Can I Give My Graveyard Hexproof? A Deep Dive into MTG Graveyard Protection
The short answer is no, you cannot give your graveyard hexproof in Magic: The Gathering (MTG). Hexproof, by definition, only applies to permanents on the battlefield or to players. Your graveyard is a zone, and zones cannot have hexproof. While you can’t directly give your graveyard hexproof, there are other strategies and cards you can use to protect your graveyard from being exiled or otherwise manipulated by your opponents.
Understanding Graveyard Hate and Protection
“Graveyard hate” is a common term in MTG referring to strategies and cards designed to disrupt or eliminate an opponent’s access to their graveyard. This can range from exiling specific cards to exiling the entire graveyard. Conversely, graveyard protection involves strategies and cards aimed at preserving and utilizing your own graveyard. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for deck building and gameplay.
Many players utilize their graveyard as a resource, using cards like Reanimate or Past in Flames to recur powerful spells or creatures. This makes the graveyard a prime target for disruption, hence the prevalence of graveyard hate. So while hexproof won’t protect your graveyard, let’s delve into strategies and cards that can!
Effective Strategies to Protect Your Graveyard
While you can’t directly grant your graveyard hexproof, consider these alternative strategies:
- Reduce Graveyard Reliance: The simplest way to mitigate graveyard hate is to reduce your dependence on it. Build decks that function well without needing to constantly retrieve cards from the graveyard.
- Timing: Cast spells like reanimate at instant speed at the end of your opponent’s turn so that your opponent has no opportunity to use graveyard hate.
- Counterspells: Cards like Counterspell and Negate can protect your key graveyard recursion spells from being countered.
- Redundancy: Include multiple cards that perform similar functions in your deck. This ensures that even if one or two are exiled, you still have options.
- Cards that Protect Permanents: While not directly protecting the graveyard, some cards protect your permanents from being exiled, which indirectly help protect your graveyard.
Card Examples for Graveyard Mitigation
- Leyline of Sanctity: While this doesn’t protect your graveyard, it grants you hexproof, preventing your opponent from targeting you with discard spells or effects that force you to mill yourself.
- Containment Priest: While not directly protecting the graveyard, this card exiles any creatures put into play from the graveyard.
- Rest in Peace: An ironic choice, but this enchantment exiles all cards from graveyards as they are put there. This can shut down graveyard-centric strategies, but it also affects your own graveyard, so it’s often a sideboard card.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Graveyard Protection
Here are 15 common questions about graveyard protection in MTG:
1. Can I give a specific card in my graveyard Hexproof?
No. Hexproof only functions on the battlefield. Once a card is in the graveyard, it is no longer considered a permanent with hexproof.
2. Does Shroud protect my graveyard?
Similar to hexproof, shroud only applies on the battlefield. Shroud prevents a permanent from being the target of spells or abilities, but only while it’s a permanent (i.e., on the battlefield).
3. If a card in my graveyard has Hexproof on the battlefield, will it still have Hexproof in the graveyard?
No. Once the card is in the graveyard, it is no longer subject to its hexproof ability. The hexproof only existed while it was a permanent on the battlefield.
4. What’s the best way to protect my graveyard from exile effects?
There is no single “best” way. A combination of strategies, including reducing reliance on the graveyard, using counterspells, and employing redundant strategies offers the most comprehensive protection. Timing is also key, use graveyard recursion spells at instant speed at the end of your opponents turn to minimize the chance of being exiled.
5. Does Hexproof stop my opponent from exiling all graveyards?
No. Effects like Rest in Peace, which exile all cards as they enter the graveyard, don’t target. Hexproof only protects against targeting.
6. Can I counter a spell that targets my graveyard?
Yes, if the spell specifically targets your graveyard (e.g., a card that says “Exile target graveyard”), you can counter it using a counterspell like Counterspell or Negate.
7. What is considered “graveyard hate”?
Graveyard hate refers to cards and strategies that disrupt or eliminate an opponent’s access to their graveyard. This includes exiling specific cards, exiling entire graveyards, and preventing cards from entering the graveyard.
8. Does Hexproof prevent sacrifice effects?
No. Hexproof protects against targeting by opponents’ spells and abilities. Sacrifice effects often target the player, forcing them to sacrifice a creature.
9. Are there any creatures with built-in graveyard protection?
Not directly, but some creatures, like those with the undying or persist mechanic, can return from the graveyard to the battlefield under certain conditions, providing resilience against graveyard hate.
10. Can I enchant my own creature in the graveyard with an aura?
No. You can’t enchant a creature in the graveyard with an aura. Auras are spells cast targeting permanents on the battlefield.
11. Does “indestructible” protect my graveyard?
No. Indestructible only applies to permanents on the battlefield. It has no effect on cards in the graveyard.
12. What’s the difference between Hexproof and Shroud?
Hexproof prevents your opponents from targeting the permanent (or you). Shroud prevents anyone from targeting the permanent (or you), including yourself.
13. Does Hexproof stop a board wipe?
No. Board wipes like Wrath of God do not target individual creatures. They affect all creatures on the battlefield, regardless of whether they have hexproof.
14. Can I target a creature card in the graveyard with an equipment card?
No. Equipment cards, like Auras, can only target permanents on the battlefield.
15. Where can I learn more about MTG strategies and deck building?
There are a lot of resources online! A great place to start is the Games Learning Society website. The Games Learning Society or GamesLearningSociety.org is a great resource for gaming strategies.
Conclusion: Adapting Your Strategy
While you can’t directly give your graveyard hexproof, understanding the nuances of graveyard hate and employing various mitigation strategies is essential for succeeding in MTG. Adapt your deck building and gameplay to minimize reliance on your graveyard, protect key spells with counterspells, and consider using redundant strategies to ensure you always have options. By embracing these strategies, you can navigate the dangers of graveyard hate and leverage your graveyard to its fullest potential.