In Magic: The Gathering (MTG), planeswalkers are beings with the rare ability to travel between different planes of existence and influence their history. They can travel to every plane they have been before and follow other planeswalkers into planes they have visited. The farther planes are from each other, the longer it takes to get there. Planeswalkers can only use their ability on their turn and at sorcery speed.
In Oathbreaker, the commander must be a planeswalker and can use an instant or sorcery called their commander’s signature in the command zone. Only planeswalkers can survive in the space between worlds and travel from plane to plane. Mortal beings without the Planeswalker spark are destroyed by raw entropy.
Planeswalkers can protect themselves by removing opposing creatures, generating creature tokens that serve as blockers, or having a high starting loyalty. This is mostly the case for the Eldrazi, native creatures of the Blind Eternities.
Planeswalking is the MTG universe’s version of dimension-hopping, and only planeswalkers can do it. They are powerful mages who often journey from Plane to Plane to…
Before the Mending, there were planar portals that allowed non-Planeswalkers to move between planes. The ability to travel between planes is one of the most important elements in the lore, as it allowed the Gatewatch to defend the Omniverse.
📹 How has the Mending affected Planeswalkers? (MTG Lore)
Today we tackle a viewer request: Examining the differences between Old Planeswalkers and NuWalkers. Follow me on Twitter …
Who was the most powerful planeswalker?
Jace, the Mind Sculptor, previously regarded as the most formidable planeswalker in the history of the game, has been substantiated as such by numerous individuals.
What are the powers of a planeswalker?
Planeswalkers are cards with three abilities: one that adds loyalty counters for a small benefit, one that removes a small number of counters for a larger effect, and one that removes a large number of loyalty counters for a big effect. The last effect is the planeswalker’s “ultimate” ability, which usually leaves the opponent devastated. The starting loyalty of a planeswalker is typically lower than the cost of its ultimate, and players must build up loyalty to access it.
Planeswalkers are designed by the people working on Standard, and their overshot power level is often maligned due to mythic exclusivity, storyline relevance, and recency bias. Until War of the Spark, all planeswalkers were printed with the mythic rare rarity, except for Ajani Goldmane, Jace Beleren, Liliana Vess, Chandra Nalaar, and Garruk Wildspeaker. All planeswalkers in the set have a static or triggered ability, with uncommon planeswalkers having only a minus loyalty ability, rare planeswalkers having a plus and minus loyalty ability, and mythic rare planeswalkers having the usual three loyalty abilities.
Is Nissa a Phyrexian?
Nissa Revane is a Joraga Zendikari elf and former planeswalker who wields magic to amplify the might of elves and elementals. She was a member of the Gatewatch before being compleated during the events of Phyrexia: All Will Be One. At the end of New Phyrexia’s Invasion of the Multiverse, she was un-compleated and lost her spark. Nissa has long dark hair, large pointed ears, and Joraga tattoos on her face. She is typically dressed in green leather clothes with a high collar, cloak, knee-high leather boots, and a bright green sash. She stands 5’5″ tall and weighs 115 lbs.
During her compleation, she had two new limbs grafted onto her body, including a sword. She also had black tears streak her cheeks and much of her body replaced with copper root and bramble. Her voice remained unchanged. After being brought to Zhalfir, Koth, Karn, and the Zhalfirin healers removed as much Phyrexian metal from her body as possible.
Who was the first planeswalker in lore?
The Lorwyn Five, consisting of Ajani, Jace, Liliana, Chandra, and Garruk, were the first five planeswalkers to be printed. They were designed to be iconic representations of their color and had +1, minus, and ultimate abilities. Chandra was the first to have a -X loyalty ability, which was a perfect character fit. The Lorwyn Five were the only planeswalkers to appear at rare, as mythic rare did not yet exist as a rarity.
The original plan for planeswalkers was to be something special that didn’t appear all the time. However, the next three sets (Morningtide, Shadowmoor, and Eventide) had zero planeswalkers in them. Planeswalkers appeared in Shards of Alara, which wasn’t a cycle but had one planeswalker per shard. Two planeswalkers, Ajani and Sarkhan, were two-color and had unique abilities. Ajani was the first to get a second card and change colors, while Elspeth had two plus abilities. Tezzeret was the first planeswalker with a more niche ability, only playable in an artifact-heavy deck.
Is Karn a Phyrexian?
Karn, a silver golem from Dominaria, is the leader of New Phyrexia and the Father of Machines. He has inherited the sparks of Urza and Venser, but has sacrificed them for the greater good. Karn is a powerful artifact creature, capable of controlling all five colors of mana, and stands 7-8 feet tall with amber eyes. Despite being nearly indestructible, Urza designed him to experience pain and feelings. His intellectual understanding of empathy led him to a philosophy of pacifism, which he believes contributed to multiple disasters.
Can planeswalkers block flying?
It is a fundamental principle of the game that planeswalkers are not creatures and therefore cannot be declared as blockers. Upon an opponent’s declaration of attackers, they may select whether each creature will attack them or one of the planeswalkers. Furthermore, a player may elect to have a flying creature attack a planeswalker. The author is no longer affiliated with MTGS.
Can phyrexians planeswalk?
The Phyrexians, who are not Planeswalkers, have successfully invaded Planes across the Multiverse. They can travel without a spark, making interplanar travel easier. The Planar Bridge, created by Rashmi on the Plane of Kaladesh, was stolen by Tezzeret, who incorporated it into his body under Nicol Bolas’ orders. Tezzeret used it to transport the Eternal armies of Amonkhet to Ravnica during the War of the Spark.
However, after the War of the Spark, the Planar Bridge poisoned Tezzeret, and he traveled to the Plane of New Phyrexia to make a deal with the Phyrexian Praetor Elesh Norn. Elesh Norn offered Tezzeret a body of Darksteel metal in exchange for her assistance. The Phyrexians have managed to infiltrate every corner of the Multiverse, despite the challenges they face.
Can you have 2 planeswalkers at once?
Planeswalkers can be played with unlimited permanents, but two copies of the same card cannot be used in play. Commander decks can have unlimited planeswalkers, but singleton and color identity rules must be followed. Counter doublers work well with planeswalkers, as long as they don’t specify a nonloyalty counter. However, + loyalty abilities do not add additional counters, as they are seen as a cost to perform the ability, not the ability itself. It’s a fair game to manage 100 planeswalkers in play.
Does Deathtouch work on planeswalkers?
Deathtouch is a powerful ability in Magic that grants instant and sorcery spells to creatures. It was first introduced as a rule card in the Magic 2011 set, with the deathtouch counter of Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths featuring a different symbol from the one used in MTG Arena. Three cards grant or create tokens with “planeswalker deathtouch”, where their triggered ability will destroy a planeswalker they’ve damaged. None have it as a standalone ability: Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats, Hooded Blightfang, and Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence.
None use the state-based trigger deathtouch. Three creatures have “anti-race” deathtouch, where any damage dealt to a creature of a listed type will be destroyed by a triggered ability: Dinosaur for Dinosaur Hunter, Vampire for Vampire Slayer, and Goblin or Orc for East-Mark Cavalier.
The ability has been referred to as “lifelink”, vigilance, and haste before being keyworded. The punch-out counter for deathtouch is the only counter with a different icon from its Arena version. The ability is also featured in the Magic 2011 set, with the deathtouch counter of Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths being the only counter with a different symbol from its Arena version.
Who is the weakest planeswalker?
The Fiend-Blooded Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded is considered the worst Planeswalker card in Magic: The Gathering. These cards are crucial in the multiverse, casting spells, fighting wizards, and summoning creatures. However, choosing the best Planeswalker sets can be challenging due to their high cost and loyalty counters. If an opponent harms a Planeswalker, they lose loyalty points. Therefore, it’s essential to build a deck with the most viable Planeswalker cards.
Ashiok, the Sculpter of Fears, is a prebuilt Planeswalker that is less effective than cheaper counterparts. It requires two colors and 6 mana in exchange for three weak abilities. Even with the best Magic: The Gathering starter kits, Ashiok only has enough loyalty to activate one of those abilities in battle. Therefore, it’s essential to choose the most viable Planeswalker cards to maximize their value and effectiveness.
Can planeswalkers be killed?
To eliminate a Planeswalker, attack it instead of its controller’s life total, blocking with creatures like attacking them. Any damage not blocked is subtracted from the Planeswalker’s loyalty counters. If loyalty counters reach 0, the Planeswalker is put into the graveyard. If a player controls a source that would deal damage to a player, they can choose to have that damage inflicted on a Planeswalker that the player controls. The damage cannot directly target a Planeswalker but must target the player.
Any spell that would deal damage to a Player can be redirected to a Planeswalker that the player controls. Effects can be used to negate, amplify, or redirect the damage, such as using Hexproof or Safe Passage. Cards that affect creatures do not affect Planeswalkers. For example, a Doom Blade cannot eliminate a Planeswalker, but a Shock can damage them.
📹 The Unknown Side of MTG: The History of Planeswalkers and The Great Mending
While Planeswalkers are certainly one of Magic’s most iconic ideas, it’s hard to say that their powers and abilities have been all …
I like the mending storyline and how it had lasting consequences that effected everybody and unlike the story line changes in comic events which only last months to a year, the effects of that mending was pretty much permanent. plus the current planeswalkers fail more often like when they failed to stop the eldrazi from devastating Inistrad and zendikar or when they could not stop nicol bolas from wiping out most of the amonkhet population and turning them into immortal zombies.
I liked the stories around the Weatherlight crew more than the Jacestice League. I personally think it fits Magic more to have “human” and swashbuckling characters like Sisay and Gerrard than almight superbeings. I still like Planeswalkers, but I’m glad the lore will not focus too much on them in the future.
I wouldn’t mind seeing more episodes about specific Planeswalkers. I also want to know if Planeswalkers have ever encountered Eldrazi or how Planewalkers stack up against them. The lore on the cards seems to imply that if a big Eldrazi shows up in your neck of the woods you can just kiss existence goodbye.
Just to add. What happened to Planeswalkers losing their sparks after New Phyrexia’s invasion is officially referred to as the Great Pruning. The official reason for this change in lore is because Wizards of the Coast wants Magic to focus heavily on Commander, so the story reflects on that. So the majority of the story will now mostly focus on beings who are not Planeswalkers. We’ll see Planeswalkers like Chandra of course, but the story will not revolve around them entirely.
for me, the planeswalkers were a key gameplay mechanic that hooked me in to play it because I loved the lore of the character, and being able to own and play them was fun, but taking them/ reducing them out of the game kind of strips away the lore for the card game. like take Yugioh for an explanation take md or Blueeyes out of it wouldn’t be fun if you are a Yugi or Kaiba fan. That is just my opinion. just for magic the whole story reveals around these iconic character who wouldn’t want to use the min battle I love magic but now it is just all over the place now I am still with Bushiroad TCGS or the new DBZ TCG i like magic characters as being the central focus of the lore and store because they are focused around the m
Although this very post falls for the ‘engagement bait’ – I would just like to say that from now on, I will stop perusal your articles until you stop intentionally mispronouncing the names. I urge other viewers to do the same. Your website has plenty of fans. You don’t need to engage in such cynical and frankly annoying tactics to squeeze a few extra pennies from your articles.
the lore of magic is great until hasbro and wizard cheaped all, khans of tarkir it maybe be the last great storyline that the main lore have after that wiszard the vision change not in making good story and respecting the old lore, just in doing the less effort washing his character in modern wokeness, cheaping all they can, destroying whatever they don’t see fit to the new wokess standard, etc… the lore of today magic is pure trash im not saying that the past was perfect but it was more respectful and tried to do beautiful thing with this magic world. Thanks for you article really is enjoyable you tried to make make sense in something that hasbro or wizard just don’t care anymore.