Does shroud work against Deathtouch?

Does Shroud Work Against Deathtouch?

In the world of Magic: The Gathering, Deathtouch and Shroud are two powerful abilities that can change the course of a game. But, can Shroud protect a creature against Deathtouch? The short answer is yes, but let’s dive deeper into the details.

What is Deathtouch?

Deathtouch is a ability that was first introduced in the 2012 Magic set, Dark Asylum. It’s an ability that says that if a creature with Deathtouch would deal combat damage to a creature, that creature dies instead of receiving the damage. In other words, Deathtouch is a game-ender, as it can kill a creature outright without any possibility of surviving the combat.

What is Shroud?

Shroud, on the other hand, is an ability that says that a permanent (in this case, a creature) cannot be the target of spells or abilities. This means that anything that tries to target a creature with Shroud will not be able to target it, effectively rendering it untargetable.

Does Shroud Prevent Deathtouch?

When a creature with Deathtouch attacks a creature with Shroud, the Deathtouch ability will try to kill the Shrouded creature. However, since Shroud prevents a creature from being targeted, the Deathtouch ability will not be able to target the creature. This means that the Shrouded creature will not die, and instead, the Deathtouch will simply have no effect on it.

But What About Lethal Damage?

One of the key points to consider is that while Shroud prevents a creature from being targeted, it does not prevent lethal damage from being dealt. Lethal damage is damage that would cause a creature to die, and in the case of Deathtouch, this is exactly what happens. However, since the Deathtouch ability is not able to target the Shrouded creature, it will simply not deal any damage to it. This means that the Shrouded creature will still be alive, even if it would have been lethal damage.

How Do Other Abilities Affect Shroud and Deathtouch?

There are other abilities that can interact with Shroud and Deathtouch, such as cards that say "can’t be regenerated" or "can’t be returned from the graveyard". These abilities will still have an effect on a Shrouded creature, as they are not targeting the creature and are instead affecting it directly. Similarly, abilities that say "deals damage to" will still affect a Shrouded creature, as they are not targeting the creature and are instead dealing damage to it directly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Shroud does work against Deathtouch, as it prevents the Deathtouch ability from targeting a creature and dealing lethal damage. This means that a creature with Shroud is effectively immune to Deathtouch attacks, and will remain alive until it is dealt lethal damage in a more traditional way. Whether or not Shroud is enough to completely protect a creature against Deathtouch will depend on the specific context of the game and the other abilities on the board.

Table: Summary of How Shroud and Deathtouch Interact

I hope this article has been helpful in explaining the interaction between Shroud and Deathtouch. Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns!