Can You Proliferate Someone with Hexproof? The Definitive Guide
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No, you cannot directly proliferate a player or permanent with Hexproof. Hexproof specifically prevents your opponents from targeting that player or permanent with spells or abilities they control. Proliferate requires you to choose a player or permanent with one or more counters on it. Because you cannot target a player or permanent with Hexproof, you cannot choose it as the target for your Proliferate effect.
Understanding Hexproof and Proliferate
To fully understand why Hexproof interacts with Proliferate the way it does, we need to delve into the mechanics of both keywords.
What is Hexproof?
Hexproof is a keyword ability in Magic: The Gathering that grants a permanent or player protection from spells and abilities controlled by their opponents. The comprehensive rules define Hexproof as: “A permanent or player with hexproof can’t be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.”
This means your opponent cannot target a creature with Hexproof with a removal spell like “Murder,” nor can they target you with a discard spell if you have Hexproof. This ability provides a significant layer of protection, making it difficult for opponents to interact directly with the hexproofed entity. The operative word here is target.
What is Proliferate?
Proliferate is a keyword action that allows you to multiply the number of counters on permanents and/or players. The comprehensive rules define Proliferate as: “To choose any number of permanents and/or players that have a counter, then give each of them another counter of each kind that permanent or player already has.”
The crucial aspect of Proliferate is that you must choose the permanents and/or players you want to affect. This choosing acts as targeting, even though the word “target” isn’t explicitly used in the ability’s definition.
The Crucial Difference: Targeting vs. Non-Targeting Effects
Understanding the difference between targeting and non-targeting effects is key to understanding the Hexproof/Proliferate interaction.
- Targeting Effects: These effects specifically use the word “target” or imply targeting by requiring you to choose a specific permanent or player as the recipient of the effect. Examples include direct damage spells, aura spells attached to creatures, and abilities that explicitly say “target creature.”
- Non-Targeting Effects: These effects do not require you to choose a specific permanent or player. They affect a broader range of objects based on certain criteria. Examples include board wipes (destroying all creatures) or effects that give all creatures +1/+1.
Hexproof only protects against targeting effects. It does not protect against non-targeting effects.
Why Hexproof Blocks Proliferate
Proliferate requires you to choose permanents or players with counters. This act of choosing, while not explicitly using the word “target,” still functions as targeting for the purposes of Hexproof. Because Hexproof prevents your opponents from targeting the protected entity, they cannot choose it as a recipient for Proliferate’s effects.
Imagine you have a creature with Hexproof and a +1/+1 counter on it. Your opponent casts a spell with Proliferate. Even though your creature already has a counter, your opponent cannot choose that creature to receive an additional +1/+1 counter because of the Hexproof.
Workarounds and Alternative Strategies
While you cannot directly Proliferate a hexproofed entity controlled by an opponent, there are some alternative strategies you can employ:
- Indirect Counter Placement: You can’t Proliferate onto a Hexproof player or permanent, but you can add counters in other ways. If they already have counters, you can try removing them or replacing them.
- Non-Targeting Counter Effects: Look for cards that place counters on permanents or players without targeting. These are less common but bypass Hexproof entirely. Some examples include giving everyone a poison counter, or putting a +1/+1 counter on each creature as it enters the battlefield.
- Remove Hexproof First: Some cards exist that can remove Hexproof from a permanent. Once the Hexproof is gone, you can freely Proliferate.
- Focus on Non-Hexproof Targets: Don’t waste your Proliferate on something you can’t affect. Focus on proliferating counters on your own permanents or other players.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does Hexproof stop me from proliferating my own creatures?
No. Hexproof only protects against spells and abilities controlled by your opponents. You can freely target and proliferate your own creatures, even if they have Hexproof.
2. If a permanent gains Hexproof after I’ve already chosen it for Proliferate, does the Proliferate fizzle?
No. The targeting legality is checked only upon casting or activation of the Proliferate effect. Once it’s on the stack and resolves, Hexproof coming into play later doesn’t matter.
3. Can I proliferate a player if they only have Hexproof from creatures?
Yes. “Hexproof from creatures” means they can only be targeted by spells or abilities from creatures. Proliferate isn’t a creature, so it doesn’t stop the targeted player.
4. What if a player has both Hexproof and Shroud? Can I proliferate them?
No. Shroud is similar to Hexproof but prevents anyone, including you, from targeting the permanent or player. You can’t proliferate a player with Shroud.
5. Does Proliferate target if it doesn’t explicitly say “target”?
Yes, implicitly. Even though Proliferate doesn’t use the word “target,” the act of “choosing” a player or permanent is considered targeting for the purposes of Hexproof.
6. If I control an effect that says “Creatures you control gain Hexproof until end of turn,” can my opponent proliferate my creatures?
No. While your creatures have Hexproof, your opponents cannot target them with Proliferate.
7. Can I proliferate an opponent’s permanent that has a debuff counter on it, even if that permanent has Hexproof?
No. Hexproof prevents your opponent from targeting that permanent. Proliferate can’t affect the debuff counter, even if it already exists.
8. Does Hexproof stop me from proliferating a permanent with a -1/-1 counter on it?
Yes, if your opponent controls the permanent with Hexproof. Because you can’t target it, you can’t proliferate onto it.
9. If I copy a proliferate spell, can I then target a permanent or player with Hexproof that my opponent controls?
No. The copy of the proliferate spell is still controlled by you, so it is subject to the Hexproof restriction.
10. What if I don’t know a player has Hexproof? Can I still try to proliferate them?
You can try, but the spell or ability will fail to target the player with Hexproof if they chose them as the target.
11. If a creature has both Hexproof and Ward, what interactions should I consider when proliferating?
Hexproof and Ward both involve targeting, but they function differently. Hexproof just prevents you from targeting it, and Ward requires you to pay a cost when you do. You won’t be able to proliferate your opponent’s permanent, because you can’t pay the Ward cost and still be able to proliferate the permanent.
12. Can I use a card that says “each player gets a poison counter” to get around a player’s Hexproof?
Yes. This is a non-targeting effect. The card affects all players simultaneously, regardless of whether they have Hexproof.
13. What if I use a card that says “put a +1/+1 counter on each creature”? Does Hexproof stop this?
No. This is another non-targeting effect that will affect all creatures on the battlefield, regardless of Hexproof (assuming the card doesn’t require you to choose the targets).
14. If I cast a proliferate spell, and some of the targets are illegal (due to Hexproof), does the entire spell fizzle?
No. The spell will still resolve, affecting only the legal targets (those without Hexproof or other protections). The illegal targets are simply ignored.
15. Are there any cards that remove Hexproof, allowing me to then proliferate?
Yes, some cards can remove abilities like Hexproof. For example, “Dress Down” removes all abilities from all creatures. This would temporarily remove Hexproof, allowing you to target creatures with Proliferate while Dress Down is on the battlefield. However, you’d have to time it properly.