Prison Term + Shroud

[Arsenal]

I think I know the answer, but just wanted official confirmation (this situation came up in EDH).

I have a Prison Term enchanting my opponent's Eternal Witness. My opponent then plays a Wall of Denial.

Am I able to attach the Prison Term to my opponent's Wall of Denial? Does Prison's term "attachment" get around creatures with Shroud?

Also, does Prison Term's "attachment" get around creatures with Protection from [blank]?

[freakish777]

I think I know the answer, but just wanted official confirmation (this situation came up in EDH).

I have a Prison Term enchanting my opponent's Eternal Witness. My opponent then plays a Wall of Denial.

Am I able to attach the Prison Term to my opponent's Wall of Denial? Does Prison's term "attachment" get around creatures with Shroud?

Also, does Prison Term's "attachment" get around creatures with Protection from [blank]?


Prison Term absolutely does not get around Protection from White\Everything\Enchantments\Auras etc.

Protection means it can't be:

Damaged
Enchanted\Equipped\Fortified
Blocked
Targetted

(so remember the acronym DEBT when thinking of Protection).

It does get around shroud in the situation you outlined.

[Arsenal]

That's what I thought re: shrouded creatures. I wasn't sure about Protection though. Thanks.

[Maveric78f]

Does it mean that you can attach the prison to the protected creature. Then, as the SBE are checked, the enchantment goes to yard.
Or does it mean that you cannot even attach the prison to the protected creature?

[quicksilver]

Creatures with protection from something cannot be equiped or enchanted in the first place. It will never get attached, not even briefly. It never gets to fall off cause it never can get on.

[cdr]

Prison Term 1WW
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't attack or block and its activated abilities can't be played.
Whenever a creature comes into play under an opponent's control, you may attach Prison Term to that creature.


413.2c. If an effect offers any choices other than choices already made as part of playing the spell or ability, the player announces these while applying the effect. The player can't choose an option that's illegal or impossible, with the exception that having an empty library doesn't make drawing a card an impossible action (see rule 423.3).

Example: A spell's instruction reads, "You may sacrifice a creature. If you don't, you lose 4 life." A player who controls no creatures can't choose the sacrifice option.

While an effect is resolving, you can't choose anything that's illegal (like sacrificing something you don't control) or impossible (like sacrificing a creature when you don't control any creatures). This is why you can't choose to attach Prison Term to a creature with Pro: White at all, and why you can't choose an indestructible creature with Porphyry Nodes. Even if there wasn't a "may", attaching Prison Term would still be illegal, and thus the instruction to attach it would do nothing.

Note that this applies only to choices made on resolution - choices made on announcement like targeting have no such restriction.

This is one of the trickier rules.

[Arsenal]

So now I fully understand the how and why of Prison Term attachment + Protection from [blank], could you please explain how and why Prison Term attachment + Shroud is a legal play? I know it works, I just want to know exactly how and why it works.

[cdr]

Shroud: Shroud is a static ability. "Shroud" means "This permanent or player can't be the target of spells or abilities." See rule 502.36, "Shroud."

Shroud prevents targeting. Attaching does not require targeting.

The rules for playing Auras and using Equip abilities target, but attaching does not.