A very common misconception by MANY players is “implicit targeting”. It’s a belief that anything that directly affects something, targets it. This is not the case, as rule 114.9a tells us. Just because something is being affected by a spell or ability doesn’t mean that it’s being targeted! The word ‘target’ needs to be used [exception is Aura Spells; they always target, even though they don’t say ‘target’ on the cards themselves… that’s explained in the rules for the Enchant keyword instead].

So, Stuffy Doll… it doesn’t target anything. You pick a player as it enters, but the player isn’t targeted, so even if they have Shroud or Hexproof you can choose them. Likewise, Stuffy’s damage doesn’t target the player either. But it CAN be responded to; no matter what it is that’s hurting Stuffy, whether its Stuffy’s own ability, a burn spell, or combat damage, the damage isn’t dealt to the chosen player until the trigger resolves. Triggered abilities use the stack, and they can be responded to.

Today’s Rules Tip written by
Trevor Nuñez, Level 1 judge from Roswell, NM