Taunt

Taunt
Enemies must attack minions that have Taunt.

The shield-like Taunt visual effect

Taunt is a minion ability which forces the opposing player to direct any melee attacks toward enemy targets with this ability.

Minions with Taunt (commonly referred to as Taunts) serve to protect their allies by forcing the enemy to deal with them first, preventing them from attacking other friendly minions or the controlling hero until the Taunts are removed. However, Taunts have no effect on spells, Hero Powers or other damaging effects. Minions with Taunt are displayed on the battlefield encased in a shield.Taunt is mainly useful to counter aggressive decks, which focus on dealing damage to your hero, but is still one of the strongest abilities in hearthstone.

One of the most powerful effects in Hearthstone, confusion over how Taunt works is one of the main reasons new players quit the game.

Functionality

A video explaining Taunt in Hearthstone made by the Curse Gamepedia YouTube Channel.

• The Taunt ability works by limiting which characters the opposing player can target with direct "melee" attacks from their own characters. Only these direct attacks - when a minion or hero physically moves to attack an enemy target - are affected by Taunt. All other types of effects are completely unaffected by Taunt, including spells, Hero Powers, and minion effects such as those of Elven Archer or Knife Juggler.
• If the opponent has one or more Taunt minions on the battlefield, the player will only be able to direct melee attacks at one of the minions with Taunt. If they try to attack a non-Taunt target while there is an enemy Taunt minion on the battlefield, they will be given the error message "A minion with Taunt is in the way".
• If the opponent has more than one minion with Taunt, the player will be able to choose which one of them to attack.
• Players do not have to attack Taunt minions, but cannot attack any other characters while there are enemy Taunt minions on the battlefield. A player may choose not to attack at all rather than attacking an enemy Taunt, which may be strategically advantageous.
• As with all minion abilities, destroying a Taunt minion or removing it from the board will immediately take it out of play, cancelling the Taunt effect. The Taunt ability can also be removed from a minion through Silence and Transform effects like Keeper of the Grove and Polymorph.

Advanced

• A unique conflict comes into play when a single minion has Stealth or Immune and Taunt active. The Taunt effect is temporarily negated by the Stealth or Immunity, and will not take effect until the minion loses its buff.
• Taunt only restricts attacks where the player is selecting a target for a character attack action. Abilities like Auto-Attack and the triggered effect of Swamp King Dred will bypass Taunt.
• Rush minions can bypass heroes with Taunt, this can be seen in the One Night in Karazhan Adventure encounter, The Curator.

Strategy

Taunt is a key strategic ability in Hearthstone. It allows a minion to act as a 'tank', protecting other targets from melee attack while forcing the enemy to attack them first. Critically though, Taunt only affects target selection for melee combat, where the player sends their minion or hero to attack an enemy target. Spells, Hero Powers and ranged attacks, such as that of Elven Archer, are not affected by Taunt, and can be targeted regardless. Non-targeted effects such as area of effect (Flamestrike) and random target effects (Arcane Missiles) are also unaffected.

The value of a Taunt minion lies in its ability to dictate the focus of combat on the board. Generally, this is to divert attacks away from more valuable or vulnerable targets, and toward the Taunt. Taunts can be very useful in the late game to prevent the opponent from directing all attacks at the hero themselves, quickly finishing the game. It can also be important for protecting valuable minions such as those with special effects or abilities. Without a Taunt these minions may be quickly removed, preventing the player from benefiting from their effects. Taunts can sometimes also prevent combat outright (for a turn or two), such as when facing down a vastly inferior minion. While the choice between attacking a hero and attacking their minions is a key strategic point in the game, Taunt minions make this decision for your opponent, preventing them from sneaking in extra attacks on your hero and forcing them to focus on your designated champion.

The best Taunt minions generally have a high Health value, allowing them to engage in combat with several enemies before they are destroyed. Health-increasing and healing effects such as the priest hero power can be very useful for topping-up Taunts.

Like all abilities, Taunt represents a points trade-off with other possible qualities. Building the right proportion of Taunt minions into a deck is therefore a key strategic decision. Too many taunts can leave you short on other abilities, or routinely playing minions with lower stats than necessary. Too few taunts can leave your special minions vulnerable, your hero open to attack, and prevent you from capitalizing on their powers. Different classes, strategies and players have different synergies and attitudes to the use of Taunts, with some decks relying on numerous Taunts as a core element of their strategy, and others eschewing them entirely.

Since they only affect melee combat, Taunts are generally most effective against decks which rely on minion attacks to defeat the opponent. Decks which focus on spells or Hero Powers to deal lethal damage will be minimally affected by Taunts.

Taunts generally represent a slowing down of the game, with the Taunt ability usually present on a card in place of additional stats or other useful effects. This makes Taunts effective in control decks which seek to delay the game until they can afford to play their expensive cards or powerful combos. In contrast, Taunts are far less valuable in aggro decks, which seek to defeat the opponent in the first few rounds, since these decks are less concerned about incoming damage, preferring to focus on dealing damage as quickly as possible although cards such as Voidwalker, Tar Creeper, and Stonehill Defender are still widely used in aggro decks to protect more valueable minions with higher value, such as Raid Leader or Lightwarden.

One key thing to remember in the use of Taunts is that they are always vulnerable to Silences and destroy effects. An indomitable Taunt can be neutralised with a single Ironbeak Owl or Assassinate, wrecking plans to defend minions or the hero itself, Shieldbreaker's only purpose is to remove Taunt considering how widely used this effect is. Taunts can also be specifically removed by The Black Knight, or may be purposefully countered with direct damage spells or Charge minions in order to clear the way for attacks. Transformations can also remove the Taunt ability, although Hex will not, since the resulting Frog itself has Taunt. Taunts can be a target of Mind control effects, leaving their previous owner vulnerable. Players may also use return effects such as Sap or Freezing Trap to cunningly remove Taunts for a turn or two.

Decks seeking to burst the player down will often use cheap forms of removal such as these before using plays such as Unleash the Hounds to finish the opponent off. Using multiple Taunts can strongly reduce the likelihood of this happening, but cannot prevent it entirely.

Granting Taunt

While the Taunt ability is usually granted by the minion's card text, it can also be gained from various enchantments and spells. See the table below for a full list. Granting Taunt to a minion is a highly strategic decision, with consequences which can be hard to predict. It may force the opponent to attack the target first, prompt them to use removal upon the target, or serve to give them a larger selection of targets to attack.

Players often choose to grant Taunt to a powerful minion which can withstand several attacks, or is capable of destroying any minion which attacks it. Giving Taunt to a high-Attack minion may force the opponent to sacrifice a tough minion or suffer substantial damage themselves using a weapon. However, high-Health Taunts are generally considered preferable, due to their increased longevity in the line of fire.

In some particular circumstances, granting Taunt to a valuable enemy minions with cards such as Ancestral Healing and Mark of the Wild can be efficient too, not only does this cause the minion to be unprotected by other Taunts, making it vulnerable to minions such as Stoneskin Basilisk and Stubborn Gastropod, it can also be conveniently destroyed by The Black Knight.

Taunt can be used to force an opponent to trigger the minion's Deathrattle, such as with Abomination and Tirion Fordring. Players can grant Taunt for a similar purpose, choosing targets such as Savannah Highmane and Cairne Bloodhoof to manipulate the opponent's actions and trigger useful synergies. However, Deathrattle Taunts are easily countered with effects such as silences.

It is almost always preferable to keep valuable targets protected by at least one Taunt, which is arguably the key purpose of Taunts. For this reason, it is generally a bad idea to grant vulnerable targets Taunt, since this strongly enables and encourages the enemy to attack that minion. In the case of Taunt-granting positional effects such as Defender of Argus this can mean sacrificing a value buff, but may still be the better choice. In some cases positional effects can make it impossible to avoid granting Taunt to a minion, making the playing of that card problematic.

Soft taunt

Minions described as 'soft taunts', although lacking the Taunt ability, have the potential to give the controlling player such a benefit that its removal or silencing quickly becomes a priority for their opponent. Such minions may have the ability to gain the stats rapidly (Lightwarden, Secretkeeper), to clear the board (Doomsayer), to buff other minions (Murloc Warleader, Tundra Rhino), to summon them (Hogger, Xavius) or to benefit from summoning them (Knife Juggler), to provide card draw (Northshire Cleric, Cult Master), mana discount (Sorcerer's Apprentice), Spell Damage (Malygos) or armor (Armorsmith) etc. Minions may also become soft taunts in certain decks, such as Injured Blademaster in Combo Priest, which can be expected to be targeted with Divine Spirit and Inner Fire. Minions with high Attack but low Health such as Magma Rager may also act as soft taunts if the player wishes to avoid suffering their attack.

Essentially, any minion which is a priority to remove can be considered a 'soft taunt'. The term is not fixed but is granted subjectively according to a player's sense of priorities.

Because soft taunts generally represent a minion of special value, it is usually to the advantage of the controlling player to do their best to protect these targets. This can help keep the minion alive a little longer, and also force their opponent's hand by requiring them to go to costly lengths in order to remove the minion, before its effects turn the tide of the game against them. However, these strategic decisions hinge upon the perceived value of the minion. Players can use this to lead their opponent to attack apparently valuable minions which are in fact not critical to their strategy. For example, a mage playing a Spell Damage minion can expect their opponent to quickly remove the minion if possible, due to its potential to increase the mage's damage output. However, a mage without any spells in their hand may choose to play a Spell Damage minion simply in order to distract their opponent from another target of greater value. This can cause the opponent to sacrifice a minion or waste a valuable removal spell of their own in order to destroy this apparently important minion, inadvertently clearing the way for the mage to play a different strategy the next round. This can also be used much like a literal taunt minion to buy the mage time or to dictate which of the possible minions the opponent must attack.

Players need to be aware of the attractiveness or 'soft taunt' status of their minions; for example, minions with Spell Damage are often best played in the same round as a damaging spell, ensuring that the minion is not destroyed before the player can get at least some use from its effect.

Cards with Taunt

This section lists Taunt minions or minions that can gain Taunt when played.

Collectible

For Wild format listings, see Taunt/Wild format

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Imprisoned Homunculus	Common	Minion	Demon	Priest	1	2	5	Dormant for 2 turns. Taunt
Bonechewer Brawler	Common	Minion	General	Any	2	2	3	Taunt Whenever this minion takes damage, gain +2 Attack.
Midway Maniac	Common	Minion	Demon	Warlock	2	1	5	Taunt
Rock Rager	Common	Minion	Elemental	Any	2	5	1	Taunt
Archspore Msshi'fn	Legendary	Minion	General	Druid	3	3	4	Taunt Deathrattle: Shuffle 'Msshi'fn Prime' into your deck.
Dreaming Drake	Common	Minion	Dragon	Druid	3	3	4	Taunt Corrupt: Gain +2/+2.
Fairground Fool	Common	Minion	General	Priest	3	4	3	Taunt Corrupt: Gain +4 Health.
Insatiable Felhound	Common	Minion	Demon	Demon Hunter	3	2	5	Taunt Corrupt: Gain +1/+1 and Lifesteal.
K'thir Ritualist	Rare	Minion	General	Any	3	4	4	Taunt Battlecry: Add a random 4-Cost minion to your opponent's hand.
Overconfident Orc	Common	Minion	General	Any	3	1	6	Taunt While at full Health, this has +2 Attack.
Ashtongue Battlelord	Common	Minion	General	Demon Hunter	4	3	5	Taunt Lifesteal
Cabal Acolyte	Epic	Minion	General	Priest	4	2	4	Taunt Spellburst: Gain control of a random enemy minion with 2 or less Attack.
Circus Amalgam	Common	Minion	All	Any	4	4	5	Taunt This has all minion types.
Groundskeeper	Rare	Minion	General		4	4	5	Taunt Battlecry: If you're holding a spell that costs (5) or more, restore 5 Health.
Sword Eater	Common	Minion	Pirate	Warrior	4	2	5	Taunt Battlecry: Equip a 3/2 Sword.
Aldor Truthseeker	Rare	Minion	General	Paladin	5	4	6	Taunt. Battlecry: Reduce the Cost of your Librams by (2) this game.
Fortune Teller	Common	Minion	Mech	Priest	5	3	3	Taunt Battlecry: Gain +1/+1 for each spell in your hand.
Greybough	Legendary	Minion	General	Druid	5	4	6	Taunt Deathrattle: Give a random friendly minion "Deathrattle: Summon Greybough."
Ruststeed Raider	Common	Minion	General	Any	5	1	8	Taunt, Rush Battlecry: Gain +4 Attack this turn.
Scrap Golem	Rare	Minion	Mech	Warrior	5	4	5	Taunt. Deathrattle: Gain Armor equal to this minion's Attack.
Taelan Fordring	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	5	3	3	Taunt, Divine Shield Deathrattle: Draw your highest-Cost minion.
Teacher's Pet	Rare	Minion	Beast		5	4	5	Taunt Deathrattle: Summon a random 3-Cost Beast.
Void Drinker	Epic	Minion	Demon	Warlock	5	4	5	Taunt. Battlecry: Destroy a Soul Fragment in your deck to gain +3/+3.
Devout Pupil	Epic	Minion	General		6	4	5	Divine Shield, Taunt Costs (1) less for each spell you've cast on friendly characters this game.
Ring Matron	Common	Minion	Demon	Warlock	6	6	4	Taunt\nDeathrattle: Summon\ntwo 3/2 Imps.
Smug Senior	Common	Minion	General	Any	6	5	7	Taunt. Deathrattle: Add a 5/7 Ghost with Taunt to your hand.
Bonechewer Vanguard	Common	Minion	General	Any	7	4	10	Taunt Whenever this minion takes damage, gain +2 Attack.
Enslaved Fel Lord	Common	Minion	Demon	Warlock	7	4	10	Taunt. Also damages the minions next to whomever this attacks.
Skeletal Dragon	Epic	Minion	Dragon	Priest	7	4	9	Taunt At the end of your turn, add a Dragon to your hand.
Strongman	Common	Minion	General	Any	7	6	6	Taunt Corrupt: This costs (0).
Enhanced Dreadlord	Rare	Minion	Demon	Warlock	8	5	7	Taunt Deathrattle: Summon a 5/5 Dreadlord with Lifesteal.
Blood of G'huun	Epic	Minion	Elemental	Priest	9	8	8	Taunt At the end of your turn, summon a 5/5 copy of a minion in your deck.
Carnival Clown	Epic	Minion	General	Any	9	4	4	Taunt Battlecry: Summon 2 copies of this. Corrupt: Fill your board with copies.
Fizzy Elemental	Rare	Minion	Elemental	Druid	9	10	10	Rush Taunt
Pit Commander	Epic	Minion	Demon	Demon Hunter	9	7	9	Taunt At the end of your turn, summon a Demon from your deck.
Scrapyard Colossus	Rare	Minion	Elemental	Any	10	7	7	Taunt Deathrattle: Summon a 7/7 Felcracked Colossus with Taunt.
Showing all 36 cards

Uncollectible

For Wild format listings, see Taunt/Wild format

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Frog	Common	Minion	Beast	Any	0	0	1	Taunt
Strongman	Common	Minion	General	Any	0	6	6	Corrupted Taunt
Honor Student		Minion	General		1	1	1	Taunt
Performer's Assistant		Minion	General	Demon Hunter	1	1	1	Taunt
Righteous Protector	Common	Minion	General	Paladin	1	1	1	Taunt Divine Shield
Shima		Minion	Demon		1	2	2	Taunt
Soulfed Felhound		Minion	Demon	Demon Hunter	1	1	2	Taunt
Stoneclaw Totem	Free	Minion	Totem	Shaman	1	0	2	Taunt
Annoy-o-Tron	Common	Minion	Mech	Any	2	1	2	Taunt Divine Shield
Risen Skeleton		Minion	General	Any	2	2	2	Taunt
Spirit Wolf		Minion	General	Shaman	2	2	3	Taunt
Treant		Minion	General	Druid	2	2	2	Taunt
Dreaming Drake	Common	Minion	Dragon	Druid	3	5	6	Corrupted Taunt
Fairground Fool	Common	Minion	General	Priest	3	4	7	Corrupted Taunt
Insatiable Felhound	Common	Minion	Demon	Demon Hunter	3	3	6	Corrupted Taunt, Lifesteal
Race Guard		Minion	General		3	2	4	Taunt
Ashtongue Battlelord	Common	Minion	General	Demon Hunter	4	3	5	Taunt Lifesteal
Lakkari Felhound	Common	Minion	Demon	Warlock	4	3	8	Taunt Battlecry: Discard your two lowest-Cost cards.
Sen'jin Shieldmasta	Common	Minion	General	Any	4	3	5	Taunt
Carousel Gryphon	Common	Minion	Mech	Paladin	5	8	8	Corrupted Divine Shield, Taunt
Druid of the Claw	Common	Minion	Beast	Druid	5	5	6	Taunt
Earth Elemental	Epic	Minion	Elemental	Shaman	5	7	8	Taunt Overload: (2)
C'Thun's Body		Minion	General	Any	6	6	6	Taunt
Holy Elemental		Minion	Elemental	Paladin	6	6	6	Taunt
Spectral Senior		Minion	General	Any	6	5	7	Taunt
Felcracked Colossus		Minion	Elemental	Any	7	7	7	Taunt
Guardian of Kings	Rare	Minion	General	Paladin	7	5	7	Taunt Battlecry: Restore 6 Health to your hero.
Reliquary Prime		Minion	General	Priest	7	6	8	Taunt, Lifesteal Only you can target this with spells and Hero Powers.
Al'Akir the Windlord	Legendary	Minion	Elemental	Shaman	8	3	6	Charge, Divine Shield, Taunt, Windfury
Ancient Guardian		Minion	General	Paladin	8	8	8	Taunt Divine Shield
Conchguard Warlord		Minion	General	Demon Hunter	8	5	9	Taunt
Tirion Fordring	Legendary	Minion	General	Paladin	8	6	6	Divine Shield. Taunt. Deathrattle: Equip a 5/3 Ashbringer.
Sleepy Dragon	Common	Minion	Dragon	Any	9	4	12	Taunt
Fungal Guardian		Minion	General	Druid	10	9	9	Taunt
Msshi'fn Prime		Minion	General	Druid	10	9	9	Taunt Choose One - Summon a 9/9 Fungal Giant with Taunt; or Rush.
Showing all 35 cards

Sources of Taunt

Taunt-generating cards

This section lists cards which generate Taunt minions.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Demon Companion	Rare	Spell	General		1			Summon a random Demon Companion.
Reliquary of Souls	Legendary	Minion	General	Priest	1	1	3	Lifesteal Deathrattle: Shuffle 'Reliquary Prime' into your deck.
In Formation!	Common	Spell	General	Warrior	2			Add 2 random Taunt minions to your hand.
Open the Cages	Common	Spell	General	Hunter	2			Secret: When your turn starts, if you control two minions, summon an Animal Companion.
Totemic Call	Free	Hero Power		Shaman	2			Hero Power Summon a random Totem.
Transfer Student	Epic	Minion	General	Any	2	2	2	This has different effects based on which game board you're on.
Ceremonial Maul	Epic	Weapon			3	2	2	Spellburst: Summon a Student with Taunt and stats equal to the spell's Cost.
Feral Spirit	Rare	Spell	General	Shaman	3			Summon two 2/3 Spirit Wolves with Taunt. Overload: (1)
Insatiable Felhound	Common	Minion	Demon	Demon Hunter	3	2	5	Taunt Corrupt: Gain +1/+1 and Lifesteal.
Barricade	Common	Spell	General		4			Summon a 2/4 Guard with Taunt. If it's your only minion, summon another.
Hex	Common	Spell	Nature	Shaman	4			Transform a minion into a 0/1 Frog with Taunt.
Renowned Performer	Common	Minion	General	Demon Hunter	4	3	3	Rush Deathrattle: Summon two 1/1 Assistants with Taunt.
Body of C'Thun		Spell	General	Any	5			Piece of C'Thun (0/4) Summon a 6/6 C'Thun's Body with Taunt.
Carousel Gryphon	Common	Minion	Mech	Paladin	5	5	5	Divine Shield Corrupt: Gain +3/+3 and Taunt.
Druid of the Claw	Common	Minion	General	Druid	5	5	4	Choose One - Transform into a 5/4 with Rush; or a 5/6 with Taunt.
Envoy Rustwix	Legendary	Minion	Demon	Warlock	5	5	4	Deathrattle: Shuffle 3 random Prime Legendary minions into your deck.
Greybough	Legendary	Minion	General	Druid	5	4	6	Taunt Deathrattle: Give a random friendly minion "Deathrattle: Summon Greybough."
Ogremancer	Common	Minion	General	Any	5	3	7	Whenever your opponent casts a spell, summon a 2/2 Skeleton with Taunt.
Totem Goliath	Epic	Minion	Totem	Shaman	5	5	5	Deathrattle: Summon all four basic Totems. Overload: (1)
Hammer of the Naaru	Epic	Weapon		Paladin	6	3	3	Battlecry: Summon a 6/6 Holy Elemental with Taunt.
Smug Senior	Common	Minion	General	Any	6	5	7	Taunt. Deathrattle: Add a 5/7 Ghost with Taunt to your hand.
Fel Guardians	Common	Spell	Fel	Demon Hunter	7			Summon three 1/2 Demons with Taunt. Costs (1) less whenever a friendly minion dies.
Strongman	Common	Minion	General	Any	7	6	6	Taunt Corrupt: This costs (0).
Cenarius	Legendary	Minion	General	Druid	8	5	8	Choose One - Give your other minions +2/+2; or Summon two 2/2 Treants with Taunt.
Coilfang Warlord	Rare	Minion	General	Demon Hunter	8	9	5	Rush Deathrattle: Summon a 5/9 Warlord with Taunt.
Carnival Clown	Epic	Minion	General	Any	9	4	4	Taunt Battlecry: Summon 2 copies of this. Corrupt: Fill your board with copies.
Carnival Clown	Epic	Minion	General	Any	9	4	4	Corrupted Taunt Battlecry: Fill your board with copies of this.
Libram of Hope	Epic	Spell	Holy	Paladin	9			Restore 8 Health. Summon an 8/8 Guardian with Taunt and Divine Shield.
Msshi'fn Prime		Minion	General	Druid	10	9	9	Taunt Choose One - Summon a 9/9 Fungal Giant with Taunt; or Rush.
Scrapyard Colossus	Rare	Minion	Elemental	Any	10	7	7	Taunt Deathrattle: Summon a 7/7 Felcracked Colossus with Taunt.
Showing all 30 cards

Wild format

This section concerns content exclusive to Wild format.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Awaken the Makers	Legendary	Spell	General	Priest	1			Quest: Summon 7 Deathrattle minions. Reward: Amara, Warden of Hope.
I Know a Guy	Common	Spell	General	Warrior	1			Discover a Taunt minion.
Mirror Image	Free	Spell	General	Mage	1			Summon two 0/2 minions with Taunt.
Saronite Taskmaster	Common	Minion	General	Any	1	2	3	Deathrattle: Summon a 0/3 Free Agent with Taunt for your opponent.
Totemic Smash	Common	Spell	General	Shaman	1			Deal 2 damage. Overkill: Summon a basic Totem.
Bear Trap	Common	Spell	General	Hunter	2			Secret: After your hero is attacked, summon a 3/3 Bear with Taunt.
Bilefin Tidehunter	Common	Minion	Murloc	Any	2	2	1	Battlecry: Summon a 1/1 Ooze with Taunt.
Druid of the Swarm	Rare	Minion	General	Druid	2	1	2	Choose One - Transform into a 1/2 with Poisonous; or a 1/5 with Taunt.
Frightened Flunky	Common	Minion	General	Warrior	2	2	2	Taunt Battlecry: Discover a Taunt minion.
Greater Pearl Spellstone	Rare	Spell	General	PALADIN	2			Summon a 6/6 Spirit with Taunt.
Kobold Hermit	Common	Minion	General	SHAMAN	2	1	1	Battlecry: Choose a basic Totem. Summon it.
Lesser Pearl Spellstone	Rare	Spell	General	PALADIN	2			Summon a 2/2 Spirit with Taunt. (Restore 3 Health to upgrade.)
Map to the Golden Monkey		Spell	General	Any	2			Shuffle the Golden Monkey into your deck. Draw a card.
Pearl Spellstone	Rare	Spell	General	PALADIN	2			Summon a 4/4 Spirit with Taunt.
Sanctuary	Epic	Spell	General	Paladin	2			Sidequest: Take no damage for a turn. Reward: Summon a 3/6 minion with Taunt.
Totemic Slam		Hero Power		Shaman	2			Hero Power Summon a Totem of your choice.
Animal Companion	Free	Spell	General	Hunter	3			Summon a random Beast Companion.
Druid of the Scythe	Common	Minion	General	Druid	3	2	2	Choose One - Transform into a 4/2 with Rush; or a 2/4 with Taunt.
Feral Spirit	Rare	Spell	General	Shaman	3			Summon two 2/3 Spirit Wolves with Taunt. Overload: (1)
Infested Goblin	Rare	Minion	General	Any	3	2	3	Taunt Deathrattle: Add two 1/1 Scarabs with Taunt to your hand.
Master Chest		Minion	General	Any	3	0	8	Deathrattle: Give your opponent a fantastic treasure!
Phantom Militia	Rare	Minion	General	Any	3	2	4	Echo Taunt
Primal Talismans	Rare	Spell	General	SHAMAN	3			Give your minions "Deathrattle: Summon a random basic Totem."
Protect the King!	Rare	Spell	General	Warrior	3			For each enemy minion, summon a 1/1 Pawn with Taunt.
Sand Drudge	Common	Minion	General	Priest	3	3	3	Whenever you cast a spell, summon a 1/1 Zombie with Taunt.
Stonehill Defender	Rare	Minion	General	Any	3	1	4	Taunt Battlecry: Discover a Taunt minion.
Tuskarr Totemic	Common	Minion	General	Shaman	3	3	2	Battlecry: Summon a random basic Totem.
Wardruid Loti	Legendary	Minion	General	Druid	3	1	2	Choose One - Transform into one of Loti's four dinosaur forms.
Arcanosmith	Common	Minion	General	Any	4	3	2	Battlecry: Summon a 0/5 minion with Taunt.
Hex	Free	Spell	Nature	Shaman	4			Transform a minion into a 0/1 Frog with Taunt.
Saronite Chain Gang	Rare	Minion	General	Any	4	2	3	Taunt Battlecry: Summon a copy of this minion.
Shellshifter	Rare	Minion	General	Druid	4	3	3	Choose One - Transform into a 5/3 with Stealth; or a 3/5 with Taunt.
Wicked Witchdoctor	Common	Minion	General	Shaman	4	3	4	Whenever you cast a spell, summon a random basic Totem.
Direhorn Hatchling	Rare	Minion	Beast	Warrior	5	3	6	Taunt Deathrattle: Shuffle a 6/9 Direhorn with Taunt into your deck.
Dragon's Pack	Epic	Spell	General	Shaman	5			Summon two 2/3 Spirit Wolves with Taunt. If you've Invoked twice, give them +3/+3.
Druid of the Claw	Common	Minion	General	Druid	5	5	4	Choose One - Transform into a 5/4 with Rush; or a 5/6 with Taunt.
Green Jelly	Common	Minion	General	Any	5	3	3	At the end of your turn, summon a 1/2 Ooze with Taunt.
Sludge Belcher	Rare	Minion	General	Any	5	3	5	Taunt. Deathrattle: Summon a 1/2 Slime with Taunt.
White Eyes	Legendary	Minion	General	Shaman	5	5	5	Taunt Deathrattle: Shuffle 'The Storm Guardian' into your deck.
Abyssal Summoner	Common	Minion	General	Warlock	6	2	2	Battlecry: Summon a Demon with Taunt and stats equal to your hand size.
Giggling Inventor	Rare	Minion	General	Any	6	2	1	Battlecry: Summon two 1/2 Mechs with Taunt and Divine Shield.
Heistbaron Togwaggle	Legendary	Minion	General	Rogue	6	5	5	Battlecry: If you control a Lackey, choose a fantastic treasure.
Hidden Oasis	Rare	Spell	Nature	Druid	6			Choose One - Summon a 6/6 Ancient with Taunt; or Restore 12 Health.
Hogger	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	6	4	4	At the end of your turn, summon a 2/2 Gnoll with Taunt.
Rain of Toads	Common	Spell	General	Shaman	6			Summon three 2/4 Toads with Taunt. Overload: (3)
Safeguard	Common	Minion	MECHANICAL	Any	6	4	5	Taunt Deathrattle: Summon a 0/5 Vault Safe with Taunt.
Security Rover	Rare	Minion	Mech	Warrior	6	2	6	Whenever this minion takes damage, summon a 2/3 Mech with Taunt.
Spikeridged Steed	Rare	Spell	General	Paladin	6			Give a minion +2/+6 and Taunt. When it dies, summon a Stegodon.
Spreading Plague	Rare	Spell	Nature	Druid	6			Summon a 1/5 Scarab with Taunt. If your opponent has more minions, cast this again.
To My Side!	Epic	Spell	General	HUNTER	6			Summon an Animal Companion, or 2 if your deck has no minions.
Malfurion the Pestilent	Legendary	INVALID		Druid	7			Choose One - Summon 2 Poisonous Spiders; or 2 Scarabs with Taunt.
Obsidian Destroyer	Common	Minion	General	Warrior	7	7	7	At the end of your turn, summon a 1/1 Scarab with Taunt.
Twin Emperor Vek'lor	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	7	4	6	Taunt Battlecry: If your C'Thun has at least 10 Attack, summon another Emperor.
Wrapped Golem	Rare	Minion	General	Any	7	7	5	Reborn At the end of your turn, summon a 1/1 Scarab with Taunt.
Call of the Wild	Epic	Spell	General	Hunter	8			Summon all 3 Animal Companions.
Cenarius	Legendary	Minion	General	Druid	8	5	8	Choose One - Give your other minions +2/+2; or Summon two 2/2 Treants with Taunt.
Hadronox	Legendary	Minion	Beast	Druid	9	3	7	Deathrattle: Summon your Taunt minions that died this game.
Voidlord	Epic	Minion	DEMON	WARLOCK	9	3	9	Taunt Deathrattle: Summon three 1/3 Demons with Taunt.
Eye of the Storm	Common	Spell	Nature	Shaman	10			Summon three 5/6 Elementals with Taunt. Overload: (3)
Showing all 59 cards

Taunt-granting cards

This section lists cards which grant Taunt to other minions or to itself.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Ironbark	Rare	Spell	Nature	Druid	2			Give a minion +1/+3 and Taunt. Costs (0) if you have at least 7 Mana Crystals.
Mark of the Wild	Rare	Spell	Nature	Druid	2			Give a minion Taunt and +2/+3. (+2 Attack/+3 Health)
Lone Champion	Rare	Minion	General	Any	3	2	4	Battlecry: If you control no other minions, gain Taunt and Divine Shield.
Crimson Hothead	Common	Minion	Dragon	Any	4	3	6	Spellburst: Gain +1 Attack and Taunt.
Defender of Argus	Rare	Minion	General	Any	4	3	3	Battlecry: Give adjacent minions +1/+1 and Taunt.
Germination	Rare	Spell	Nature	Druid	4			Summon a copy of a friendly minion. Give the copy Taunt.
Commencement	Rare	Spell	General		7			Summon a minion from your deck. Give it Taunt and Divine Shield.
High Exarch Yrel	Legendary	Minion	General	Paladin	8	7	5	Battlecry: If your deck has no Neutral cards, gain Rush, Lifesteal, Taunt, and Divine Shield.
Showing all 8 cards

Wild format

This section concerns content exclusive to Wild format.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Ancestral Healing	Free	Spell	Nature	Shaman	0			Restore a minion to full Health and give it Taunt.
Rusty Horn		Spell	General	Any	1			Give a minion Taunt.
Titanic Lackey		Minion	General	Any	1	1	1	Battlecry: Give a friendly minion +2 Health and Taunt.
Treenforcements	Rare	Spell	Nature	Druid	1			Choose One - Give a minion +2 Health and Taunt; or Summon a 2/2 Treant.
Air Raid	Rare	Spell	General	Paladin	2			Twinspell Summon two 1/1 Silver Hand Recruits with Taunt.
Air Raid	Common	Spell	General	Paladin	2			Summon two 1/1 Silver Hand Recruits with Taunt.
Cathedral Gargoyle	Epic	Minion	General	Paladin	2	2	2	Battlecry: If you're holding a Dragon, gain Taunt and Divine Shield.
Mark of the Wild	Free	Spell	Nature	Druid	2			Give a minion Taunt and +2/+3. (+2 Attack/+3 Health)
Sparring Partner	Rare	Minion	General	Warrior	2	3	2	Taunt Battlecry: Give a minion Taunt.
Sunfury Protector	Rare	Minion	General	Any	2	2	3	Battlecry: Give adjacent minions Taunt.
Twilight Geomancer	Common	Minion	General	Any	2	1	4	Taunt. Battlecry: Give your C'Thun Taunt (wherever it is).
Coghammer	Epic	Weapon		Paladin	3	2	3	Battlecry: Give a random friendly minion Divine Shield and Taunt.
Lone Champion	Rare	Minion	General	Any	3	2	4	Battlecry: If you control no other minions, gain Taunt and Divine Shield.
Mark of Nature	Common	Spell	Nature	Druid	3			Choose One - Give a minion +4 Attack; or +4 Health and Taunt.
Paragon of Light	Rare	Minion	General	Paladin	3	2	5	While this minion has 3 or more Attack, it has Taunt and Lifesteal.
Sacred Maul	Rare	Weapon		PALADIN	3	2		Battlecry: Give your minions Taunt.
Corpsetaker	Epic	Minion	General	Any	4	3	3	Battlecry: Gain Taunt if your deck has a Taunt minion. Repeat for Divine Shield, Lifesteal, Windfury.
Defender of Argus	Rare	Minion	General	Any	4	3	3	Battlecry: Give adjacent minions +1/+1 and Taunt.
Enhance-o Mechano	Epic	Minion	Mech	Any	4	3	2	Battlecry: Give your other minions Windfury, Taunt, or Divine Shield (at random).
Hooked Reaver	Rare	Minion	DEMON	WARLOCK	4	4	4	Battlecry: If you have 15 or less Health, gain +3/+3 and Taunt.
Houndmaster	Free	Minion	General	Hunter	4	4	3	Battlecry: Give a friendly Beast +2/+2 and Taunt.
Mark of the Loa	Rare	Spell	Nature	Druid	4			Choose One - Give a minion +2/+4 and Taunt; or Summon two 3/2 Raptors.
Prince Valanar	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	4	4	4	Battlecry: If your deck has no 4-Cost cards, gain Lifesteal and Taunt.
Tol'vir Stoneshaper	Rare	Minion	General	Any	4	3	5	Battlecry: If you played an Elemental last turn, gain Taunt and Divine Shield.
Zandalari Templar	Rare	Minion	General	Paladin	4	4	4	Battlecry: If you've restored 10 Health this game, gain +4/+4 and Taunt.
Nesting Roc	Common	Minion	Beast	Any	5	4	7	Battlecry: If you control at least 2 other minions, gain Taunt.
Zilliax	Legendary	Minion	Mech	Any	5	3	2	Magnetic Divine Shield, Taunt, Lifesteal, Rush
Dark Wispers	Epic	Spell	Nature	Druid	6			Choose One - Summon 5 Wisps; or Give a minion +5/+5 and Taunt.
Level Up!	Epic	Spell	General	PALADIN	6			Give your Silver Hand Recruits +2/+2 and Taunt.
Master Jouster	Rare	Minion	General	Any	6	5	6	Battlecry: Reveal a minion in each deck. If yours costs more, gain Taunt and Divine Shield.
Pharaoh's Blessing	Rare	Spell	Holy	Paladin	6			Give a minion +4/+4, Divine Shield, and Taunt.
Spikeridged Steed	Rare	Spell	General	Paladin	6			Give a minion +2/+6 and Taunt. When it dies, summon a Stegodon.
A New Challenger...	Epic	Spell	General	Paladin	7			Discover a 6-Cost minion. Summon it with Taunt and Divine Shield.
Bonemare	Common	Minion	General	Any	7	5	5	Battlecry: Give a friendly minion +4/+4 and Taunt.
Jade Chieftain	Common	Minion	General	Shaman	7	5	5	Battlecry: Summon a Jade Golem. Give it Taunt.
Siamat	Legendary	Minion	Elemental	Any	7	6	6	Battlecry: Gain 2 of Rush, Taunt, Divine Shield, or Windfury (your choice).
Gift of the Wild	Common	Spell	Nature	Druid	8			Give your minions +2/+2 and Taunt.
Showing all 37 cards

Related cards

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Feat of Strength	Rare	Spell	General	Warrior	3			Give a random Taunt minion in your hand +5/+5.
Kayn Sunfury	Legendary	Minion	General	Demon Hunter	4	3	4	Charge All friendly attacks ignore Taunt.
Showing all 2 cards

Wild format

This section concerns content exclusive to Wild format.

Name / Desc	Rarity	Type	Subtype	Class	Cost	Atk	HP	Description
Fire Plume's Heart	Legendary	Spell	General	Warrior	1			Quest: Play 7 Taunt Minions. Reward: Sulfuras.
Into the Fray	Rare	Spell	General	Warrior	1			Give all Taunt minions in your hand +2/+2.
Bolster	Common	Spell	General	Warrior	2			Give your Taunt minions +2/+2.
Shieldbreaker	Rare	Minion	General	Any	2	2	1	Battlecry: Silence an enemy minion with Taunt.
Stolen Goods	Rare	Spell	General	Warrior	2			Give a random Taunt minion in your hand +3/+3.
King's Defender	Rare	Weapon		Warrior	3	3	2	Battlecry: If you have a minion with Taunt, gain +1 Durability.
Strongshell Scavenger	Rare	Minion	General	Druid	4	2	3	Battlecry: Give your Taunt minions +2/+2.
Phalanx Commander	Common	Minion	General	Any	5	4	5	Your Taunt minions have +2 Attack.
Spiked Hogrider	Rare	Minion	Quilboar	Any	5	5	5	Battlecry: If an enemy minion has Taunt, gain Charge.
Armagedillo	Legendary	Minion	Beast	Warrior	6	4	7	Taunt At the end of your turn, give all Taunt minions in your hand +2/+2.
The Black Knight	Legendary	Minion	General	Any	6	4	5	Battlecry: Destroy an enemy minion with Taunt.
Hadronox	Legendary	Minion	Beast	Druid	9	3	7	Deathrattle: Summon your Taunt minions that died this game.
Showing all 12 cards

Achievements

Name	Requirements	Rewards
Tanks! You're welcome. (1/5)	Play 100 cards with Taunt.	10
Tanks! You're welcome. (2/5)	Play 300 cards with Taunt.	10
Tanks! You're welcome. (3/5)	Play 1000 cards with Taunt.	10
Tanks! You're welcome. (4/5)	Play 3000 cards with Taunt.	10
Tanks! You're welcome. (5/5)	Play 10000 cards with Taunt.	20

Trivia

• Cited in 2015 as one of the most common reasons new players left the game, according to Ben Brode a "shocking percentage of players" used to finish the tutorial without understanding Taunt, or even "get stuck" in the King Mukla encounter due to the mechanic. Ambiguous emotes - "I must attack that minion with Taunt" - are cited as the main issue, and have since seen updates.
• Early in development, attacking a Taunt minion would cause it to lose Taunt. However, when a bug cropped up that caused minions not to lose Taunt when attacked, the developers realised that it was much simpler and more fun for Taunts to retain the ability, and the behaviour was kept.

Patch changes

• Patch 1.0.0.4944 (2014-03-11): Minions who have Taunt and Stealth now have an effect that more clearly indicates that Taunt is temporarily disabled during Stealth.

References

	Cards
By type	Hero card Minion (Permanent) Spell Weapon
By class	Demon Hunter Druid Hunter Mage Paladin Priest Rogue Shaman Warlock Warrior Death Knight Neutral Multi-class
By minion type	All Beast Demon Dragon Elemental Mech Murloc Pirate Quilboar Totem General
By spell school	Arcane Fel Fire Frost Holy Nature Shadow General
By ability	Evergreen keywords	Battlecry Choose One Combo Deathrattle Discover Divine Shield Freeze Lifesteal Outcast Overload Poisonous Rush Secret Silence Spell Damage Stealth Taunt Windfury
	Other keywords	Adapt Casts When Drawn Charge Choose Twice Corrupt Dormant Echo Frenzy Honorable Kill Immune Inspire Invoke Jade Golem Lackey Magnetic Mega-Windfury Overkill Passive Quest (Questline • Sidequest) Reborn Recruit Spare Part Spellburst Start of Game Tradeable Twinspell
	Other abilities	Can't attack Cast spell Copy Deal damage Destroy Discard Draw cards Elusive Enrage Equip Force attack Forgetful Gain Armor Generate Highlander Joust Modify cost Put into battlefield Put into hand Recurring Refresh Mana Remove from deck Replace Restore Health Return to hand Shuffle into deck Spend mana Steal Summon Take control Transform Unlimited attacks Upgradable
	Non-Constructed	Auto-Attack Auto-cast Shrine Start of Combat
By effect type	Area of effect In-deck effect In-hand effect On-discard effect On-draw effect Ongoing effect Positional effect Random effect Resurrection effect Triggered effect
By card set	Standard	Core Ashes of Outland Scholomance Academy Madness at the Darkmoon Faire Forged in the Barrens United in Stormwind Fractured in Alterac Valley
	Wild	Legacy Curse of Naxxramas Goblins vs Gnomes Blackrock Mountain Grand Tournament The League of Explorers Whispers of the Old Gods One Night in Karazhan Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Journey to Un'Goro Knights of the Frozen Throne Kobolds & Catacombs The Witchwood The Boomsday Project Rastakhan's Rumble Rise of Shadows Saviors of Uldum Descent of Dragons Galakrond's Awakening Demon Hunter Initiate
By rarity	Free Common Rare Epic Legendary