Editing Planeswalker

{{SubTabs
|noitalic=1
|sub1=Lore
|sub2=List of planeswalkers
|sub3=Igniting
|sub4=Colorshifts
|sub5=By format
|sub6=Trivia
}}
{{Infobox type
|icon=PW.svg
|subtype=[[Planeswalker type]]
}}
{{see|Planeswalker (novel)}}
[[File:Parts of a Magic card 3.png|right|thumb|300px|Planeswalker card: 1) [[card name]], 2) [[mana cost]], 3) [[type line]], 4) [[Loyalty ability]], 5) Ultimate ability, 6) starting [[loyalty]]]]

In the storyline of ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'', '''planeswalkers''' are among the most powerful beings in the [[multiverse]]. Within the game, they represent the thematic identities of the [[player]]s. The idea of them having loyalty counters further enhances this idea. Planeswalker is also a [[card type]] within the game.

==Player identity==
As part of the lore of the game, each player is meant to be a planeswalker, which has been a part of the lore and marketing since the ''[[Alpha]]'' rule book.<ref>{{DailyRef|original-magic-rulebook-2004-12-25|The Original Magic Rulebook|[[John Carter]]|December 25, 2004}}</ref> This is in spite of the radical changes in the nature of planeswalkers that have occurred throughout the series. The lore behind what the "planeswalker" type means has changed as the rules around them vary, but it has been somewhere between "calling in a favor" - which reflects loyalty - and some form of time manipulation - to justify deceased characters and multiple selves.

In terms of the rules engine, however, players are not related to the type "planeswalker" for the purposes of targeting. Attempts to retain flavorful rule quirks (planeswalker redirection, type-line uniqueness) have been revoked in favor of more practical gameplay.

==Card type==
[[File:Fendari Garruk.png|right|thumb|250px|Original ''[[Future Sight]]'' [[playtest card]] for [[Garruk]].]]
'''Planeswalker''' card types were introduced in ''[[Lorwyn]]''.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/planeswalk-wild-side-part-i-2007-11-05|Planeswalk on the Wild Side, Part I|[[Mark Rosewater]]|November 05, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/planeswalk-wild-side-part-ii-2007-11-12|Planeswalk on the Wild Side, Part II|[[Mark Rosewater]]|November 12, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/twenty-things-were-going-kill-magic-2013-08-01|Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill Magic|[[Mark Rosewater]]|August 05, 2013}}</ref> Like the player, a planeswalker card represents a powerful being that is able to move from plane to plane.<ref name="Planeswalker Rules">[[Mark Rosewater]]. (September 3, 2007.) [https://web.archive.org/web/20080514054703/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/planeswalkers/week4 "Planeswalker Rules. Planeswalking the Walk"], [[magicthegathering.com]], Wizards of the Coast. (Internet Archive snapshot)</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|feature/era-planeswalker-2007-12-24|The Era of the Planeswalker|[[Doug Beyer]]|September 10, 2007}}</ref> Planeswalkers borrowed their "attack me to lower my loyalty" mechanic from something called ''structures'' that [[Richard Garfield]] made for ''[[Ravnica: City of Guilds]]'', but never had been used.<ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/173391629768/hey-mark-its-my-birthday-today-and-i-was|title=Some birthday trivia about planeswalkers!|April 28, 2018}}</ref> An earlier design for planeswalkers, meant to be introduced in ''[[Future Sight]]'' would later inspire the design of [[Saga]]s.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/future-sight-design-handoff-document-2021-05-17|''Future Sight'' Design Handoff Document|[[Mark Rosewater]]|May 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/171820238503/it-feels-like-the-sagas-are-the-original|title=It feels like the sagas are the original planeswalker design from future sight.|March 13, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Returning Home">{{DailyRef|making-magic/returning-home-2018-04-02|Returning Home|[[Mark Rosewater]]|Mark Rosewater}}</ref> 

Planeswalkers have an [[intrinsic ability]] to enter the battlefield with a set number of loyalty counters, printed in the lower right of the card. A planeswalker can be attacked, like a player, or be damaged by an opponent's spell or ability. Any damage dealt to planeswalkers removes that many loyalty counters and a planeswalker with no loyalty counters is put into the graveyard. Changing the card type to another will remove this vulnerability. Much of the development revolves around the fact the strongest answer to a planeswalker is being attacked by a board of creatures, and the turnwise advantage engine makes it prized against all archetypes.

Planeswalkers usually have three abilities: one ability that adds loyalty counters as a cost for a small benefit, one that removes a small number of counters as a cost for a larger effect, and one that removes a large number of loyalty counters for a big effect. The last effect is commonly referred to as the planeswalker's "'''ultimate'''" ability and usually leaves the opponent in a devastated state. The starting loyalty of a planeswalker is commonly significantly lower than the cost of its ultimate and a player has to build up the loyalty to access it. 

Unlike most other cards in a set, planeswalkers are designed by the people who work on [[Standard]] (currently the [[Play Design]] team; formerly the [[development]] team, with contributions from people who played in the [[Future Future League]]).<ref>{{DailyRef|play-design/designing-rivals-ixalan-planeswalkers-2018-01-19|Designing ''Rivals of Ixalan'' Planeswalkers|[[Melissa DeTora]]|January 19, 2018}}</ref> Due to Mythic exclusivity, storyline relevance and recency bias, planeswalkers that overshot on power level are often greatly maligned.

Until ''[[War of the Spark]]'', all planeswalkers had been printed with the [[mythic rare]] rarity, except for <c>Ajani Goldmane</c>, <c>Jace Beleren</c>, <c>Liliana Vess</c>, <c>Chandra Nalaar</c>, and <c>Garruk Wildspeaker</c>, which debuted in the [[Lorwyn block]] when the mythic rare rarity did not yet exist. ''War of the Spark'' featured [[rare]] and even [[uncommon]] planeswalkers.<ref name="Waging 1">{{DailyRef|making-magic/waging-war-spark-part-1-2019-04-01|Waging ''War of the Spark'', Part 1|[[Mark Rosewater]]|April 1, 2019}}</ref> All planeswalkers in the set have a [[static ability|static]] or [[triggered ability]]. In addition, the uncommon planeswalkers have only a minus [[loyalty ability]] (no plus abilities),<ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/183843767558/do-all-the-uncommon-planeswalkers-only-have-minus|title=Do all the uncommon planeswalkers only have minus loyalty abilities?|March 31, 2019}}</ref>  the rare planeswalkers have a plus and a minus loyalty ability,<ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/183847247343/youve-said-all-the-uncommon-walkers-only-have|title=Do all the rare walkers only have a plus AND a minus ability with no ultimate?|March 31, 2019}}</ref> and the mythic rare planeswalkers have the usual three loyalty abilities.<ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/183848634433/does-every-planeswalker-in-war-of-the-spark-have-a|title=Does every planeswalker in War of the Spark have a non-loyalty ability?|March 31, 2019}}</ref>

By the time of ''[[Zendikar Rising]],'' Planeswalkers could be released with set-specific [[mechanic]]s (something which was previously avoided).<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/more-zendikar-rising-stars-2020-09-21|More ''Zendikar Rising'' Stars|[[Mark Rosewater]]|September 21, 2020}}</ref> ''[[Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty]]'' introduced the first planeswalker-exclusive keyword in [[compleated]].

''[[Phyrexia: All Will Be One]]'' introduced <c>Ichormoon Gauntlet</c>, the first card to grant non-copied loyalty abilities to planeswalkers. ''[[March of the Machine]]'''s Commander release printed a cycle of "Talents", which are the first Auras to specifically enchant planeswalkers, and also grant them a new loyalty ability.

Starting with ''[[Wilds of Eldraine]]'',it was announced that the number of Planeswalker cards would generally be scaled back to one per [[premier]] set.<ref>{{TwitterRef|wizards_magic|1684894367448723456|author=[[Magic: The Gathering]]|title=Mark confirms the general intent is that it is one Planeswalker per set.|date=July 28, 2023}}</ref> This decision was both story-driven and play-design-driven.<ref>{{EzTumblr|https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/724138591441338368|title=Was the shift to one planeswalker card per set more story-driven or play-design-driven?|July 28, 2023}}</ref> However, because of the cancellation of ''[[The Big Score]]'' [[Epilogue Booster|epilogue set]], its planeswalker card {{Card|Jace Reawakened}} was added to ''[[Outlaws of Thunder Junction]]'' just three sets later as its second planeswalker card alongside {{Card|Oko, the Ringleader}}.<ref>{{YouTubeRef|LVOgXFdxEXk|Outlaws of Thunder Junction - Debut Aftershow|channel=[[Magic: The Gathering]]|date=March 27, 2024}}</ref>

===Planeswalker symbol===
[[File:Planeswalker_symbol correct width.png|thumb|right|100px|Planeswalker symbol]]
The handprint-like planeswalker symbol {{PW}} symbolizes planeswalkers and their ability to traverse the planes of the [[Multiverse]].<ref>{{DailyRef|whats-symbol-2009-12-30|What's That Symbol?|[[Magic Arcana]]|December 30, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/38164454380/do-you-happen-to-know-what-the-planeswalker|title=Do you happen to know what the "planeswalker symbol" actually represents? |December 17, 2012}}</ref> It is, for example, used to [[planeswalk]] in the [[Planechase (format)|Planechase]] format, as part of the ''[[Masters 25]]'' [[expansion symbol]], and hidden in [[card]] [[art]] (e.g., <c>Barren Glory</c> and <c>Omniscience</c>). It seems to refer to the different paths or planes that a planeswalker can choose to walk. Specifically: five choices, as in the five colors of ''[[Magic]]''. On the other hand, [[Mark Rosewater]] has said that it also has a “five becoming one” aspect, to match Magic's ethos of the colors working together.<ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/167680764458/do-you-have-any-trivia-or-interesting-perspective|title=Do you have any trivia or interesting perspective on the Planeswalker Symbol?|November 19, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/180506784233/i-have-been-thinking-about-symbology-in-magic-can|title=Can you talk about what the symbology of the Planeswalker symbol is? Why a “handprint”-like design?|December 2, 2018}}</ref> The latter could also mean there is a connection to the [[Lorwyn Five]] or the [[Gatewatch]].

There used to be a symbol designed for planeswalkers in ''[[Future Sight]]'', but it was not used when the introduction of planeswalkers was moved to ''[[Lorwyn]]''. This was different from the current planeswalker symbol.<ref>{{DailyRef|https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/ask-wizards-august-2008-2008-08-01|Ask Wizards - August, 2008|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 1, 2008}}</ref>

==Rules==
{{CR+G|Planeswalker|s}}
{{CR|glossary|Planeswalker Symbol}}

===From the "planeswalker uniqueness rule" to the "legend rule"===
Planeswalker cards used to have a similar rule to the "[[legend rule]]": If a player controls two or more planeswalkers that share a [[planeswalker type]], that player chooses one of them, and the rest are put into their owners’ graveyards. This was called the "planeswalker uniqueness rule".

Starting with ''[[Ixalan]]'', this rule was abandoned.<ref name="Mechanics">{{DailyRef|feature/ixalan-mechanics|''Ixalan'' Mechanics|[[Matt Tabak]]|August 28, 2017}}</ref> All planeswalkers past, present, and future gained the supertype [[legendary]] and became subject to the "legend rule". Thus, if a player controls more than one legendary planeswalker with the same ''name'', that player chooses one and puts the other into their owner's graveyard. This has also enabled planeswalkers without types to be printed, such as <c>The Wanderer</c>.

The change was made to simplify gameplay.<ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/164733840233/why-was-there-a-need-to-make-planeswalkers|title=Why was there a need to make planeswalkers legendary?|August 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/164732134248/just-letting-you-know-i-really-liked-the|title=Having multiple versions of the same planeswalker character out seems 'wrong'.|August 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/164905699093/do-you-think-its-a-flavor-fail-to-be-able-to|title=Do you think it's a flavor fail to be able to summon more than one of the same legendary character from the Multiverse?|September 02, 2017}}</ref>

There are no current plans to create nonlegendary planeswalkers.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/odds-ends-ixalan-part-2-2017-10-16|Odds & Ends: ''Ixalan'', Part 2|[[Mark Rosewater]]|October 16, 2017}}</ref>

===Planeswalker redirection rule===
Up until ''[[Rivals of Ixalan]]'' the following rule was in place: If noncombat damage would be dealt to a player by a source controlled by an opponent, that opponent may have that source deal that damage to a planeswalker the former player controls instead. This is a [[redirection effect]] (see rule 614.9) and is subject to the normal rules for ordering replacement effects (see rule 616). The opponent chooses whether to redirect the damage as the redirection effect is applied.

Starting with ''[[Dominaria]]'' this "planeswalker redirection rule" was removed. Instead each relevant card will tell you on the card specifically whether the card dealing [[direct damage]] can [[target]] planeswalkers. Older cards received [[errata]] to have "player" changed to "player or planeswalker", and similarly for "target opponent". Most others that could previously target a "creature or player" would now refer to simply "any target", defined to include creatures, players, and planeswalkers.<ref>[https://twitter.com/mtgaaron/status/906199555120652288 Aaron Forsythe on Twitter]</ref><ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/166162774138/what-planeswalker-redirection-rule-change|title=What planeswalker redirection rule change?|October 07, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/171629935333/how-soon-will-we-see-the-planeswalker-redirection|title=How soon will we see the planeswalker redirection rule change implemented?|March 07, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Dominaria Changes">{{DailyRef|https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/dominaria-frame-template-and-rules-changes-2018-03-21|''Dominaria'' Frame, Template and Rules Changes|[[Aaron Forsythe]]|March 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|news/dominaria-oracle-changes-2018-04-13|''Dominaria'' Oracle Changes|[[Eli Shiffrin]]|April 13, 2018}}</ref>

===Rulings===
* Planeswalkers are permanents. You can cast one at any time you could cast a sorcery. When your planeswalker spell resolves, it enters the battlefield under your control.
* Planeswalkers are not creatures. Spells and abilities that affect creatures won't affect them. They can become creatures by spells or abilities, though, such as the abilities of several Sarkhan and Gideon planeswalkers, among others.
* All planeswalkers have supertype "[[legendary]]" and are subject to the "legend rule". Planeswalkers with the same subtypes can exist under your control as long as they are not of the same ''name''.
* Planeswalkers each have a number of activated abilities called "loyalty abilities." You can activate a loyalty ability of a planeswalker you control only at the time you could cast a sorcery and only if you haven't activated one of that planeswalker's loyalty abilities yet that turn.
* The cost to activate a planeswalker's [[loyalty ability]] is represented by a box with a number inside. Boxes with a point facing up contain positive numbers, such as "+1"; this means "Put one loyalty counter on this planeswalker". Boxes with a point facing down contain negative numbers, such as "-7"; this means "Remove seven loyalty counters from this planeswalker". You can't activate a planeswalker's ability with a negative loyalty cost unless the planeswalker has at least that many loyalty counters on it.
* Planeswalkers can't attack (unless an ability such as the one from <c>Gideon Jura</c>'s third ability adds the creature type). However, they can be attacked. Each of your attacking creatures can attack your opponent or a planeswalker that the player controls. You say which as you declare attackers.
* If your planeswalkers are being attacked, you can block the attackers as normal.
* If a creature that's attacking a planeswalker isn't blocked, it'll deal its combat damage to that planeswalker, regardless of what other types the planeswalker has.
* A planeswalker is removed from combat if it's being attacked but ceases to be a planeswalker. Its attackers will ''not'' be removed from combat and will still exchange combat damage with any blockers, but will not deal damage to the (former) planeswalker it was attacking.
* Any damage dealt to a planeswalker causes that many loyalty counters to be removed from it. This does not apply if they have ceased to be a planeswalker, such as if they have turned into a creature (in that case, creature rulings apply).<ref name="Dragonspeaker">Cf. rules text for <c>Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker</c>.</ref> If they are both a planeswalker and a creature, damage affects them as both types, so they do lose loyalty and also have the damage marked on them as creatures.<ref>Cf. <c>Gideon Blackblade</c>.</ref>
* If a planeswalker is also a creature, it may block as normal, including blocking a creature attacking the planeswalker itself! It deals combat damage as normal as a blocker, but does not deal combat damage to creatures attacking it which are unblocked (or which deal trample damage to it).<ref>Cf. <c>Gideon, Champion of Justice</c>.</ref>
* Loyalty abilities can be used by non-planeswalkers. A planeswalker which turns into a creature can still use its loyalty abilities, with the same timing restrictions and the same cost or addition of loyalty counters as usual.<ref name="Dragonspeaker" /> It will not go to the graveyard for having 0 loyalty until it becomes a planeswalker again.

===Subtypes===
The [[subtype]] for planeswalkers is called [[planeswalker type]] and is exclusive to planeswalkers.

[[R&D]] have decided that they don't want to have to rein in other card types because they might impact planeswalkers in a dangerous way. They decided not to add these other types when they chose to not make [[Karn]] an [[artifact]] Planeswalker.<ref>{{EzTumblr|https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/189087094088/do-you-think-well-ever-see-planeswalkers-combined|title=Do you think we'll ever see planeswalkers combined with other types?|November 15, 2019}}</ref>

===Planeswalker commanders===
Some planeswalkers (including some pre-Mending era planeswalkers) are now represented as planeswalker cards that can be used as [[commander (designation)|commander]]s. Some have text allowing them to be commanders, while others are double-faced cards with legendary creatures on the front side and planeswalkers on the back side. The current number of planeswalkers that can be used as commanders are 28, which come from the following sets with the subsequent subtypes:

* ''[[Commander 2014]]'' {{-}} Ability
** [[Daretti]] (<c>Daretti, Scrap Savant</c>)
** [[Freyalise]] (<c>Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury</c>)
** [[Nahiri]] (<c>Nahiri, the Lithomancer</c>)
** [[Nixilis]] (<c>Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath</c>)
** [[Teferi]] (<c>Teferi, Temporal Archmage</c>)
* ''[[Magic Origins]]'' {{-}} Legendary creatures that transform into planeswalkers
** [[Gideon Jura|Gideon]] (<c>Gideon, Battle-Forged</c>)
** [[Jace Beleren|Jace]] (<c>Jace, Telepath Unbound</c>)
** [[Liliana Vess|Liliana]] (<c>Liliana, Defiant Necromancer</c>)
** [[Chandra Nalaar|Chandra]] (<c>Chandra, Roaring Flame</c>) 
** [[Nissa Revane|Nissa]]  (<c>Nissa, Sage Animist</c>)
* ''[[Battlebond]]'' {{-}} use [[partner]] with ability
** [[Will]] (<c>Will Kenrith</c>)
** [[Rowan]] (<c>Rowan Kenrith</c>)
* ''[[Core Set 2019]]'' {{-}} Legendary creature that transforms into planeswalker
** [[Nicol Bolas|Bolas]] (<c>Nicol Bolas, the Arisen</c>)
* ''[[Commander 2018]]'' {{-}} Ability
** [[Saheeli Rai|Saheeli]] (<c>Saheeli, the Gifted</c>)
** [[Windgrace]] (<c>Lord Windgrace</c>)
** [[Aminatou]] (<c>Aminatou, the Fateshifter</c>)
** [[Estrid]] (<c>Estrid, the Masked</c>)
* [[Commander Legends|''Commander Legends'']] {{-}} use [[partner]] ability
** [[Jeska]] (<c>Jeska, Thrice Reborn</c>)
** [[Tevesh Szat|Szat]] (<c>Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools</c>)
* ''[[Kaldheim]]'' {{-}} Modal double-faced card with a legendary creature on front and planeswalker on back
** [[Tibalt]] (<c>Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor</c>)
* ''[[Strixhaven: School of Mages]]'' {{-}} Modal double-faced card with a legendary creature on front and planeswalker on back
** [[Lukka]] (<c>Lukka, Wayward Bonder</c>)
* [[Modern Horizons 2|''Modern Horizons 2'']]
** [[Grist]] (a legendary creature insect in all other zones besides the battlefield, according to [https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Ability#:~:text=113.6c%20An%20ability%20that%20states%20which%20zones%20it%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20function%20in%20functions%20everywhere%20except%20for%20the%20specified%20zones%2C%20even%20outside%20the%20game%20and%20before%20the%20game%20begins. rule 113.6C], it fits the requirements for a commander) (<c>Grist, the Hunger Tide</c>)
* ''[[Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate]]'' — Ability
** [[Minsc]] (<c>Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes</c>)
** [[Elminster]] (<c>Elminster</c>)
** [[Tasha]] (<c>Tasha, the Witch Queen</c>)
* ''[[Dominaria United Commander]]'' — Ability
** [[Jared Carthalion]] (<c>Jared Carthalion</c>)
** [[Geyadrone Dihada]] (<c>Dihada, Binder of Wills</c>)
** [[Sivitri Scarzam]] (<c>Sivitri, Dragon Master</c>)
* ''[[Commander Masters]]'' — Ability
** [[Guff|Commodore Guff]] (<c>Commodore Guff</c>)
* ''[[Heroes of the Realm]]'' - Ability
** <c>Ersta, Friend to All</c>
** <c>Byode, Inverse Sun</c>

===Planeswalker interaction===
During the time of release, planeswalkers were almost never referred to on rules text, being withheld from commons as to increase the mystique of the card type. Over time, and especially after the release of [[War of the Spark]], R&D relaxed this requirement, and now many more spells can interact with them.
* [[White]] is the color that most interacts with planeswalkers. It can search the library for them and get them back from the graveyard, among other positive interactions.<ref name="Pie Changes">{{DailyRef|making-magic/mechanical-color-pie-2021-changes-2021-10-18|Mechanical Color Pie 2021 Changes|[[Mark Rosewater]]|October 18, 2021}}</ref>
** <c>Fated Retribution</c> is one of the few white cards that specifically can remove planeswalkers, while <c>Planar Cleansing</c> destroys all nonland permanents, including planeswalkers. <c>Bound in Gold</c> and <c>Nahiri's Binding</c> show a trend to allow answers to planeswalkers using Auras. <c>Banishing Light</c> effects have usually had any nonland permanent at 3 mana and creatures only at 2 mana, with only <c>Prison Realm</c> bridging the gap.
* [[Black]] is the [[primary]] color that can have the text "destroy target creature or planeswalker".<ref name="Color Pie 2017">{{DailyRef|making-magic/mechanical-color-pie-2017-2017-06-05|Mechanical Color Pie 2017|[[Mark Rosewater]]|June 5, 2017}}</ref> A small number remove counters from planeswalkers or a subset of permanents.
* [[Red]] previously could damage planeswalkers through the planeswalker redirection rule, but with the rule change damage spells now need to specify planeswalkers as valid targets. Due to <c>Lava Axe</c> type effects being liabilities often, both damage spells to creatures and damage spells to players may now carry planeswalker as a secondary target.
* [[Green]] doesn't call out the planeswalker type by name (<c>Nissa's Defeat</c> being an exception), but can destroy non-creature permanents; however, this effect is fairly rare, and to compensate some of Green's [[Bite]] effects have started to target planeswalkers.
* [[Blue]] normally countered planeswalkers alongside other noncreature spells like with <c>Negate</c>. Lately blue has now some creature-target counterspells that also hit planeswalkers (<c>Reject</c>, <c>Anticognition</c>), and also some bounce spells and controlling spells that hit creatures or planeswalkers (<c>Barrin, Tolarian Archmage</c>, <c>Mass Manipulation</c>).

===Non-canon planeswalkers===
Some iconic [[Dungeons & Dragons]] characters have appeared as Planeswalker cards in the cross-over sets ''[[Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms]]'' and ''[[Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate]]''. However, this does not mean that these characters have a [[planeswalker's spark]]. According to Wizards of the Coast, they wanted to make these characters as cool as they could possibly be, and as Planeswalkers were a regular part of new ''Magic'' sets, the Planeswalker card type in their opinion would make a great fit.<ref>{{TwitterRef|wizards_Magic|1395418187747893252|author=[[Magic: The Gathering]]|title=To get it out of the way: This doesn't mean that these characters have a Planeswalker Spark.|date=May 20, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/odds-ends-adventures-forgotten-realms-part-2-2021-08-09|Odds & Ends: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Part 2|[[Mark Rosewater]]|August 9, 2021}}</ref>

Further non-canon planeswalkers were originally said to be found in sets belonging to the [[Universes Beyond]]-series.<ref>{{EzTumblr|https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/655886045586604032/will-ub-sets-with-settings-without-dimension|title=Will UB sets be allowed to make do without planeswalkers?|July 5, 2021}}</ref> Later, it was said that they were planning to do planeswalkers in Wizards owned IPs only.<ref>{{EzTumblr|https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/719854694464471040|title=Is no planeswalkers going to be the norm for Universes Beyond, or did they just not fit in 40K and LotR?|June 11, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{EzTumblr|https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/747579972025303040|title=That has been decided, so I would set your expectations accordingly.|April 12, 2024}}</ref>

In retrospect, [[Mark Rosewater]] thinks that R&D should not have put them in the D&D sets either.<ref>{{EzTumblr|https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/735540911396864000|title=I’ve noticed that “Universe Beyond” sets don’t ever seem to have planeswalker cards. |December 1, 2023}}</ref>

==Trivia==
* As of [[Innistrad: Midnight Hunt]], there are 245 planeswalker cards total (including two [[silver-bordered]] cards and five digital-only cards), depicting 70 different planeswalker characters.
* There are 66 different legal planeswalker subtypes, plus two additional subtypes that only appear on silver-bordered cards. (The Wanderer, while a distinct character, does not have her own subtype.)
* There is one planeswalker card (<c>The Royal Scions</c>) that has two subtypes, as it depicts two different planeswalker characters (the twins [[Will Kenrith|Will]] and [[Rowan Kenrith]]).
* There are 95 [[multicolored]] planeswalker cards.
* There are five [[colorless]] planeswalker cards.
* There have been at least five printed planeswalker cards for each of the two colored pairs.
* Nine planeswalkers have been printed with a color identity of three colors: Nicol Bolas, Tamiyo, Sarkhan, Dakkon, Dihada, Windgrace, Narset, Aminatou, and Estrid. In addition, Ajani, Samut, Huatli, and Nissa have been associated with three colors, but not all at the same time, and Sarkhan has an association with four colors across all his cards. Additionally, Urza's silver-bordered card has all five colors.
* [[Gideon]], [[Jace]], [[Liliana]], [[Chandra]], [[Nissa]], and [[Nicol Bolas]] have all been printed as double-faced cards that are legendary creatures on one side and planeswalkers on the other, depicting them in the moments when their sparks first ignited.
* [[Dakkon Blackblade]], [[Jaya Ballard]], [[Karn]], [[Narset]], [[Nicol Bolas]], [[Ob Nixilis]], [[Samut]], [[Teferi]], [[Urza]], [[Venser]], [[Jeska]] and [[Xenagos]] have all been printed as both planeswalker cards and legendary creature cards, either because their creature cards were printed before the planeswalker card type was introduced (Dakkon, Jaya, Karn, Bolas, Teferi, Venser, and Urza's first creature card), or because their creature cards depicted them at a time when their spark wasn't currently active (Narset, Ob Nixilis, Samut, Xenagos, Jeska and Urza's second creature card). However, it should be noted that Urza's planeswalker card was [[silver-bordered]] and is not a canonical representation.
* [[Azor]], [[Garth One-Eye]], [[Jared Carthalion]], [[Ravi]], and [[Slobad]] are all planeswalkers who've been printed as legendary creature cards, but not as planeswalker cards. With the exception of Azor, Garth, and Jared, their cards were all printed before the planeswalker card type was introduced, while Azor was printed as a legendary creature because his card depicted him after losing his spark, and Garth and Jared's cards depict the characters before receiving their sparks.
* Planeswalker was featured as [[rules card]]s 1-3 of 5 in the ''[[Lorwyn]]'' set and 1 of 9 in the ''[[Magic 2011]]'' set.

===Highest number of individual planeswalker cards per character===
Some characters are favored more than others, usually resulting in a higher amount of unique cards representing them.

Planeswalkers that have more than three planeswalker cards as of [[Innistrad: Midnight Hunt]]:

* Seventeen cards: [[Chandra]]
* Sixteen cards: [[Liliana]]
* Twelve cards: [[Ajani]], [[Jace]]
* Ten cards: [[Nissa]]
* Nine cards: [[Garruk]] (<c>Garruk Relentless</c> notably is a [[double-faced card]], with both sides being planeswalkers; in this case, it is still considered one card.)
* Eight cards: [[Gideon]], [[Sarkhan]]
* Seven cards: [[Sorin Markov|Sorin]], [[Tezzeret]], [[Teferi]]
* Six cards: [[Vivien]], [[Vraska]]
* Five cards: [[Elspeth Tirel|Elspeth]], [[Nicol Bolas]], [[Kaya]]
* Four cards: [[Ral Zarek|Ral]], [[Domri]], [[Dovin]], [[Huatli]], [[Ashiok]], [[Nahiri]], [[Tibalt]], [[Kiora]]

=== Abilities ===
* Not counting Commander and Partner (aka non-gameplay) abilities, the largest number of abilities a planeswalker card has had so far is four:
** <c>Jace, the Mind Sculptor</c>, <c>Garruk, Apex Predator</c>, <c>Chandra, Torch of Defiance</c>, <c>Nicol Bolas, the Arisen</c>, <c>Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh</c>, and <c>Wrenn and Seven</c> have four loyalty abilities.
** <c>Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God</c>, <c>Liliana, Dreadhorde General</c>, <c>Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge</c> <c>Chandra, Awakened Inferno</c>, <c>Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis</c>, <c>Niko Aris</c>, <c>Tyvar Kell</c>, <c>Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor</c>, <c>Professor Onyx</c>, <c>Will, Scholar of Frost</c>, <c>Kasmina, Enigma Sage</c>, <c>Dakkon, Shadow Slayer</c>, <c>Geyadrone Dihada</c>, <c>Grist, the Hunger Tide</c>, and <c>Lolth, Spider Queen</c> have four abilities total, with three loyalty abilities and one static or triggered ability.
** <c>Gideon Blackblade</c>, <c>Vivien, Monsters' Advocate</c>, and <c>Jace, Mirror Mage</c> have four abilities, with two static or triggered abilities and two loyalty abilities.
** <c>Nahiri, the Lithomancer</c>, <c>Teferi, Temporal Archmage</c>, <c>Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath</c>, <c>Daretti, Scrap Savant</c>, <c>Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury</c>, <c>Aminatou, the Fateshifter</c>, <c>Estrid, the Masked</c>, <c>Saheeli, the Gifted</c>, and <c>Lord Windgrace</c> technically have four abilities as well, as they all have a static ability which allows them to be a [[commander (designation)|commander]]. Similarly, <c>Will Kenrith</c>, <c>Rowan Kenrith</c>, <c>Jeska, Thrice Reborn</c>, and <c>Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools</c> technically have five abilities: they also have a static ability which allows them to be a Commander, in addition to another static ability that gives them [[Partner]].
* All other planeswalkers have three or fewer abilities, with the exceptions of double-faced planeswalkers
** <c>Garruk Relentless</c> has a total of five loyalty abilities or six abilities of any kind: two loyalty abilities and a triggered ability on the front, and three loyalty abilities on the back.
** <c>Arlinn Kord</c> has a total of five: two on her human side and three on her transformed side.
** {{Card|Arlinn, the Pack's Hope}} has six: both sides have a keyword ability and two loyalty abilities. The keyword ability is multiple abilities baked into the rules.
** <c>Rowan, Scholar of Sparks</c> and <c>Will, Scholar of Frost</c> have three and four respectively, summing to seven, but cannot transform sides.
* Until ''War of the Spark'', all planeswalker cards had at least three loyalty abilities. However, ''War of the Spark'' introduced rare planeswalkers that have only two loyalty abilities in addition to a static or triggered ability, as well as uncommon planeswalkers that only have one loyalty ability in addition to a static or triggered ability. Since then, there have been six mythic rare planeswalkers with only two loyalty abilities:
** <c>Vivien, Monsters' Advocate</c>  and <c>Jace, Mirror Mage</c> have two loyalty abilities and two static or triggered abilities.
** <c>Jeska, Thrice Reborn</c> has two loyalty abilities, a static ability, a Commander ability, and a Partner ability.
** <c>Nissa of Shadowed Boughs</c>, <c>Rowan, Scholar of Sparks</c> and <c>Grand Master of Flowers</c> have two loyalty abilities and one triggered ability. 
* Until ''War of the Spark'', all but three planeswalker cards had positive loyalty abilities (i.e. loyalty abilities that gave them more counters). The only exceptions were <c>Sarkhan the Mad</c>, <c>Kaya, Ghost Assassin</c>, and the front side of <c>Garruk Relentless</c>, which only had neutral or negative loyalty abilities. However, Kaya's card had an ability that allowed players to exile it and returns it to the battlefield (thus restoring its starting counters), and Garruk's card had positive loyalty abilities on the backside, making Sarkhan's card the only planeswalker that couldn't gain or restore counters on its own. This changed with ''War of the Spark'', which features 20 uncommon planeswalkers who only have negative loyalty abilities.

=== Loyalty counters ===
* <c>Ugin, the Spirit Dragon</c>, <c>Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh</c>, and <c>Nicol Bolas, the Arisen</c> have the most loyalty counters (seven) when they enter the [[battlefield]], not counting 'diminishing' planeswalkers (those who can't gain or restore counters) or the event exclusive <c>Garruk the Slayer</c> (who was meant to be played by itself, without a deck). This was likely done to highlight the fact that Ugin and Nicol Bolas are exceptionally powerful, even by planeswalker standards.
* <c>Sarkhan the Mad</c>, <c>Arlinn, Voice of the Pack</c>, <c>Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner</c>, <c>Kaya, Bane of the Dead</c>, and <c>Huatli, the Sun's Heart</c> also start with seven loyalty, but they have no way to regain loyalty counters. All of these have different design impetuses for having high loyalty: 
** Sarkhan is primarily a draw engine, with situational negative activated abilities. In a low-curved deck, the 7 loyalty allows for more probable activations of the 0 ability.
** Kaya has the most powerful activated ability with the worst passive, so to balance [[proliferate]] in the format requires two proliferates for another activation.
** Kiora and Huatli are designed in reverse, with draft-around passives, so their high loyalty is to give them longevity, with activated abilities as minor upsides.
** Arlinn sits in the middle, with the activated ability, passive ability, and high mana value going towards a strong uncommon proliferate payoff, balanced by the fact that she requires three turns to maximize loyalty value, with the first activation giving an under-curve creature.
* <c>Nissa Revane</c>, <c>Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded</c>, <c>Kiora, the Crashing Wave</c>, <c>Mu Yanling, Sky Dancer</c>, <c>Kasmina, Enigma Sage</c> and <c>Rowan, Scholar of Sparks</c> have the fewest loyalty counters (two) when they come onto the battlefield.
* <c>Nissa, Steward of Elements</c> has a variable loyalty X from its mana cost. <c>Jeska, Thrice Reborn</c>enters with a number of loyalty counters equal to the number of times you've cast your commander from the command zone. {{Card|Dakkon, Shadow Slayer}} enters with loyalty equal to the number of lands. All three can enter with loyalty from zero to over seven.

==Storyline==
{{Main|Planeswalker (lore)}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Planeswalker symbol.svg||Unused planeswalker symbol meant for [[Timeshifted#Timeshifted in Future Sight|future-shifted]] cards
File:PD.svg||Desparked symbol for Planeswalkers who have lost their spark.
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [[Brady Dommermuth]]. (August 16, 2007.) [https://web.archive.org/web/20080509092821/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/planeswalkers/week1 "You Are a Planeswalker"], [[magicthegathering.com]], Wizards of the Coast. (Internet Archive snapshot)
* {{DailyRef|playtesting-planeswalkers-2007-10-19|Playtesting Planeswalkers|[[Erik Lauer]]|October 19, 2007}}
* {{DailyRef|planeswalker-enchantment-art-2007-10-22|Planeswalker Enchantment Art|Wizards of the Coast|October 22, 2007}}
* {{DailyRef|nineteen-principles-developing-planeswalkers-2007-10-26|The Nineteen Principles for Developing Planeswalkers|[[Devin Low]]|October 26, 2007}}
* {{DailyRef|savor-flavor/planeswalkers-unmasked-2007-10-24|Planeswalkers Unmasked|[[Doug Beyer]]|October 24, 2007}}
* {{DailyRef|feature/planeswalkers-and-written-page-2008-06-04|Planeswalkers and the Written Page|[[Doug Beyer]]|June 04, 2008}}
* {{DailyRef|feature/you-are-planeswalker-2008-07-25|You Are a Planeswalker|Wizards of the Coast|July 25, 2008}}
* {{DailyRef|latest-developments/kill-planeswalker-2009-01-08|To Kill a Planeswalker|[[Tom LaPille]]|January 09, 2009}}
* {{DailyRef|savor-flavor/planeswalking-conflict-2009-03-18|Planeswalking into Conflict|[[Doug Beyer]]|March 18, 2009}}
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAsHKD9scQo "A Planeswalker's Primer for Conflux: Planeswalkers"] {{Em}} YouTube
* {{DailyRef|savor-flavor/planeswalker-potpourri-2010-05-19|Planeswalker Potpourri|[[Doug Beyer]]|May 19, 2010}}
* {{DailyRef|savor-flavor/slime-trials-and-inner-garruk-2010-08-25|Slime, Trials, and the Inner Garruk|[[Adam Lee]]|August 25, 2010}}
* {{DailyRef|savor-flavor/bloodthirsty-chef-2011-08-03|The Bloodthirsty Chef|[[Doug Beyer]]|August 03, 2011}}
* {{DailyRef|savor-flavor/six-ways-fail-creative-endeavors-2011-11-09|Six Ways to Fail at Creative Endeavors|[[Doug Beyer]]|November 09, 2011}}
* {{DailyRef|making-magic/checking-planeswalkers-2014-06-17|Checking in on the Planeswalkers|[[Doug Beyer]]|June 17, 2014}}
* {{DailyRef|beyond-basics/walkership-down-2017-01-26|Walkership Down|[[Gavin Verhey]]|January 26, 2017}}
* {{DailyRef|beyond-basics/death-planeswalkers-2017-06-29|Death to Planeswalkers|[[Gavin Verhey]]|June 29, 2017}}
* {{DailyRef|making-magic/planeswalking-down-memory-lane-2018-07-23|Planeswalking Down Memory Lane|[[Mark Rosewater]]|July 23, 2018}}
* {{YouTubeRef|QrjQSycSnSw|War of the Spark - Mechanic Spotlight: Planeswalkers {{!}} Magic}}

{{Planeswalker|state=collapsed}}
{{Card types|state=collapsed}}
{{CR Navbox|300}}
[[Category:Planeswalkers| ]]