Unleash Your Planeswalkers: Mastering Multiple Activations
The card that most directly allows you to use planeswalker abilities twice in a single turn is Oath of Teferi. This enchantment grants you the ability to activate two loyalty abilities of planeswalkers you control each turn instead of just one. It’s a game-changer for planeswalker-heavy decks, unlocking powerful synergies and overwhelming your opponents with repeated strategic plays.
Understanding Oath of Teferi and its Impact
Oath of Teferi, a legendary enchantment from the Dominaria set, is a powerhouse in decks centered around planeswalkers. Its primary ability lets you activate two loyalty abilities of planeswalkers you control each turn. This effectively doubles your planeswalker output, accelerating your game plan and enabling devastating combinations. Furthermore, it provides a secondary benefit by giving your planeswalkers indestructible while you control it, protecting them from removal spells and combat damage. The combination of increased activations and enhanced protection makes Oath of Teferi a cornerstone card for any planeswalker strategy.
The strategic advantage that Oath of Teferi provides is immense. Consider a scenario with multiple planeswalkers on the battlefield. Ordinarily, you’d be limited to one ability per planeswalker each turn. But with Oath of Teferi, you can strategically double up on abilities, generating extra card draw, creating additional tokens, dealing twice the damage, or increasing your planeswalkers’ loyalty at a rapid pace. The card is not without its weaknesses. It is an enchantment, so it can be affected by enchantment removal. It also does not protect planeswalkers from being targeted by planeswalker removal spells.
For example, if you have Teferi, Hero of Dominaria and Jace, the Mind Sculptor in play, you could use Teferi’s +1 ability to draw a card and untap two lands, followed by his -3 ability to bounce a problematic permanent back to your opponent’s hand. Then, you could use Jace’s +2 ability to brainstorm, placing two cards from your hand on top of your library, and then use his 0 ability to fateseal your opponent, putting the top card of their library on the bottom of the deck. These combinations can be extremely powerful and difficult for your opponent to overcome. The card is a crucial piece in any superfriends deck.
Synergies and Deck Building
Oath of Teferi shines brightest in “Superfriends” decks – decks that focus on flooding the board with planeswalkers. These decks often employ strategies to protect their planeswalkers, such as counterspells and removal, while maximizing their value with cards like Oath of Teferi and Doubling Season. Other cards that synergize well with Oath of Teferi include:
- Doubling Season: This enchantment doubles the number of loyalty counters a planeswalker enters the battlefield with, making them more resilient and allowing you to use their powerful ultimate abilities sooner.
- The Chain Veil: While not as consistent, The Chain Veil, with sufficient mana, allows for additional planeswalker ability activations beyond the normal one (or two with Oath of Teferi). It offers explosive potential but can be mana intensive.
- Planeswalker-Specific Support: Cards that boost specific planeswalkers or their abilities, like Teferi, Time Raveler, further amplify the impact of Oath of Teferi.
Beyond Oath of Teferi: Indirect Methods
While Oath of Teferi directly grants you two activations, other cards can indirectly lead to multiple uses of planeswalker abilities in a single turn. These include:
- Flicker Effects: Cards that “flicker” (exile and then return) a planeswalker allow you to activate its ability again because it’s considered a new permanent entering the battlefield.
- Copy Effects: Copying a planeswalker ability doesn’t technically activate the original planeswalker again, but it effectively achieves a similar result.
- Cards Granting Instant-Speed Activations: Certain cards, like Teferi, Time Raveler’s emblem (obtained through his ultimate), can grant you the ability to activate loyalty abilities at instant speed, opening up tactical opportunities.
Planeswalker FAQ: Deep Dive into Loyalty and Abilities
Here’s a comprehensive FAQ to further your understanding of planeswalkers and their abilities:
Planeswalker Basics
1. Can I activate a planeswalker ability the turn it enters the battlefield?
Yes, you can activate a loyalty ability of a planeswalker the turn it enters the battlefield, provided you could cast a sorcery at that time (during your main phase, when the stack is empty).
2. What happens if a planeswalker reaches 0 loyalty?
A planeswalker with 0 loyalty is put into its owner’s graveyard as a state-based action. It’s essentially removed from the battlefield.
3. Can I activate multiple abilities of the same planeswalker in one turn?
Normally, no. You can only activate one loyalty ability of each planeswalker you control each turn. Oath of Teferi is a notable exception.
4. What does it mean to “proliferate” a planeswalker?
To proliferate, you choose any number of permanents and/or players that already have one or more counters of any kind on them. Then, for each type of counter on that permanent or player, you add one more of those counters to them. This includes loyalty counters on planeswalkers, effectively increasing their loyalty.
5. Can I use an ability that would put a planeswalker’s loyalty below 0?
Yes, you can activate an ability even if it would reduce the planeswalker’s loyalty to 0. The planeswalker will then be put into the graveyard as a state-based action after the ability resolves.
Planeswalker Interactions
6. Can I target a planeswalker with Lightning Bolt?
Yes, you can target a planeswalker with Lightning Bolt. Any spell or ability that targets “any target” can target a player, a creature or a planeswalker.
7. Does Deathtouch work on planeswalkers?
No, Deathtouch does not directly work on planeswalkers because they are not creatures. However, if a source with Deathtouch deals damage to a planeswalker, that damage will still reduce the planeswalker’s loyalty. Some cards like Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence are specifically designed to make Deathtouch damage affect planeswalkers.
8. Can I copy a planeswalker ability?
Yes, you can copy a planeswalker’s ability. However, copying the ability doesn’t affect the original planeswalker’s loyalty. Increasing or decreasing loyalty is part of the cost of activating the ability, not part of the effect.
9. Does Doubling Season double the effect of a planeswalker ability that adds loyalty counters?
No, Doubling Season only doubles the number of loyalty counters a planeswalker enters the battlefield with. It does not double the counters added by activating a loyalty ability.
10. What is the “Planeswalker Uniqueness Rule” (Legend Rule for Planeswalkers)?
The Planeswalker Uniqueness Rule, now integrated into the Legend Rule, states that if you control two or more planeswalkers with the exact same name (e.g., two copies of Jace Beleren), you must choose one and put the other into your graveyard. Note that planeswalkers with different names can coexist, even if they share a character (e.g., Jace Beleren and Jace, the Mind Sculptor).
Advanced Planeswalker Strategies
11. Can I “blink” a planeswalker to use its ability again?
Yes, you can “blink” a planeswalker using effects that exile it and then return it to the battlefield. When the planeswalker returns, it’s considered a new permanent, and you can activate one of its loyalty abilities that turn (assuming you haven’t already activated an ability of it that turn before it was blinked).
12. How does The Chain Veil interact with Oath of Teferi?
The Chain Veil allows you to activate loyalty abilities of planeswalkers you control an additional time for each time it resolves. If you have both The Chain Veil and Oath of Teferi, you could potentially activate three or more abilities of a single planeswalker in a turn, depending on how many times you can activate The Chain Veil’s ability.
13. If a planeswalker becomes a creature, can it still use loyalty abilities?
Yes, even if a planeswalker becomes a creature (through an ability like Gideon’s), it retains its planeswalker type and can still activate loyalty abilities as normal. However, it also becomes vulnerable to creature removal.
14. How do I protect my planeswalkers from being destroyed?
Protecting your planeswalkers is crucial for a successful Superfriends strategy. Common methods include:
- Counterspells: Prevent removal spells from resolving.
- Removal Spells: Clear the board of creatures that could attack your planeswalkers.
- Indestructibility Effects: Cards like Oath of Teferi grant indestructible, making your planeswalkers immune to destruction.
- Fog Effects: Prevent combat damage to your planeswalkers.
15. Can I activate planeswalker abilities at instant speed?
Normally, planeswalker abilities can only be activated any time you could cast a sorcery. However, some cards and effects, notably emblems granted by certain planeswalkers (like Teferi, Time Raveler), allow you to activate loyalty abilities at instant speed, adding a new dimension to your planeswalker strategy.
Conclusion: Mastering Planeswalker Domination
Oath of Teferi is the primary card that grants the significant advantage of activating two planeswalker abilities per turn, and the combination with similar cards can make your planeswalkers near unbeatable. By understanding the nuances of planeswalker rules and interactions, you can unlock the full potential of these powerful permanents and dominate the battlefield. Embrace the power of multiple activations, protect your loyal allies, and craft devastating synergies to achieve planeswalker mastery. You can discover more about strategic gameplay and learning through games by visiting the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.