Loyalty ability

A loyalty ability is an activated ability with a cost of modifying the loyalty counter on a planeswalker card.

Description[ | ]

+X means to add that many counters.

-X means to remove that many counters. An ability with a negative loyalty cost can't be activated unless the planeswalker has at least that many loyalty counters on it.

0 means to perform no modifications.

Rules[ | ]

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (November 8, 2024—Magic: The Gathering Foundations)

Loyalty Ability: An activated ability with a loyalty symbol in its cost. See rule 606, “Loyalty Abilities.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (November 8, 2024—Magic: The Gathering Foundations)

107.7. Each activated ability of a planeswalker has a loyalty symbol in its cost. Positive loyalty symbols point upward and feature a plus sign followed by a number. Negative loyalty symbols point downward and feature a minus sign followed by a number or an X. Neutral loyalty symbols don’t point in either direction and feature a 0. [+N] means “Put N loyalty counters on this permanent,” [-N] means “Remove N loyalty counters from this permanent,” and [0] means “Put zero loyalty counters on this permanent.” Loyalty symbols may also appear in abilities that modify loyalty costs.

From the Comprehensive Rules (November 8, 2024—Magic: The Gathering Foundations)

606. Loyalty Abilities
- 606.1. Some activated abilities are loyalty abilities, which are subject to special rules.
- 606.2. An activated ability with a loyalty symbol in its cost is a loyalty ability. Normally, only planeswalkers have loyalty abilities.
- 606.3. A player may activate a loyalty ability of a permanent they control any time they have priority and the stack is empty during a main phase of their turn, but only if no player has previously activated a loyalty ability of that permanent that turn.
- 606.4. The cost to activate a loyalty ability of a permanent is to put on or remove from that permanent a certain number of loyalty counters, as shown by the loyalty symbol in the ability’s cost. This cost may be modified by other effects.
606.5 If the total cost to activate a loyalty ability contains multiple costs to add or remove loyalty counters, those costs are combined into a single cost to add or remove loyalty counters, as appropriate.
Example: A player controls Carth the Lion, which says, in part, “Planeswalkers’ loyalty abilities you control cost an additional [+1] to activate. That player also controls a planeswalker with three loyalty counters. To activate one of that planeswalker’s abilities that normally costs [+1], they put two loyalty counters on it. To activate one of its abilities that normally costs [−4], they remove three loyalty counters from it.
- 606.6. A loyalty ability with a negative loyalty cost, taking into account any additional costs, can’t be activated unless the permanent has at least that many loyalty counters on it.

Examples[ | ]

Example

Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
Legendary Planeswalker — Gideon
+1: Until end of turn, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar becomes a 5/5 Human Soldier Ally creature with indestructible that’s still a planeswalker. Prevent all damage that would be dealt to him this turn.
0: Create a 2/2 white Knight Ally creature token.
-4: You get an emblem with “Creatures you control get +1/+1.”

4

Cards that grant loyalty abilities[ | ]

Ichormoon Gauntlet ()
- 0: Proliferate
- -12: Take an extra turn after this one.
Elspeth's Talent ()
- +1: Create three 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens.
Teferi's Talent ()
- -12: You get an emblem with "You may activate loyalty abilities of planeswalkers you control on any player's turn any time you could cast an instant."
Liliana's Talent ()
- -8: Put all creature cards from all graveyards onto the battlefield under your control
Rowan's Talent ()
- +1: Up to one target creature gets +2/+0 and gains first strike and trample until end of turn.
Vivien's Talent ()
- +1: Look at the top four cards of your library. You may reveal a creature or land from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.