planeswalker rules
Asked by joeh717 14 years ago
wondering what the rules are with attacking/defending planeswalkers?
can you trample over a planeswalker to the players life? and say somebody has 2 planeswalkers out, does the attacker decide which they're attacking? or defender pick which the damage goes too?
also heard that spells that target players can target planeswalkers? so how best to defend them against things like lightning bolt?
only recently been playing with them, cheers for any help you can offer!
yeah cheers, kinda what i thought. how do you give a planeswalker shroud though?
September 29, 2010 7:55 p.m.
So far none directly. Though you can do this:
September 29, 2010 8:04 p.m.
great, would mycosynth lattice and that darksteel forge work too? or does indestructible not stop the counters from being removed?
September 29, 2010 8:12 p.m.
That, I'm not 100% sure of. You could just use Indestructibility on the planeswalker though. Being indestructible prevents leathal damage so I think it would prevent the damage, saving the planeswalker. It also even references the planeswalker possibly being indestructible.
"10/1/2009: Lethal damage, damage from a source with deathtouch, and effects that say "destroy" won't cause an indestructible permanent to be put into the graveyard. However, an indestructible permanent can be put into the graveyard for a number of reasons. The most likely reasons are if it's sacrificed, if it's legendary and another legendary permanent with the same name is on the battlefield, if it's a planeswalker and another planeswalker with the same subtype is on the battlefield, if it's a creature with toughness 0 or less, or if it's an Aura that's either unattached or attached to something illegal."
I'm pretty sure it works, but not possitive, planeswalkers may have different rulings when it comes to being indestructible.
September 29, 2010 8:35 p.m.
Surely the loyalty counters will still go. And as such if they all go the plainswalker will go too?
September 29, 2010 9:45 p.m.
Well that's the thing. If lethal damage is prevented then no damage would be dealt, ergo no loyalty counters would need to be removed. Again, I said I'm not sure of this because the Planeswalkers might have some weird ruling or mechanic that I'm not aware of.
September 29, 2010 10:38 p.m.
Okay, I could be wrong on this, but I'm pretty sure a judge explained this once and this was the verdict:
Planeswalkers are put into their owner's graveyard as a state-based action, not destroyed, as a result of having no counters. So it goes away no matter what if it's out of counters. Anything that is indestructible still takes damage, but can not be killed by receiving damage equal to or greater than their toughness. So an indestructible Planeswalker still takes damage and that damage is converted into a loss of loyalty counters. Being indestructible will still save it from anything that destroys a permanent, but not from taking damage.
September 29, 2010 11:02 p.m.
When you deal damage to a plainswalker, you remove loyalty counters instead of dealing damage. Thus it can still die from taking damage from creatures.
Just Like taking damage from infection creatures. Loyalty counters get removed instead of damage or -1/-1 counters being added. Otherwise indestructibility + gideon = game over.
September 29, 2010 11:05 p.m.
Whoops, didn't realize I was in my girlfriend's account. But yeah, I'm almost certain that being indestructible isn't too useful for Planeswalkers because they will still take damage and lose loyalty counters, and will be put into your graveyard if they run out.
Zylo says... Accepted answer #1
If your opponent has a planeswalker when you attack you decide whther you attack the player or the planeswalker. The player can still have his/her creatures block for the planeswalker however. Also, if there are two planeswalkers, you pick which one you are attacking, think of them as seperate players from the actual opponent.
You can not trample through a planeswalker to a player, again they are like a player themself. Example: In free-for-all you don't trample over one player to the next.
Spells that target players CAN target planeswalkers. The only way to defend the planeswalkers from this is the same way you defend yourself: counter the spell, give the planeswalker shroud, prevent the damage.
I hope this clarifys some things and helps you out.
September 29, 2010 7:46 p.m.