Planeswalker is a new card type. Planeswalkers are powerful allies you can call on to fight by your side. But how do they work? What follows is the planeswalker section of the upcoming Lorwyn FAQ.

You can play a planeswalker only at the time you could play a sorcery. A planeswalker is a permanent, so when a planeswalker spell resolves, it comes into play under your control. Any spell or ability that affects a permanent (for example, "destroy target permanent") can affect a planeswalker. Note that planeswalkers aren't creatures; if a card says it affects a creature, it won't affect a planeswalker.

Planeswalker Subtypes

Each planeswalker has a subtype. For example, Garruk Wildspeaker says "Planeswalker -- Garruk" on its type line. These subtypes are also called planeswalker types. These are not creature types; they're an independent list.

• If two or more planeswalkers that share a subtype are in play, they're all put into their owners' graveyards as a state-based effect.

Planeswalker Loyalty

Loyalty is a characteristic only planeswalkers have. Each planeswalker has a loyalty number printed in the lower right corner of the card. This isn't a power or toughness -- it's a new value.

 

• A planeswalker comes into play with a number of loyalty counters on it equal to its loyalty number. While a planeswalker is in play, its loyalty is equal to the number of loyalty counters on it, and its printed loyalty number is ignored.

 

• Damage dealt to a planeswalker results in that many loyalty counters being removed from it; see "Dealing Damage to Planeswalkers" below.

 

• Playing an ability of a planeswalker causes it to gain or lose loyalty; see "Planeswalker Abilities" below. As a planeswalker loses loyalty, that many loyalty counters are removed from it. As a planeswalker gains loyalty, that many additional counters are put onto it.

 

• If a planeswalker's loyalty is 0, it's put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based effect.

 

• While a planeswalker card isn't in play, its loyalty is equal to the number printed in its lower right corner.

Planeswalker Abilities

Each planeswalker in the Lorwyn set has three activated abilities. These abilities have specific restrictions that aren't spelled out on the card, and their costs use a new symbol.

 

• An ability of a planeswalker may be played only by that planeswalker's controller, and only any time he or she could play a sorcery. A player may play a planeswalker's ability the turn it enters play. A player may not play a planeswalker's ability if any of its abilities have been played already that turn. In other words, you're limited to one ability from each of your planeswalkers during your turn.

 

• The cost to play a planeswalker's ability is represented by an arrow with a number inside. Up-arrows contain positive numbers, such as "+3"; this means "Put three loyalty counters on this planeswalker." Down-arrows contain negative numbers, such as "-1"; this means "Remove one loyalty counter from this planeswalker." You can't play a planeswalker's ability with a negative loyalty cost unless the planeswalker has at least that many loyalty counters on it.

Planeswalkers in Combat

Planeswalkers aren't creatures, so they can't attack or block. However, planeswalkers can be attacked.

As the declare attackers step begins, if the defending player controls a planeswalker, the active player declares who or what each attacking creature is attacking: the defending player or one of that player's planeswalkers. All the attacking creatures may attack the same thing, or they may attack different things. If the defending player controls multiple planeswalkers, any or all of them can be attacked during the same combat phase.

As the declare blockers step begins, the defending player declares which creatures he or she controls (if any) are blocking the attacking creatures. The blocking creatures don't care who or what the attackers are attacking.

During the combat damage step, damage from unblocked creatures attacking the defending player, damage from blocked creatures, and damage from blocking creatures is assigned and dealt as normal. Unblocked creatures that are attacking a planeswalker assign and deal their combat damage to that planeswalker, which causes that many loyalty counters to be removed from it. Planeswalkers, like players, don't deal combat damage.

 

• If a creature with trample is attacking a planeswalker and is blocked, the attacker must assign lethal damage to each blocker, and may assign excess damage to the planeswalker. However, a creature with trample that's attacking a planeswalker can't "trample over" that planeswalker and assign combat damage to the defending player.

 

• If a planeswalker leaves play or changes controllers, it's removed from combat and stops being attacked. However, a creature that was attacking that planeswalker isn't removed from combat -- it continues to attack. It may be blocked. If it isn't blocked, it remains an attacking creature but assigns no damage during the combat damage step. If it is blocked, it will deal damage to any creature blocking it as normal. If the attacker has trample, the trample ability has no effect because there's nothing for the creature to assign excess damage to.

 

• In the Two-Headed Giant multiplayer variant, a creature can attack the defending team or attack a planeswalker controlled by either member of that team. A creature attacking a planeswalker can be blocked by creatures controlled by either member of the defending team, not just creatures controlled by the planeswalker's controller.

Dealing Damage to Planeswalkers

If a source you control would deal noncombat damage to an opponent, you may have that source deal that damage to a planeswalker that opponent controls instead. This is a redirection effect: you choose whether to redirect the damage as the redirection effect is applied, and it's subject to the normal rules for ordering replacement effects. The player affected by the damage chooses the order in which to apply such effects, but the controller of the source of the damage chooses whether the damage is redirected. Note that this redirection can't be applied to combat damage.

 

• For example, although you can't target a planeswalker with Shock, you can target your opponent with Shock, and then as Shock resolves, choose to have Shock deal its 2 damage to one of your opponent's planeswalkers. If you do, two loyalty counters are removed from that planeswalker.

 

• You can't choose to split the damage between a player and a planeswalker. In the Shock example above, you couldn't have Shock deal 1 damage to the player and 1 damage to the planeswalker.

 

• If a source you control would deal damage to you, you can't have that source deal that damage to one of your planeswalkers instead.

 

• In a Two-Headed Giant game, damage that would be dealt to a player can't be redirected to a planeswalker his or her teammate controls.