Hexproof vs. Board Wipes: A Comprehensive MTG Guide

Hexproof offers no protection against board wipes. Hexproof prevents spells and abilities controlled by your opponents from targeting a permanent or player. Board wipes, by definition, generally do not target individual permanents. Instead, they affect all permanents that meet certain criteria, such as “all creatures” or “all artifacts”. Because board wipes sidestep targeting, hexproof is irrelevant.

Understanding Hexproof and Targeting

To fully grasp why hexproof fails against board wipes, it’s crucial to understand the core mechanic of hexproof: preventing targeting. The exact wording of hexproof is key: “This permanent can’t be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.” The operative word is “target.”

Targeting refers to specifically choosing a card, player or object in the game. When you cast a Lightning Bolt, you must choose which creature or player it’s aimed at; that’s targeting. Similarly, using an ability like “destroy target artifact” requires you to pinpoint a specific artifact.

Board wipes operate differently. A classic example is Wrath of God, which says, “Destroy all creatures.” Notice the absence of the word “target.” This distinction is critical. Wrath of God doesn’t pick out individual creatures; it simply affects everything on the battlefield that happens to be a creature. Since it doesn’t target, hexproof is bypassed.

Another common example is Black Sun’s Zenith, which gives -1/-1 counters to all creatures, but does not target. Since this ability doesn’t target, Hexproof will not prevent the creatures from being given -1/-1 counters.

Strategies for Dealing with Board Wipes

If hexproof doesn’t work, how do you protect your creatures from board wipes? There are several effective strategies:

• Indestructible: Granting your creatures indestructible ensures they’ll survive destroy effects. Boros Charm is a common choice, offering the flexibility to also protect against targeted removal.
• Regeneration: Regenerating a creature replaces its destruction with its removal from combat. This allows the creature to survive a board wipe.
• Counterspells: The most direct way to deal with a board wipe is to counter the spell itself, preventing it from resolving.
• Card Advantage and Hand Management: Don’t overcommit to the board. Holding back some creatures in your hand allows you to rebuild after a board wipe.
• Protection: Protection from a color can prevent damage, targeting, enchanting, equipping, and blocking from sources of that color. A board wipe that destroys creatures, will not be countered by Protection from a certain color, as the effect does not target.
• Shield Counters: These powerful counters prevent the next time a creature would be destroyed or dealt damage.

Board Wipe Archetypes

Board wipes come in many forms, but most fall into a few common categories:

• Destroy Effects: These wipes, like Wrath of God, simply destroy all creatures (or other specified permanents).
• Exile Effects: These wipes, like Farewell, exile all creatures (or other specified permanents) from the battlefield. Exile is particularly powerful because it gets around indestructible.
• -X/-X Effects: These wipes, like Damnation or Toxic Deluge, give creatures -X/-X until end of turn, often resulting in their deaths due to having zero or less toughness.
• Bounce Effects: These wipes, like Cyclonic Rift (overloaded), return all nonland permanents to their owners’ hands.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Does protection stop board wipes?

Protection only stops damage, enchanting/equipping, blocking, and targeting (often remembered as “DEBT”). Most board wipes don’t target, so protection typically won’t help. If a black creature has an ability that causes a board wipe, so long as the ability does not damage, enchant, equip, block, or target, it is not prevented by protection from black.

2. Does indestructible protect against all board wipes?

Not necessarily. Indestructible prevents destruction due to damage or effects that specifically “destroy” the creature. It doesn’t protect against exile effects or effects that give creatures -X/-X until their toughness becomes zero or less.

3. What happens if a board wipe says “destroy all creatures, they can’t be regenerated”?

This overrides regeneration abilities. Normally, regeneration would replace destruction, but this effect specifically prevents that.

4. Can I counter a board wipe?

Yes! Counterspells are a highly effective way to stop board wipes. Spells like Counterspell, Negate, and countless others can negate the board wipe before it resolves.

5. Does Hexproof stop Deathtouch?

No. Deathtouch means that any amount of damage from the source will be lethal damage. Deathtouch doesn’t target, so hexproof doesn’t prevent it.

6. Does shroud protect from board wipes?

Yes, because board wipes do not target. Like creatures with hexproof, creatures with shroud are difficult to deal with, since you can’t target them with removal spells.

7. What is the best way to beat Hexproof and Indestructible?

The best way to remove indestructible creatures and hexproof creatures is either by putting a punch of -1/-1s on everything, or by making them sacrifice their creatures.

8. If I have a creature with both hexproof and indestructible, is it untouchable?

Not quite. While very resilient, it’s still vulnerable to exile effects and sacrifice effects. Additionally, effects that remove abilities (like Dress Down) can render both hexproof and indestructible irrelevant.

9. Can I give an opponent’s creature Hexproof?

Yes. Unlike shroud, giving your opponent’s creature hexproof doesn’t result in any shenanigans. Hexproof doesn’t care who or what granted the ability, only who currently controls the creature.

10. Do shield counters prevent board wipes?

Shield counters only prevent damage or destruction effects. They don’t stop the creature with the shield counter from being exiled, returned to your hand, or sacrificed.

11. What are “edict” style effects?

“Edict” style effects are sacrifice effects, where you target the player and they sacrifice the creature. Example “target OPPONENT sacrifices a creature”

12. How many board wipes should I have in my deck?

While traditional deck building templates have indicated as many as five to seven board wipes, the current word on the street is that around three to four is enough. The amount can depend on the overall strategy of your deck, and the prevalence of creature-heavy strategies in your meta.

13. What does Hexproof not protect against?

Hexproof is basically useless against any effect that doesn’t target the creature or player. So sweepers and sacrifice effects aren’t protected against. Neither are spells or abilities that let you interact with the card with hexproof in the graveyard or library.

14. Does Hexproof stop counterspell?

The fact that a creature has hexproof has no bearing on the spell the creates the creature. A spell which “cannot be countered” stops only effects which say “counter target spell”, for example Counterspell.

15. Is Hexproof better than indestructible?

Both of these are powerful effects, though have many ways to work around and remove the threat. Indestructible falls prey to exiling, tucking, etc; Hexproof is hit by ‘destroy all’ and other non-targeting spells.

Conclusion

Hexproof is a powerful ability, but it’s essential to understand its limitations. It’s fantastic at protecting against targeted removal, but it’s powerless against the sweeping effects of board wipes. To protect your valuable creatures, consider alternative strategies like indestructible, regeneration, or simply holding back some cards for a well-timed rebuild. Remember, mastering Magic: The Gathering involves understanding not just individual card abilities, but also how they interact within the broader game context.

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