This card is evidence that the Simic are truely genius's. They have invented an enchantment aura that protects the creature it enchants with troll shroud, and allows you to gain more knowlede to add to your arsenal of spells (that means to draw a card, for all you non-vorthos and stupid people). This is exactly what the Simic are about, using knowledge to make life more efficient. This card also combos really well with Lorescale Coatl.
MasterOfEtherium
★☆☆☆☆ (1.4/5.0)(5 votes)
Yeah My Boy Manny Invented The Lorescale Shielding Plax Combo. Great Idea Manny.
nineyears
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Hey Mike I thank you for your comment. When I saw Lorescale Coatl I told to my self," there's gotta be something out there for this powerful creature that will protect it from a removal". And soon after that, I found Shielding Plax. As far as i know it doesn't get better than that. Lorescale Coatl can't be the target of spells your opponent controls, but yet you can still do anything to it and you get to draw a card as well. Green/Blue rocks and I hope they keep making fun cards similar lorescale coatl.
Nantuko_Primus
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
Exactly. This is a great card and its even hybrid. It works well in almost any deck that used green or blue, and due to the draw aspect, you don't even lose a card. Plus it makes Cytoplast Manipulator nearly unstoppable. And thank you SavageBrain89, its nice to see other people with that level of respect for the Simic.
KrosanGardener
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(2 votes)
You know, it'd be a little easy to Smother your Lorescale in response to Shielding Plax being cast. Just saying.
Antedelluvian
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I have a question? If say, you were to place Shielding Plax on a creature and it had Pacifism on it already. Would the Pacifism be put in to the graveyard at end of turn?
cadenblade
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
No because it retains any auras or counters attached to it. There are easy ways of getting rid of Pacifism tho. If you can get rid of the enchantment with something as cheap as Demystify, you can always return the creature to your hand using Unsummon or to your library with Nulltread Gargantuan.
I like this card because it takes away the negative drawback that shroud creates in not letting you beef up your creature when suddenly its cornered by something bigger than it. The draw card ability is a nice perk; I just wish this cost 1+b/g instead of 2+b/g and make it an uncommon.
Yeah, this is a great card for Lorescale Coatl, which comes into play with a big target on it for its ability. Other fun quick ways to pump the snake is to have a creature power 5 or greater and Drumhunter since you will be drawing cards 2x a turn. Rhystic Study is another good option since you can draw a card anytime an opponent casts a spell but not always reliable because they can pay that additional one mana to prevent it( especially against decks that have a lot of cheap costing white cards). A fun way to really spike up the counters on the Coatl is to drop a Soul's Majesty on any large powered creature you control. There are all kinds of combos and other cards to use tho. The snake is b/g for a good reason esp since blue deals a lot with cycling.
Digit
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
KrosanGardener's got it. I don't want an aura that doesn't do its job and costs me 3 mana. Now if it had split second or flash or both, then it would deserve a 4 or higher ranking.
Dudboy
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Quick question, can you enchant your opponent's creatures with this and make them untargetable by the creature's controller? So for example, can I cast Shielding Plax on my opponent's Stuffy Doll so he can't target it with burn spells?
ICEFANG13
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
@ Dudboy yes sir, and you draw the card and can still affect the creature with your own spells. That's very Simic thinking!
@Antedelluvian No it would not. A aura is not targeting a creature after its resolved giving it protection from the color (white) would because protection states that a creature that is protected from (color) cannot be enchanted or equipped by (color) auras or equipment
This card rocks the only way I wish it was different is instead of "Comes into play" it was "Play" then it would be getting around many more of the aura problems, but that's why I play it when they're tapped out.
Since it shares color with Simic Guildmage, doesn't hurt to move it around :)
cjgrimmreaper
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Card draw and shroud for on an enchantment?! I just lost my mind from the awesome.
sarroth
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Digit: Apparently you hate all auras, because even ones with flash can be responded to with a Doom Blade or anything. This is one of the better auras you can find in Magic, and it's hybrid and not even gold. No, auras aren't the best cards because of the 2-for-1, but that's what makes the card draw on this one so good.
dark_hero
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Agrees with Nantuko_Primus. My friend refuses to play my Simic deck for this reason. Cytoplast Manipulator+Shielding Plax is my joy in this world.
bfugitive
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Mode: Because putting it on your opponent's creature changes that. If it granted Hexproof, the creature's controller's opponents couldn't target it. As it's worded, the Aura's controller's opponent's can't target it. See, i.e., Stuffy Doll
Pheso
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Give a creature Hexproof and draw a card for 3...damn I hope they reprint this in the return to ravnica.
axiobeta
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Huh? Why no hexproof? Still a cool card, sometimes it's more formidable when things are spelt out anyway. Simic was awesome.
monkeymonk42
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
@Mode
It's not hexproof. If it were hexproof and you put it on an opponents creature, you wouldn't be able to target it, since they control the creature and you are the opponent. However, you still control the enchantment even if it is on an opponents creature which means the "opponent" it's referring to in the card is still your opponents, not yourself. So you can target it but an opponent cannot.
I don't know in what situation you might want to do that instead of just using some kind of removal, but it is an important distinction from hexproof. Its more like opponent proof.
IcedJack
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
A cantrip aura that grants hexproof? You're doing it so right.
LordRandomness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is my preferred method of protecting my creatures, since it dodges the two-for-one issue and provides total safety from targeted effects.
Generally speaking if I don't play this, it's because I'm baiting spells for Willbender.
EnderofGames
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
@mode, and the others who are wondering:
The reason the oracle text didn't change the rules to "Hexproof" is, as with all other auras, that you can enchant an enemy creature. If you gave them hexproof, then you wouldn't be able to target that creature again, but with THIS ability, THEY can't target it, even if it is their creature.
zipec
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@ICEFANG13: I believe that "comes into play" is one reason why this card is good: You draw even when you pull it by Retether, Bruna, Academy Researchers, Sovereigns and many others
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Always beautiful. Keeps your hand going and helps against aggro/control. Allows you to use pump spells/enchants as well, which is a nice boon since those so easily incur card disadvantage.
flight_173
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have an instant rush infect deck that's basic principle is based of 1 and 2 drop infect weaklings that I then pump with spells. This card would shut it down if played on one of my guys. Here's some of the included cards. It should give you a good idea of what I'm talking about.
It would especially hurt for Prey's Vengeance,Virulent Swipe. Also Rancor falls of Inkmoth Nexus and returns to the hand. This wouldn't help to much against that but it could still be useful as an anti block method if I made Inkmoth Nexus a creature too soon.
Mode
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I wonder why the Oracle wording of this card did not change to "Enchanted creature has hexproof."
Edit (since 7/23/2011): "The reason the oracle text didn't change the rules to "Hexproof" is, as with all other auras, that you can enchant an enemy creature. (...)" -- EnderofGames
Duh! Of course. Same as with Spirit Link back then when lifelink had an equal wording. Else the card would have used the following unlikely unnecessarily convoluted wording: "Enchanted creature has 'This creature can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.'".
(I guess that's a little downside from having troll shroud keyworded now; we probably won't be getting an Aura like Shielding Plax anymore that has that effect on itself instead of providing the creature with it.)
I never thought of that, but you could even profit from casting it on your opponent's creatures in some cases - e.g. if they have an Heroic triggered ability that you don't want them to make use of, like Anax and Cymede.
Comments (28)
I like this card because it takes away the negative drawback that shroud creates in not letting you beef up your creature when suddenly its cornered by something bigger than it. The draw card ability is a nice perk; I just wish this cost 1+b/g instead of 2+b/g and make it an uncommon.
Yeah, this is a great card for Lorescale Coatl, which comes into play with a big target on it for its ability. Other fun quick ways to pump the snake is to have a creature power 5 or greater and Drumhunter since you will be drawing cards 2x a turn. Rhystic Study is another good option since you can draw a card anytime an opponent casts a spell but not always reliable because they can pay that additional one mana to prevent it( especially against decks that have a lot of cheap costing white cards). A fun way to really spike up the counters on the Coatl is to drop a Soul's Majesty on any large powered creature you control. There are all kinds of combos and other cards to use tho. The snake is b/g for a good reason esp since blue deals a lot with cycling.
@Antedelluvian No it would not. A aura is not targeting a creature after its resolved giving it protection from the color (white) would because protection states that a creature that is protected from (color) cannot be enchanted or equipped by (color) auras or equipment
This card rocks the only way I wish it was different is instead of "Comes into play" it was "Play" then it would be getting around many more of the aura problems, but that's why I play it when they're tapped out.
Still a cool card, sometimes it's more formidable when things are spelt out anyway. Simic was awesome.
It's not hexproof. If it were hexproof and you put it on an opponents creature, you wouldn't be able to target it, since they control the creature and you are the opponent. However, you still control the enchantment even if it is on an opponents creature which means the "opponent" it's referring to in the card is still your opponents, not yourself. So you can target it but an opponent cannot.
I don't know in what situation you might want to do that instead of just using some kind of removal, but it is an important distinction from hexproof. Its more like opponent proof.
You're doing it so right.
Generally speaking if I don't play this, it's because I'm baiting spells for Willbender.
The reason the oracle text didn't change the rules to "Hexproof" is, as with all other auras, that you can enchant an enemy creature. If you gave them hexproof, then you wouldn't be able to target that creature again, but with THIS ability, THEY can't target it, even if it is their creature.
Pump Boosts:
Livewire Lash
Wild Defiance
Pumps:
Rancor
Might of Old Krosa
Prey's Vengeance
Virulent Swipe
Mutagenic Growth
Targets:
Glistener Elf
Inkmoth Nexus
It would especially hurt for Prey's Vengeance,Virulent Swipe. Also Rancor falls of Inkmoth Nexus and returns to the hand. This wouldn't help to much against that but it could still be useful as an anti block method if I made Inkmoth Nexus a creature too soon.
Edit (since 7/23/2011):
"The reason the oracle text didn't change the rules to "Hexproof" is, as with all other auras, that you can enchant an enemy creature. (...)" -- EnderofGames
Duh! Of course. Same as with Spirit Link back then when lifelink had an equal wording.
Else the card would have used the following unlikely unnecessarily convoluted wording:
"Enchanted creature has 'This creature can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.'".
(I guess that's a little downside from having troll shroud keyworded now; we probably won't be getting an Aura like Shielding Plax anymore that has that effect on itself instead of providing the creature with it.)
I never thought of that, but you could even profit from casting it on your opponent's creatures in some cases - e.g. if they have an Heroic triggered ability that you don't want them to make use of, like Anax and Cymede.