If You Blink a Planeswalker Can Yoh Activate Its Ability Again
Planeswalkers are not merely some of the most powerful cards in Magic The Gathering, they are arguably the most interesting. I love the fact that Planeswalkers come in all shapes, sizes and have an near countless array of abilities, simply this wide diverseness of choices made it somewhat hard to understand how to utilize a Planeswalker when I offset started playing MTG.
As a general rule, Planeswalkers can be used to give a player an additional effect in one case per plow by paying the activation cost of a Planeswalker's Loyalty ability. The effect granted to the role player volition be different depending on which Planeswalker and what Loyalty ability they actuate.
Sounds simple right? And for the most part, it is.
However, if you lot are new to Magic The Gathering there are few fundamental things yous demand to know about Planeswalkers in order to be able to use them correctly.
Don't worry though, I call back what information technology was similar when I first started to learn how to play and existence afraid to ask questions that everyone else already seemed to know the answer to. Below I'll walk yous through everything I wish I had known when I first started casting Planeswalkers in Magic The Gathering.
How Does A Planeswalker Card Piece of work?
You cast Planeswalker spells the same fashion yous would cast whatever normal spell in Magic The Gathering, by paying its mana toll.
Planeswalkers are non-country permanents. Once yous have paid the mana required to cast a Planeswalker and they accept successfully resolved, they will enter the battleground. Whenever a Planeswalker enters the battlefield, they will come up into play with a preassigned number of loyalty counters.
Planeswalkers are all most Loyalty Counters.
Information technology tin can be best to think of loyalty counters every bit fuel for your Planeswalker card or, better yet, like the mana you need to cast spells in a game of Magic.
If you don't have whatsoever Lands or mana in a game of Magic, you aren't going to be able to exercise much of anything – the aforementioned is true for Planeswalkers and Loyalty counters.
How Do Planeswalkers Get Loyalty Counters?
Planeswalkers get loyalty counters when they enter the battleground. On the bottom correct-hand corner of a Planeswalker bill of fare, at that place is a number that represents the number of loyalty counters a Planeswalker will enter the battlefield with. Also often referred to as a Planeswalker'south "Starting Loyalty"
In the case of "Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage", he enters with 5 Loyalty counters (Come across Point 6 in the image above).
What makes Planeswalkers so interesting is that Loyalty counters don't just human activity as a fuel source for Planeswalkers to activate their abilities, but they also deed as life points for your Planeswalkers.
If the amount of loyalty counters a Planeswalker has ever reaches 0, they die and become to the graveyard.
FUN FACT: In the Lore of MTG, planeswalkers don't actually die when they reach 0 counters, instead they are no longer Loyal to yous and they choose to go out the battleground. That's why they are called "Loyalty counters" – they determine how loyal a Planeswalker is to you.
So now that we know how to successfully cast and place the correct amount of loyalty counters on a Planeswalker when it enters the battlefield ("Starting Loyalty"), how do we go about using those awesome Planeswalker abilities?
How To Use A Planeswalker Carte
Once per turn, you lot can spend a Planeswalkers loyalty counters to actuate 1 of their "Loyalty abilities."
Loyalty abilities and the cost associated with them tin can be institute underneath the text that states their card blazon, "Legendary Planeswalker".
A Planeswalker will typically have 2 – 4 activatable loyalty abilities for you to choose from. Each ability will have an assigned price to information technology that you must pay in order to employ that ability.
To pay the activation cost of a Planeswalker ability, you only adjust the number of loyalty counters your Planeswalker currently has co-ordinate to the number assigned to the ability you desire to activate.
For example, if we wanted to actuate the final power on the card "Kaya, Ghost Assassinator", we would need to pay "-2" loyalty counters from Kaya'southward current loyalty counter full.
Remember, even though in this example Kaya would still have 3 loyalty counters left, yous can't actuate another ability in the aforementioned turn.
That means you volition accept to await until the next turn to activate her again – seems fair correct?
A key thing to remember when it comes to Planeswalker's abilities is that you tin only actuate them if y'all accept plenty loyalty counters on that Planeswalker to exercise and so. If Kaya but had 1 loyalty counter left, we would non exist able to activate her "-2" ability.
We would exist forced to choose either of her other ii abilities.
You may have already noticed, but one of Kaya's abilities has a cost of "0".
No demand to exist confused. Fifty-fifty though nosotros often talk about "paying" the activation cost of a Planeswalker's power, sometimes that ability won't really crave you to merchandise any of your Planeswalker'south counters to practise so. You simply pay 0 counters to use it.
Fifty-fifty though you didn't lose any loyalty counters from activating this power and Kaya would stay at 5 counters, y'all can still only activate ane ability one time 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 employ ane of its Loyalty abilities.
Using "Ugin, The Spirit Dragon" as our example, you lot tin can see that his second ability requires you lot to pay "-10".
When yous see "X" in the payment cost of a card in Magic The Gathering, it normally refers to a number that varies depending on what you choose to pay. In this case, yous can choose to pay any number of loyal counters you would like from Ugin to activate his second power (Yous may also choose to pay "0" when y'all activate the power – I wouldn't recommend it though).
Depending on how many of Ugin's loyalty counters yous cull to spend to activate his second ability, volition change the effect of what will happen when it activates.
−X: Exile each permanent with mana value X or less that's one or more colors.
Ugin, the Spirit Dragon[ii]
Just remember, you can choose whatever number you lot would similar to pay with an "X" cost as long as yous can pay it. If Ugin only has 7 loyalty counters, you may not choose to pay viii for the X ability – The corporeality of counters your Planeswalker has is the limit.
One final thing you should know when it comes to spending loyalty counters to actuate abilities – something that will help 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 price to it and is often referred to as an "Ultimate" by Magic players.
The proper name came from the fact that if a actor is able to activate the ultimate ability on a Planeswalker card, it normally means that player is going to win the game.
Of course, that isn't a hard rule. I accept played a few games of Magic where I have fought through my opponent's Planeswalker "ultimating" and I have gone on to win the game. But information technology is a very steep, uphill boxing.
Information technology's of import to always keep track of how close your opponent'southward Planeswalkers are to beingness able to employ their ultimate ability (if the menu has one), and terminate it from doing so whenever possible.
I have won a few games where this has happened, but not many…
How Exercise You Add Loyalty Counters To Planeswalkers?
Every bit a full general dominion, you can add loyalty counters to Planeswalkers by activating a Planeswalker'south loyalty abilities that increment the number of counters on a Planeswalker menu. Some Planeswalkers volition have abilities with a "+" symbol in the activation cost that will require a player to add counters.
Just like with Kaya's ability that requires you lot to pay "0", many Planeswalkers have abilities where the cost of activating the ability requires you to add Loyalty counters to a Planeswalker.
In the case above, we can see "Koth of the Hammer" has an ability that requires you to add a loyalty counter to Koth to activate it.
By activating his "+1" power, Koth'south starting loyalty would go from "3" to "4". This is by far the most common fashion to add boosted loyalty counters to a Planeswalker.
By adding boosted counters to a Planeswalker, y'all get closer to activating that game-ending ultimate power they normally possess.
Tip: When trying to go on track of your Planeswalker'south loyalty counters in a game of Magic, it's best to use a six-sided dice. Place the dice on top of the Planeswalker'southward starting loyalty counter number in the bottom correct-hand corner of the card. Only change the number facing up on the dice to lucifer the Planeswalker's electric current amount of loyalty counters.
Notwithstanding, using Planeswalker abilities that require you to add together counters isn't the only way to add together loyalty counters to your Planeswalkers.
There are many furnishings on cards throughout Magic'south history that allow you to add counters to a permanent you control. A pop card ability that is well known by most Magic players that allows you to exercise this is "Proliferate".
To proliferate, you can choose any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled past opponents. Y'all can't choose cards in any zone other than the battleground, fifty-fifty if they have counters on them.
Gatherer.wizards.com[three]
Cards that have effects like "Proliferate" give you alternative means to add together counters to Planeswalkers you lot control besides just using a Planeswalker's abilities.
Although these alternative ways are not extremely mutual in the game of Magic, it's good to exist aware that they do exist and y'all may run into them from time to time.
When Can You Utilize Planeswalker Abilities?
As a general dominion, a Planeswalker's ability tin can be activated once per plough in a player'due south "Pre-combat Master Phase" or "Postal service-gainsay main phase". Planeswalker abilities that require activation can non be used in any other phase of the game.
306.one A role player who has priority may cast a planeswalker carte from their hand during a principal phase of their plough when the stack is empty. Casting a planeswalker as a spell uses the stack.
Official Magic The Gathering Rules[4]
The turn structure in Magic The Gathering can be a picayune confusing to fully wrap your head effectually when first starting to play the game. Players will often refer to parts of a turn by different names rather than the official verbiage used by Wizards of the Declension.
And so, simply to make sure I haven't confused yous, here is another way of explaining when you can activate a Planeswalker's ability in a turn.
The activation of a Planeswalker's power can be done in either your "Primary Phase 1" or "Principal Phase 2".
You tin can not activate a Planeswalker's loyalty power in the "Beginning Phase" (Upkeep), the "Combat Phase" or "Ending Phase" (Terminate Step).
Can Y'all Use A Planeswalker Ability Equally An Instant?
As a general rule, a Planeswalker ability can not be used equally an instant and can only exist activated at "Sorcery speed". Planeswalker abilities can only be activated when a player has priority and the stack is empty. A Planeswalker ability tin can not be used in response to some other spell.
Currently nearly every Planeswalker in the game is bound past these activation rules, unless they country otherwise.
Don't worry though, there aren't many exceptions to the rule that you volition have to memorize, in fact, at that place is simply 1 Planeswalker that does not abide past these rules. And why would he? He is the master of time subsequently all.
Y'all may activate loyalty abilities of Teferi, Master of Time on whatever player's plow any fourth dimension you could cast an instant.
Wizards.com. Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering.[v]
"Teferi, Chief of Time" has special rules text that gives him permission to activate his abilities at instant speed. He can still only actuate 1 loyalty ability per turn, just he can cull whenever he would like to activate that ability.
He can even activate his abilities in response to spells – pretty powerful right?
Nevertheless, only remember that nearly other Planeswalkers that are not the master of time, will exist stuck but activating their abilities only at sorcery speed.
Can You Use Planeswalker Abilities On Opponent'southward Turn
Every bit a general rule, Planeswalkers can not activate their abilities on an opponent's turn. Some Planeswalkers have unique rules text that grants them passive abilities that are active continuously as long as they are in play, but they do not require activation.
Simply similar in our previous example with Teferi, Principal of time, you will find some Planeswalkers have special rules text on them that gives them static abilities that are agile during both player's turns.
These special static abilities are sometimes referred to as "Passives".
Each opponent can't draw more than than one carte each turn.
Wizards.com. Gatherer – Magic: The Gathering.[six]
These passive abilities practise not change the fact that Planeswalkers tin't activate abilities on your opponent's turn – unless your Teferi, Master of Time whose passive power explicitly states he tin can – since passive abilities do not require an activation.
A passive ability volition immediately exist switched on equally soon every bit a Planeswalker enters the battlefield, if they have one, and will continue to exist agile regardless of whose turn it is.
In the case of "Narset, Parter of Veils", it is ever a proficient idea to do an extra card drawing before she enters the battlefield. In one case your opponent has her in play, you won't be able to draw more than i carte du jour per turn even if a spell says you lot tin!
So be careful and always check if a Planeswalker has a passive that you might need to worry about as passive piece of work on both players turns.
Does Deathtouch Piece of work On Planeswalker?
Every bit a whole, Deathtouch does not work on Planeswalkers. The Deathtouch ability only affects creature cards. If a fauna will death touch assigns damage to a Planeswalker, that Planeswalker volition only get out the battlefield if they no longer take any loyalty counters after taking damage.
This question is something that gets asked a lot by new players and then I thought it would be best to add a section most it.
702.2b A creature with toughness greater than 0 that's been dealt damage by a source with deathtouch since the last time state-based actions were checked is destroyed equally a state-based action.
Rules Resources.[7]
The official ruling for this is a picayune fleck wordy. Nonetheless, the main matter you should focus on in the ruling is that it explicitly states "creature".
Planeswalkers are not fauna cards and therefore Deathtouch has not event on them.
So balance assured, if your Planeswalker gets attacked by a brute with Deathtouch, you won't have to send your Planeswalker to the graveyard, unless that animate being has done enough damage to remove all of that Planeswalker'south loyalty counters.
Tin Y'all Take 2 Planeswalkers On The Field?
A role player may accept more than 2 Planeswalkers on the field at the aforementioned fourth dimension. As long as each Planeswalker in play has a different card name and then a player is not limited to ane Planeswalker at a time. Planeswalkers are however subject to the "Legendary rule".
What fun would Planeswalkers be if you could only have one at a fourth dimension?
It actually used to exist the case that players could only have 1 type of Planeswalker in play at a time, which was referred to as the "Planeswalker Uniqueness Dominion".
This rule has been altered on a few occasions and was then eventually replaced by the "Legend Dominion" which dictates merely how many Planeswalkers yous tin can have in play at once.
If you are interested in learning almost just how many Planeswalkers y'all are allowed to accept in play at one single time, bank check out my full blog post on the topic where I tell you everything you need to know – Maximum Number of Planeswalkers in Play [Formats, Rules]
With that, I think we accept covered all of the fundamental things you need to know about using a Planeswalker.
There are a few more important aspects of Planeswalker you will need to empathise earlier you can claim your degree in Planeswalker Management, just the information in this mail should be more than plenty to get you up and running with casting Planeswalkers in Magic.
If yous are looking to broaden your knowledge on Planeswalkers, cheque out some of my other posts on the topic, where I pause downwardly everything you need to know almost these crawly mages of the multiverse.
Source: https://cardboardkeeper.com/how-to-use-planeswalkers/
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