed at your creature.

The other abilities that give a similar type of protection are shroud, ward, and appropriately, protection. Notably, protection and shroud also stop you from targeting your own permanents. Hexproof only affects spells and abilities controlled by opponents, so you can still enchant, equip, or cast spells on your own creatures with hexproof.

A Brief History of Hexproof

I’m actually surprised how far back the first instance of the ability goes. This was way before it got a keyword and even before shroud had its own keyword. The first cards with this ability are from Portal Three Kingdoms back in 1999. It would take another 12 years for hexproof to get a keyword.

The first cards to have this ability were Taoist Hermit and Zuo Ci, the Mocking Sage. Some cards had the ability here and there from that point on. It wasn’t until the Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 video game that the ability was finally granted a keyword. The first physical sets to feature the keyword were Magic 2012 and Commander 2011, both released the same year as the Duels game.

Hexproof has been used off and on as an evergreen ability ever since then and has showed up on a ton of cards in almost every set. Magic has since shifted toward “temporary hexproof” to avoid the feel-bad sentiment of playing against permanently uninteractable cards.

Is Hexproof Gone from Magic? Why?

Aquatic Incursion | Illustration by Jason Rainville

Yes and no. It's always going to be a part of the game, but there’s been a slight shift in the way the ability is functionally used.

Hexproof as a latent ability on permanents has taken a backseat to cards that temporarily gain or grant hexproof. You'll see more designs like Tyvar's Stand and Bulwark Ox that give the ability to other creatures you control or even grant a player hexproof, rather than having it for themselves.

This change is directly related to the creation of the ward mechanic. The design team at Wizards felt like hexproof was a little too powerful and maybe a tad unfun. Hexproof shuts off so many avenues for interaction and leads to stale gameplay.

I remember the first time I had to face off against a monstrous Fleecemane Lion. It just wasn’t fun. It wasn’t a challenge to work around its abilities to see if I could get rid of it somehow. I just had to hope that my creatures were big enough to block it. You’re not gonna immediately lose the game as soon as it enters the battlefield, but it still takes the game in a more frustrating direction. This happens a lot with creatures that have hexproof. They become insanely hard to deal with in a very unfun way if they have any other sort of evasion.

The idea behind ward isn’t to completely replace hexproof, just to make it the standard ability for creatures that only give it to themselves. So hexproof still exists, while ward is now typically used to give extra protection to individual creatures. Your opponents can still target your cards with ward, but their spells get countered unless they pay an extra price.

While hexproof isn’t gone from Magic, it has been significantly minimized and shares its place with the ward ability.

What Is “Hexproof From”?

Some cards have “hexproof from” specific colors or card types. This basically means that the card can’t be targeted by spells or abilities with the specified color/type controlled by an opponent. It makes it even more similar to protection, minus the protection from combat damage.

A card like Eradicator Valkyrie is completely protected from any planeswalker ability that would target it. You can still target it with abilities from any other permanents as well as with spells. This allows for the creation of cards that have protection against a targeted deck or playstyle without making them fully uninteractable for other decks.

Can I Target My Own Creature with Hexproof?

Yes, you can! Hexproof only stops your opponents from targeting your creature. You’re still free to cast spells or use abilities that target your hexproof creature. So, go ahead and buff it, enchant it, or protect it—it’s all good.

Does Hexproof Stop Bounce Spells?

It depends. If the bounce spell says “target creature” like Unsummon, then hexproof protects it because your opponent can’t choose that creature as a target. But if the spell doesn’t target—like Evacuation, which returns all creatures—then hexproof won’t help.

What Does Hexproof Protect Against?

Hexproof protects against any spells or abilities that target. It doesn’t protect from a specific color, card type, or effect, but from the word “target”. Whenever a spell or ability would let a player choose a target, permanents and players that have hexproof are protected from that targeting action.

Does Hexproof Protect from Board Wipes?

The short answer is a simple “no”, hexproof doesn’t protect from board wipes. The most basic board wipe of all is Day of Judgment. The text on the card says: “Destroy all creatures.” Most board wipes have similar text: exile all creatures, deal X damage to all creatures, etc. The key here is that none of these cards choose a target. As long as the card doesn’t need to target the permanent with hexproof, it affects it just like it’d affect any other permanent.

Can I Fog Hexproof Creatures?

Yes! Fog doesn’t target. It just says “prevent all combat damage this turn.” That means it works on every creature in combat, even ones with hexproof. So hexproof creatures still get stopped by Fog effects like Moment's Peace.

What Does Hexproof Not Protect Against?

Hexproof is basically useless against any effect that doesn’t target the creature or player. So it doesn't protect against sweepers and edicts. Basically any effect that doesn’t use the word “target” works on cards with hexproof.

A couple niche examples include Council's Judgment and Krenko's Buzzcrusher. Council uses a voting mechanic that makes players select cards, but never actually uses the term target, so players can vote for hexproof permanents. Buzzcrusher was intentionally designed to not use the word target, specifically so it could interact with Lotus Field in Pioneer.

What Happens if a Creature Gains Hexproof After Being Targeted?

If your opponent targets your creature with a spell and you respond by giving it hexproof, then your hexproof effect will essentially negate that spell. This makes the targeting of your creature illegal and your opponent’s spell will have no effect. So hexproof can absolutely be used as a response to removal or damage spells.

If the spell in question has additional legal targets beyond the permanent you gave hexproof too, that spell will still affect the other cards accordingly.

Does Hexproof Protect from Spells that Say “Each”?

No, hexproof doesn’t protect from “each” spells. As long as the spell doesn’t specifically target a permanent or player with hexproof, then the ability doesn't help you. For example, if you cast Tribute to the Wild and an opponent's only artifact/enchantment is Lich's Mastery, they'll have to sacrifice that enchantment.

Can You Fight a Creature with Hexproof?

If it has hexproof then it can’t be targeted. “Fight” usually involves targeting two or more creatures, typically one of your own and one of your opponent's. So you’d need to target an opponent’s creature, which you can't do if it has hexproof.

Can a Creature with Hexproof Be Exiled?

Hexproof creatures can be exiled by effects that don't specifically target them, like Blot Out or Farewell. If you’re trying to exile a creature with something like Swords to Plowshares, then it won’t work.

Does Hexproof Prevent Blocking and Damage?

No, hexproof doesn’t prevent blocking or damage. The ability you need to prevent blocking and damage is protection, which prevents creatures with some specific quality (usually a color) from being able to block, damage, and basically affect the protected creature in any way.

Can You Counter a Hexproof Creature?

Yes, you can counter a hexproof creature. A creature spell on the stack counts as a spell and not as a permanent. Hexproof is an ability that affects the card as long as it’s a permanent, so you can absolutely counter it.

How Does “You Have Hexproof” Work?

When a card says “you have hexproof”, it means your opponents can’t target you with spells or abilities. For example, if you control Witchbane Orb or Leyline of Sanctity, your opponents can’t aim a Lightning Bolt or Duress at you.

It doesn’t stop everything, though. Cards that don’t target—like Exsanguinate or Weftstalker Ardent—still affect you because they don’t pick you as a target.

Can You Be Attacked if You Have Hexproof?

Attacking doesn’t involve targeting; hexproof prevents you from being the target of spells or abilities, and attacking is none of those. So while having hexproof can be an incredible advantage, it won’t prevent attacks.

Does Hexproof Stop Deathtouch?

No, hexproof will not stop deathtouch. Hexproof simply prevents being targeted by spells or abilities. Deathtouch isn't a targeting ability; it makes damage lethal regardless of damage dealth. Indestructible, however, can stop a deathtouch creature from killing another with combat damage.

How Can I Beat Hexproof?

Beating hexproof isn’t impossible—it just takes a little creativity, and the right plan depends on what kind of hexproof you’re facing.

If your opponent has a hexproof creature like Sylvan Caryatid, you can get around it with sacrifice effects. For example, Sheoldred's Edict forces them to sacrifice the creature if it’s the only one they control. Damage-based sweepers like Anger of the Gods can also wipe them out, while mass removal spells such as Wrath of God clear the board entirely. Even bounce effects like Cyclonic Rift, which return all nonland permanents, don’t care about hexproof at all.

Hexproof that protects a player, like Leyline of Sanctity, is a different challenge. In that case, you’ll need cards that affect “each opponent” rather than a specific player. Cruel Celebrant still drains life, for instance, while Blood Artist won’t work. Another approach is to deal with the hexproof card directly. One of my favorite tricks in Eternal formats is watching an opponent drop Leyline of Sanctity to shut down my Thoughtseize. At the end of their turn, I’ll flash in Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd, attack to exile the Leyline, then follow up with Grief and other hand disruption post-combat.

Lastly, cards that directly strip hexproof away, such as Shadowspear, are some of the cleanest answers you can run.

Hexproof vs. Shroud vs. Protection vs. Ward

All four of these abilities work in pretty similar ways and give your creatures a significant amount of protection. So what’s the difference and which is best? Let’s first take a quick look at what each of them does.

Shroud

Shroud is a keyword ability that makes it so that a creature can’t be targeted. This means your opponents can’t target it, and neither can you. It gives your creatures a pretty significant amount of protection but it also means a pretty strong drawback if you play equipment, auras, or any kind of buffing spells.

Hexproof

I think I’ve gone into hexproof in enough depth already, but TLDR: Hexproof is essentially the same as shroud except you can still target your own creatures with spells and abilities while your opponents can’t. It’s a stronger version of the same effect.

Protection

Protection is an ability that specifies what the creature is being protected from. It’s usually from specific colors, but it can be from card types like creatures or artifacts, or it can be Progenitus which is absolutely fascinating to me.

Protection makes a creature almost immune to the specified thing. Let’s use the example of colors, since it’s the most common. A creature with protection from black can’t be damaged, enchanted, equipped, blocked, or targeted by anything black. A card with protection is immune to anything that has the specified quality as long as it’s interacting with it directly. Protection doesn’t work on things like board wipes since it’s not doing any of those things.

Ward

This ability was introduced with the release of Strixhaven. It essentially counters any spell or ability that targets the creature with ward unless its controller pays a specified cost. Ward varies from paying mana to life to cards. The ability basically forces the owner of the spell to take some form of disadvantage if they don’t want their spell countered.

Winner, Winner

These abilities all serve different purposes. I think the worst of them is shroud since it’s just hexproof, but not as good. It’s actually been dropped from printing on new cards since the people at WotC think it wouldn’t make sense to use it when hexproof is around (and objectively better).

That’s also pretty telling on why ward exists. Hexproof can be too good at times. It can be extremely hard to deal with and become annoying. I think the state things are in now is the closest to ideal we’ll get. Creatures can have ward with various costs which gives them great protection but doesn’t make them impossible to interact with. On the flipside, you have creatures and enchantments that can give hexproof to other creatures, but they can still be targeted.

This also allows you to build some interesting combos and forces your opponent to use their resources in ways that they maybe didn’t expect or want to. And protection only shows up occasionally, so it doesn’t run the risk of becoming too pervasive or broken and it’s still an amazing way to defend your creatures. Teferi's Protection isn’t a Commander staple and one of Magic's best white instants for nothing.

Notable Hexproof Cards

Throughout Magic’s history, there have been many iconic cards with hexproof, or cards that grant the keyword to other creatures. Some of the most powerful examples come in the form of commanders like Geist of Saint Traft, Narset, Enlightened Master, and Uril, the Miststalker. These are classic “Voltron” options—commanders you build around by stacking up auras and equipment until they become unstoppable threats that can overwhelm your opponents.

Protection doesn’t just come from creatures, though. Spells like Heroic Intervention and Veil of Summer provide global hexproof for your board, letting you dodge removal and control effects in key matchups. They’re some of the most common answers to sweepers and targeted disruption.

On the cheaper end, 1-mana tricks like Tamiyo's Safekeeping and Royal Treatment act as clutch protection spells, often used to keep finishers—such as Tifa Lockhart, which doesn’t have hexproof itself—safe at the most critical moment.

Hexproof isn’t just for creatures, either. Cards like Leyline of Sanctity are staples across Modern, Legacy, and Historic, giving you hexproof and shutting down targeted burn, discard, or mill strategies before the game even begins. In multiplayer formats, protection artifacts are just as important—Swiftfoot Boots has been a Commander favorite for years, and newer options like Legolas's Quick Reflexes add both flavor and function as ways to keep your best creature protected.

If you really want to go over the top, there are big, game-changing options like Sigarda, Font of Blessings or Archetype of Endurance. These cards don’t just keep a single creature safe—they grant blanket protection to your whole team, turning your board into a fortress that’s almost impossible to break through.

Hexproof Pauper Decklist

Slippery Bogle | Illustration by Dave Allsop

One of the oldest and most consistent ways to take advantage of hexproof in Pauper is through a Voltron strategy.

Creatures like Gladecover Scout, Slippery Bogle, and Silhana Ledgewalker form the backbone of this archetype. They hit the battlefield early and are nearly impossible for your opponent to remove. From there, you turn these small creatures into game-ending threats with enchantments like Ancestral Mask and Ethereal Armor, both of which scale quickly as you stack more enchantments. It’s not uncommon to swing for lethal damage in just a turn or two once your pieces are in place.

This strategy remains one of Pauper’s most feared aggressive archetypes because it punishes decks that rely heavily on spot removal.

Wrap Up

Angelic Enforcer | Illustration by Irina Nordsol

So there you have it! I think hexproof is a really strong ability and it's great when you’re the one playing it. But playing against hexproof is always a pain and can become boring very fast.

Restraining it to effects like “other creatures you control gain hexproof” and “you have hexproof” is a much better way to use the ability. I love ward as a replacement; it brings a high level of protection while still being highly interactive and encouraging more strategic thinking in the game.

What do you think? Do you enjoy the mechanic? I know a lot of players dislike it and consider it highly un-interactive and unfun. I mostly agree with that, but it can still be used in more fun ways. If you disagree and like it, feel free to leave a comment proving me wrong! And while you think of ways to do that, feel free to check out our blog and our Twitter for more content like this.

That’s all from me for now. I’ll see you in the next one!