Dragons Tribal? Colorless Eldrazi Ramp? Group Hug? None of these strategies matter to you when we're talking about building a deck around the classic MTG keyword that's all about ignoring what the rest of the table's doing. That's right, folks. In today's Mechanics Overview Segment, we're going to be covering the Shroud mechanic, you know, the one that essentially turns all your creatures into Teflon tanks.

So, let's all strap on our Lightning Greaves (making sure you put them on last because if you try to Equip anything else after, spoiler alert, you won't be able to) and dive right in!

What Is Shroud?

"This permanent or player can't be the target of spells or abilities."

No targeting allowed.Your opponents' spells, your spells, your opponents' abilities, your own abilities. Shroud simply does not discriminate. Everyone must keep their meddling paws off the Shrouded object, including yourself!

The History of Shroud

• June 1994 - Legends: Shroud's big debut! Spectral Cloak first introduced the concept ("Cannot be the target...") and was also the first Aura to dish it out.
• November 1994 - Fallen Empires: Deep Spawn, Homarid Warrior, and Svyelunite Priest were the earliest creatures that could grant themselves Shroud, with the Priest even extending that protection to others.
• October 1995 - Homelands: Autumn Willow became the first legendary and non-Blue creature with a built-in Shroud-like ability, opening the door for future color shenanigans.
• June 1996 - Alliances: Deadly Insect marked the first time Shroud showed up in consecutive expansions (finally, we're starting to see a trend!)
• October 1996 - Mirage: Spectral Guardian could bless multiple permanents with Shroud, an early pioneer for mass protection in White.
• Oct. 1997 to June 1998 - Tempest Block: The first block where every set (Tempest, Stronghold, Exodus) had Shroud references. And while Skyshroud Forest and friends teased us with the "Skyshroud" name, ironically, they didn't have the Shroud mechanic themselves.
• October 1999 - Mercadian Masques: Ivory Mask handed Shroud to players, while Fountain Watch and Diplomatic Immunity finally let Enchantments dodge targeted removal.
• February 2000 - Nemesis: Spiritual Asylum gave all your creatures and lands Shroud; combo that with Fountain Watch to guard basically everything.
• February 2001 - Apocalypse: Minotaur Illusionist was the first Red-affiliated card to gain Shroud, thanks to some sneaky Blue mana.
• February 2002 - Torment: The Odyssey block broke a streak of blocks where each expansion had at least one Shroud card. Still, Odyssey and Judgment each dropped three Shroud references.
• October 2003 - Mirrodin: Lightning Greaves became the first Artifact to hand out Shroud via equip, while Leonin Abunas ushered in a kind of "Super Shroud" (later evolving into Hexproof).
• October 2005 - Ravnica: City of Guilds: Privileged Position dished out "Super Shroud" to every other permanent you controlled.
• Oct. 2006 to May 2007 - Time Spiral Block: Shroud wasn't officially keyworded in the first set (Time Spiral) but debuted as an official keyword in the last set (Future Sight). Perfect synergy or convenient timing? You decide.
• May 2007 - Future Sight: Shroud finally got its official name ("Untargetable" was the runner-up, by the way!).
• October 2007 - Lorwyn: Planeswalkers arrived, spoiling the combo that once gave all your permanents Shroud. (Poor Fountain Watch plus Spiritual Asylum synergy; it's still good, just not as all-encompassing.)
• April 2009 - Alara Reborn: Trace of Abundance became the first card to explicitly grant Shroud to a single land.
• Oct. 2009 to April 2010 - Zendikar Block: The fifth consecutive block where each set flaunted at least one Shroud card, setting a record.
• September 2010 - Scars of Mirrodin: Asceticism introduced a new spin for the "Shroud + Super Shroud" combos. As per usual, pair with Fountain Watch to safeguard your entire board.
• August 2011: Shroud was dubbed "obsolete" in favor of Hexproof. Cue nostalgic tears.
• November 2014: Arcane Lighthouse said "Nope!" to both Shroud and Hexproof, leveling the playing field to some degree.
• 2024 - The Crossover Era: Shroud continues to made cheeky cameos in Fallout's Silver Shroud Costume and Assassin's Creed's Smoke Bomb & Shay Cormac, proving that no matter what Plane we're in, you still can't be targeted.

Shroud Vs. Hexproof

Shroud says, "Nobody can target this permanent, not even you." Meanwhile, Hexproof says, "Your opponents can't target this permanent, but you can do whatever you like."

Shroud's Problem: You can't buff or equip your own creatures, which simply feels weird to many players. "Why can't my own mighty Wizard be the target of my beneficial spells? Are they allergic to helpful Magic?"

Hexproof's Appeal: It's just more intuitive. You can do the big aura-based Voltron strategies, and your opponents can still only weep helplessly unless they have board wipes or forced sacrifice effects.

In short, Hexproof replaced Shroud as the evergreen "No Targeting" mechanic because it's not only easier on new players but also easier on design space. That said, though, Shroud is still beloved by some of us old-schoolers, especially when it's on a Shroud card like Lightning Greaves, where its Equip cost of 0 makes it more than justifiable, even with the inherent downside of not being able to target our own creature afterward.

Missing Shroud Effects

Surprisingly, there are still some Shroud permutations that MTG hasn't (yet) printed:

• Enchantment-Only Shroud: One aura or effect that grants Shroud to a single non-creature Enchantment.
• Global Shroud A spell or permanent that gives Shroud to all of its controller's permanents (including itself).
• Universal Shroud: Shroud for all permanents on the battlefield, no exceptions.
• Opponent Shroud: A card that grants Shroud to one unlucky (or lucky?) opponent.
• Everybody But You Shroud: Every opponent gets Shroud because you're nice like that.
• Table-Wide Shroud: Shroud for all players (just imagine how long that game would take)!
• Planeswalker Shroud: A card that shields a single Planeswalker with Shroud.
• Selective Planeswalker Shroud: A card that only protects Planeswalkers you control (or an opponent controls).
• Gatewatch Shroud: A card giving Shroud to all Planeswalkers, period.
• Red Without a Hint of U/W/G Shroud: Any Red-aligned card that grants or has Shroud without dipping into White, Blue, or Green.
• Black Shroud: A Black card that actually wields Shroud or grants it (no, Shrouded Lore does not count).

And while we might certainly see some of these effects someday, for now, they remain in that whimsical "Shroud would be BROKEN if..." bucket.

So, Is Shroud For You?

Look, you might be that cunning puppet master who wants to "do everything" to your creatures, in which case Hexproof (or even Ward) is definitely more your speed. Meanwhile, if you're that bizarre chaos enthusiast who just loves the idea of saying, "Nobody's allowed to play with my creature, not even myself," well then, welcome to Team Shroud.

At the end of the day, Shroud is a hallmark of Magic's evolution. We see it, we admire it, we lament it, and sometimes, we quietly slip it into a Commander deck because it's the perfect meta call or because we want to relive the glory days when Morphling was the end-all-be-all Control finisher. And sure, it's been dethroned by Hexproof, but for those of us who relish the "No Touchy!" style of gameplay, Shroud can certainly continue to make slots in our next brews.

With all that said, that's it for me this time. As always, happy brewing, and may you always remember that the classics are untouchable for a reason. (Remember, one well-timed Lightning Greaves alongside an Ashaya, Soul of the Wild, and a Quirion Ranger is sometimes the sole difference between winning and losing your next game!) Until next time!