Does Trample Work on Planeswalkers?
Trample does indeed work on Planeswalkers, allowing any excess damage that exceeds the Planeswalker’s loyalty to be assigned to the defending player, but it’s crucial to understand the specific rules and interactions involved in such scenarios, especially considering trample is a keyword ability that changes the rules for assigning damage in the Combat Damage Step. The process of assigning damage to a Planeswalker with trample involves first dealing damage to the Planeswalker equal to its loyalty, and then any remaining damage can be assigned to the defending player.
Understanding Trample and Planeswalkers
To delve deeper into how trample works with Planeswalkers, it’s essential to grasp both concepts separately before exploring their interaction. Trample is a keyword ability that allows creatures to deal excess damage to the defending player if they are blocked by a creature with insufficient toughness to absorb all the damage. On the other hand, Planeswalkers are permanent cards that can be attacked directly and have loyalty, which decreases as they take damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can Attacks on Planeswalkers be Blocked?
No, attacks on Planeswalkers cannot be blocked in the traditional sense that attacks on players cannot be blocked. However, creatures can be used to defend Planeswalkers by blocking the attacking creatures and thus preventing them from dealing damage directly to the Planeswalker.
2. Does Deathtouch Work on Planeswalkers?
Deathtouch does not work on Planeswalkers because Deathtouch is a static ability that causes any creature dealt damage by a source with Deathtouch to be destroyed, but Planeswalkers are not creatures.
3. Can You Fireball a Planeswalker?
You cannot directly target a Planeswalker with Fireball, but you can target the Planeswalker’s controller and then redirect the damage to the Planeswalker when Fireball resolves.
4. How Do You Damage Planeswalkers?
Planeswalkers can be damaged by attacking them with creatures or by redirecting damage from spells and abilities that target the player controlling the Planeswalker.
5. Does Trample Stop Deathtouch?
Trample does not stop Deathtouch from working, but if a creature with trample is blocked by a creature with Deathtouch, the trample creature will still deal lethal damage to the blocking creature, and any excess damage can be assigned to the defending player.
6. Can Planeswalkers Be Destroyed?
Yes, Planeswalkers can be destroyed by reducing their loyalty to zero, which can happen through combat damage or damage from spells and abilities.
7. Does Indestructible Prevent Deathtouch?
Yes, indestructible creatures are immune to Deathtouch because Deathtouch destroys creatures, and indestructible creatures cannot be destroyed.
8. Can You Play Two Planeswalkers at the Same Time?
Yes, there is no limit to the number of Planeswalker permanents you can control, but you cannot control two or more Planeswalkers with the same name.
9. Does Double Strike Beat Deathtouch?
Creatures with double strike can deal damage before creatures with Deathtouch in the combat damage step, allowing them to potentially kill a creature with Deathtouch before it can deal lethal damage back.
10. Does +1 Counter Work on Planeswalkers?
No, +1/+1 counters or -1/-1 counters do not affect a Planeswalker’s loyalty, but they can be placed on a Planeswalker that has become a creature.
11. Can Lightning Bolt Hit Planeswalkers?
Lightning Bolt can target Planeswalkers directly, dealing damage to them and reducing their loyalty.
12. What Happens if a Planeswalker is Attacked?
If a Planeswalker is attacked, it will lose loyalty equal to the damage it receives, and if its loyalty is reduced to zero, it is put into the graveyard.
13. Does Trample Roll Over Deathtouch?
Yes, trample can roll over Deathtouch if the creature with trample has enough power to kill the creature with Deathtouch and still have excess damage to assign to the defending player.
14. Can You Terror a Planeswalker?
Terror and similar effects cannot directly target Planeswalkers because they are not creatures, but effects that allow targeting Planeswalkers or players can be used to affect Planeswalkers indirectly.
15. Are Planeswalkers Being Phased Out?
The concept of Planeswalkers continues to evolve, with some Planeswalkers being phased out or changed, especially following the Phyrexian storyline, but Planeswalkers remain a core part of Magic: The Gathering.