If a Planeswalker Leaves and Comes Back
Planeswalkers are not but some of the about powerful cards in Magic The Gathering, they are arguably the virtually interesting. I love the fact that Planeswalkers come in all shapes, sizes and have an nearly countless array of abilities, but this broad multifariousness of choices fabricated it somewhat difficult to understand how to use a Planeswalker when I first started playing MTG.
As a general dominion, Planeswalkers can be used to give a player an additional outcome one time per plow by paying the activation cost of a Planeswalker's Loyalty ability. The effect granted to the player will exist dissimilar depending on which Planeswalker and what Loyalty ability they activate.
Sounds uncomplicated right? And for the well-nigh part, it is.
Nevertheless, if you are new to Magic The Gathering in that location are few central things you need to know about Planeswalkers in gild to be able to use them correctly.
Don't worry though, I call back what information technology was like when I first started to learn how to play and being agape to ask questions that anybody else already seemed to know the answer to. Below I'll walk you through everything I wish I had known when I first started casting Planeswalkers in Magic The Gathering.
How Does A Planeswalker Carte Work?
You cast Planeswalker spells the same manner you lot would cast whatsoever normal spell in Magic The Gathering, by paying its mana toll.
Planeswalkers are non-land permanents. One time y'all have paid the mana required to cast a Planeswalker and they have successfully resolved, they will enter the battleground. Whenever a Planeswalker enters the battlefield, they will come into play with a preassigned number of loyalty counters.
Planeswalkers are all about Loyalty Counters.
It tin can exist best to think of loyalty counters as fuel for your Planeswalker card or, amend yet, like the mana you lot demand to cast spells in a game of Magic.
If yous don't have whatsoever Lands or mana in a game of Magic, you aren't going to be able to do much of anything – the same is true for Planeswalkers and Loyalty counters.
How Exercise Planeswalkers Get Loyalty Counters?
Planeswalkers go loyalty counters when they enter the battlefield. On the lesser right-hand corner of a Planeswalker card, in that location is a number that represents the number of loyalty counters a Planeswalker will enter the battlefield with. As well ofttimes referred to as a Planeswalker's "Starting Loyalty"
In the instance of "Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage", he enters with v Loyalty counters (See Signal half-dozen in the paradigm above).
What makes Planeswalkers and then interesting is that Loyalty counters don't merely act as a fuel source for Planeswalkers to activate their abilities, but they also act as life points for your Planeswalkers.
If the amount of loyalty counters a Planeswalker has ever reaches 0, they dice and go to the graveyard.
FUN FACT: In the Lore of MTG, planeswalkers don't actually dice when they accomplish 0 counters, instead they are no longer Loyal to you and they choose to go out the battlefield. That'south why they are chosen "Loyalty counters" – they determine how loyal a Planeswalker is to you lot.
So now that we know how to successfully cast and place the correct corporeality of loyalty counters on a Planeswalker when information technology enters the battleground ("Starting Loyalty"), how do we go about using those crawly Planeswalker abilities?
How To Use A Planeswalker Card
Once per turn, you can spend a Planeswalkers loyalty counters to activate one of their "Loyalty abilities."
Loyalty abilities and the price associated with them can be found underneath the text that states their menu type, "Legendary Planeswalker".
A Planeswalker will typically accept 2 – 4 activatable loyalty abilities for you to choose from. Each ability will accept an assigned price to information technology that you lot must pay in order to use that ability.
To pay the activation cost of a Planeswalker ability, you only adjust the number of loyalty counters your Planeswalker currently has according to the number assigned to the power you desire to activate.
For example, if we wanted to activate the last ability on the card "Kaya, Ghost Assassin", we would need to pay "-2" loyalty counters from Kaya's current loyalty counter total.
Recollect, even though in this example Kaya would even so have 3 loyalty counters left, you tin can't activate another ability in the aforementioned plow.
That means you lot will have to wait until the next plow to actuate her again – seems fair correct?
A central thing to think when it comes to Planeswalker'south abilities is that you lot can only actuate them if you take enough loyalty counters on that Planeswalker to do and then. If Kaya only had 1 loyalty counter left, nosotros would not exist able to actuate her "-2" power.
We would exist forced to choose either of her other 2 abilities.
Yous may take already noticed, but one of Kaya'southward abilities has a cost of "0".
No need to be dislocated. Even though nosotros ofttimes talk about "paying" the activation price of a Planeswalker's ability, sometimes that ability won't actually require yous to merchandise any of your Planeswalker'south counters to practise so. Y'all simply pay 0 counters to use it.
Even though you didn't lose any loyalty counters from activating this ability and Kaya would stay at 5 counters, you lot tin still merely activate ane ability once per turn – No double-dipping on activating abilities on the same card.
Occasionally, you may see a Planeswalker that has an ability that requires you to pay "-X" to use one of its Loyalty abilities.
Using "Ugin, The Spirit Dragon" as our example, you tin can run into that his second ability requires you lot to pay "-X".
When you run across "X" in the payment cost of a card in Magic The Gathering, it normally refers to a number that varies depending on what you cull to pay. In this example, y'all can choose to pay whatever number of loyal counters you would like from Ugin to activate his second ability (You may as well cull to pay "0" when you lot activate the ability – I wouldn't recommend it though).
Depending on how many of Ugin's loyalty counters you lot choose to spend to activate his second ability, volition change the effect of what volition happen when information technology activates.
−Ten: Exile each permanent with mana value X or less that's one or more than colors.
Ugin, the Spirit Dragon[2]
Just remember, you can choose any number you would like to pay with an "X" cost equally long equally you can pay it. If Ugin only has 7 loyalty counters, you may not choose to pay 8 for the X power – The amount of counters your Planeswalker has is the limit.
I last thing yous should know when it comes to spending loyalty counters to actuate abilities – something that will assist to know what other Magic players are referring to when they mention an "Ultimate".
Although not always the case, often the final ability on a Planeswalker will have a big cost to it and is frequently referred to as an "Ultimate" by Magic players.
The proper noun came from the fact that if a actor is able to activate the ultimate ability on a Planeswalker carte du jour, it normally ways that player is going to win the game.
Of course, that isn't a hard rule. I have played a few games of Magic where I have fought through my opponent's Planeswalker "ultimating" and I take gone on to win the game. But it is a very steep, uphill battle.
It's important to always keep rails of how close your opponent'southward Planeswalkers are to being able to employ their ultimate ability (if the carte du jour has i), and finish information technology from doing and then whenever possible.
I take won a few games where this has happened, but not many…
How Exercise You Add together Loyalty Counters To Planeswalkers?
Equally a full general dominion, yous can add loyalty counters to Planeswalkers by activating a Planeswalker'due south loyalty abilities that increase the number of counters on a Planeswalker bill of fare. Some Planeswalkers volition accept abilities with a "+" symbol in the activation cost that volition require a thespian to add counters.
Just like with Kaya's ability that requires you to pay "0", many Planeswalkers have abilities where the toll of activating the ability requires you lot to add together Loyalty counters to a Planeswalker.
In the example above, nosotros tin see "Koth of the Hammer" has an ability that requires you to add a loyalty counter to Koth to activate information technology.
By activating his "+1" power, Koth's starting loyalty would get from "iii" to "4". This is by far the virtually common way to add additional loyalty counters to a Planeswalker.
By adding boosted counters to a Planeswalker, you get closer to activating that game-ending ultimate power they unremarkably possess.
Tip: When trying to keep rail of your Planeswalker's loyalty counters in a game of Magic, it'south best to use a 6-sided dice. Place the die on tiptop of the Planeswalker'due south starting loyalty counter number in the bottom right-hand corner of the card. Only modify the number facing upwards on the dice to match the Planeswalker's current amount of loyalty counters.
However, using Planeswalker abilities that require y'all to add counters isn't the only way to add loyalty counters to your Planeswalkers.
There are many effects on cards throughout Magic's history that permit you to add counters to a permanent you control. A popular card ability that is well known by most Magic players that allows you to practice this is "Proliferate".
To proliferate, yous can cull any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled past opponents. You can't choose cards in any zone other than the battlefield, even if they take counters on them.
Gatherer.wizards.com[3]
Cards that have effects similar "Proliferate" give yous alternative ways to add counters to Planeswalkers y'all command also simply using a Planeswalker'southward abilities.
Although these culling means are not extremely common in the game of Magic, it's good to be aware that they practise exist and y'all may come across them from fourth dimension to time.
When Tin can You lot Utilise Planeswalker Abilities?
As a full general dominion, a Planeswalker'southward ability can be activated one time per turn in a role player's "Pre-combat Main Phase" or "Post-combat main stage". Planeswalker abilities that require activation tin can not be used in whatever other phase of the game.
306.1 A player who has priority may cast a planeswalker card from their hand during a main phase of their plow when the stack is empty. Casting a planeswalker every bit a spell uses the stack.
Official Magic The Gathering Rules[four]
The turn structure in Magic The Gathering tin can be a little disruptive to fully wrap your head effectually when showtime starting to play the game. Players volition often refer to parts of a turn by dissimilar names rather than the official verbiage used by Wizards of the Coast.
And so, but to make sure I haven't confused you, here is some other style of explaining when you can activate a Planeswalker's ability in a plow.
The activation of a Planeswalker'southward power can exist done in either your "Main Phase one" or "Principal Phase 2".
You can not activate a Planeswalker's loyalty ability in the "Beginning Phase" (Upkeep), the "Combat Phase" or "Ending Phase" (Terminate Stride).
Can You Use A Planeswalker Power As An Instant?
Every bit a general rule, a Planeswalker ability can non be used as an instant and can just exist activated at "Sorcery speed". Planeswalker abilities can only be activated when a actor has priority and the stack is empty. A Planeswalker power tin non be used in response to another spell.
Currently nearly every Planeswalker in the game is bound by these activation rules, unless they country otherwise.
Don't worry though, in that location aren't many exceptions to the rule that you will have to memorize, in fact, in that location is simply ane Planeswalker that does not abide by these rules. And why would he? He is the main of time after all.
You may actuate loyalty abilities of Teferi, Master of Fourth dimension on any player's turn any fourth dimension you lot could bandage an instant.
Wizards.com. Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering.[5]
"Teferi, Principal of Time" has special rules text that gives him permission to activate his abilities at instant speed. He can nonetheless only activate 1 loyalty ability per plow, only he tin can cull whenever he would like to activate that ability.
He tin even activate his abilities in response to spells – pretty powerful right?
However, just remember that most other Planeswalkers that are not the master of time, will exist stuck only activating their abilities only at sorcery speed.
Can You lot Use Planeswalker Abilities On Opponent's Plough
Equally a general dominion, Planeswalkers can not activate their abilities on an opponent'due south turn. Some Planeswalkers take unique rules text that grants them passive abilities that are active continuously as long as they are in play, merely they do not require activation.
Only like in our previous example with Teferi, Master of fourth dimension, yous will find some Planeswalkers have special rules text on them that gives them static abilities that are agile during both player'due south turns.
These special static abilities are sometimes referred to equally "Passives".
Each opponent tin can't draw more than one carte du jour each turn.
Wizards.com. Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering.[half-dozen]
These passive abilities do not modify the fact that Planeswalkers can't activate abilities on your opponent'south plough – unless your Teferi, Principal of Fourth dimension whose passive ability explicitly states he can – since passive abilities do not require an activation.
A passive ability will immediately be switched on as soon as a Planeswalker enters the battlefield, if they take ane, and will continue to exist agile regardless of whose turn it is.
In the case of "Narset, Parter of Veils", it is always a good idea to practise an extra card cartoon before she enters the battleground. One time your opponent has her in play, you won't be able to draw more than ane card per turn even if a spell says you can!
And then exist conscientious and e'er check if a Planeswalker has a passive that you might need to worry most as passive work on both players turns.
Does Deathtouch Work On Planeswalker?
Equally a whole, Deathtouch does not work on Planeswalkers. The Deathtouch power only affects creature cards. If a creature will death touch assigns damage to a Planeswalker, that Planeswalker will merely exit the battleground if they no longer have any loyalty counters afterward taking damage.
This question is something that gets asked a lot by new players and so I thought it would be best to add a department about information technology.
702.2b A brute with toughness greater than 0 that'southward been dealt impairment past a source with deathtouch since the concluding time state-based actions were checked is destroyed every bit a country-based action.
Rules Resource.[7]
The official ruling for this is a little bit wordy. Withal, the primary matter you lot should focus on in the ruling is that it explicitly states "creature".
Planeswalkers are non fauna cards and therefore Deathtouch has not effect on them.
So rest assured, if your Planeswalker gets attacked by a brute with Deathtouch, you won't take to send your Planeswalker to the graveyard, unless that creature has done enough damage to remove all of that Planeswalker'southward loyalty counters.
Can You Have two Planeswalkers On The Field?
A role player may take more than 2 Planeswalkers on the field at the same time. As long every bit each Planeswalker in play has a different card name then a player is non express to ane Planeswalker at a time. Planeswalkers are even so subject to the "Legendary dominion".
What fun would Planeswalkers exist if you could only have ane at a time?
It actually used to be the case that players could simply have 1 type of Planeswalker in play at a time, which was referred to every bit the "Planeswalker Uniqueness Rule".
This rule has been altered on a few occasions and was then somewhen replaced by the "Fable Rule" which dictates merely how many Planeswalkers y'all tin can have in play at once.
If you are interested in learning about just how many Planeswalkers you are allowed to have in play at one single time, check out my full blog mail on the topic where I tell yous everything you lot need to know – Maximum Number of Planeswalkers in Play [Formats, Rules]
With that, I think nosotros have covered all of the central things y'all need to know about using a Planeswalker.
There are a few more important aspects of Planeswalker y'all will need to sympathize before y'all tin can claim your caste in Planeswalker Management, but the information in this postal service should exist more than than enough to go you up and running with casting Planeswalkers in Magic.
If you are looking to augment your cognition on Planeswalkers, check out some of my other posts on the topic, where I suspension down everything you need to know about these awesome mages of the multiverse.
Source: https://cardboardkeeper.com/how-to-use-planeswalkers/
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