When Can You Tick a Planeswalker? A Comprehensive Guide to Planeswalker Abilities in Magic: The Gathering

The question of when you can activate, or “tick,” a Planeswalker’s ability in Magic: The Gathering is a cornerstone of understanding these powerful card types. Simply put, you can activate a loyalty ability of a Planeswalker you control only during your main phase when the stack is empty and you have priority, provided you haven’t activated any of that Planeswalker’s abilities already this turn. This activation occurs at sorcery speed. This means you can only use their abilities on your turn, not on your opponent’s turn or during combat (unless some effect gives you additional activations). Let’s delve deeper into the specifics and nuances of Planeswalker ability activation.

Understanding Planeswalker Abilities

Loyalty Abilities: The Heart of a Planeswalker

Planeswalkers are defined by their loyalty abilities. Each Planeswalker card features a set of activated abilities that can be used to influence the game. These abilities come in three forms: plus abilities (indicated by a + symbol, adding loyalty counters), minus abilities (indicated by a – symbol, removing loyalty counters), and zero abilities (indicated by a 0, potentially adding or removing loyalty counters, or doing neither).

The cost to activate these abilities is represented by the number in the box next to the symbol. This number indicates the number of loyalty counters that must be added or removed as part of activating the ability. If a Planeswalker’s loyalty reaches zero, it is immediately put into its owner’s graveyard.

Sorcery Speed Restrictions

The core restriction on activating Planeswalker abilities is that they can only be activated at sorcery speed. This means you must have priority during one of your main phases, and the stack must be empty. You cannot activate a Planeswalker ability in response to another spell or ability.

One Ability Per Turn

You can activate a loyalty ability of a Planeswalker only once per turn. Even if you have multiple main phases, or ways to untap the Planeswalker (though it doesn’t tap to activate its abilities) , you are still restricted to using only one of its abilities each turn. However, some cards, like The Chain Veil, allow you to bypass this restriction.

Strategic Considerations

Understanding the timing of Planeswalker ability activation is crucial for strategic play. Consider the following scenarios:

• Deploying and Activating: You can cast a Planeswalker and immediately activate one of its loyalty abilities on the same turn it enters the battlefield. This allows for immediate impact and board control.
• Choosing the Right Ability: Carefully evaluate the board state before activating a Planeswalker’s ability. Consider whether adding loyalty, removing threats, or generating value is the most advantageous play.
• Protecting Your Planeswalker: Planeswalkers can be vulnerable to attack and removal spells. Consider how you can protect your Planeswalker after activating its ability, whether by creating blockers or playing defensive spells.

FAQs: Diving Deeper into Planeswalker Activation

Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the rules and interactions surrounding Planeswalker ability activation.

1. Can Planeswalker abilities be used the turn they enter the battlefield? Yes. Just remember that Planeswalker abilities can only be activated at sorcery speed (on your turn when the stack is empty).
2. Can Planeswalkers be tapped? Does tapping affect their abilities? Planeswalkers don’t have any inherent ability to become tapped. Tapping them with something like Dream’s Grip does not inherently affect them. Since Planeswalkers don’t tap to use their abilities, tapping them does not affect their loyalty abilities.
3. When can you activate Planeswalker loyalty abilities? You may activate one loyalty ability per Planeswalker per turn any time you could cast a sorcery, including during the turn you resolve a Planeswalker card. If you have several Planeswalkers in play, you may activate one ability on each.
4. What are the specific conditions required to activate loyalty abilities? 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.
5. Can you blink a Planeswalker and activate it again in the same turn? Yes, you can use a Planeswalker’s ability, then flicker it (exile it and return it to the battlefield) and use its ability again that same turn. Once it leaves play, it’s treated as a new permanent.
6. What cards let you activate Planeswalker abilities twice in one turn? The most common card is The Chain Veil. Each additional time The Chain Veil’s last ability resolves will allow you to activate a loyalty ability of each Planeswalker you control an additional time.
7. How does Planeswalker loyalty work? Each of the Planeswalker’s loyalty abilities is an activated ability, with the plus or minus numbers on the left being the “cost”. For most Planeswalkers, you increase their loyalty by repeatedly using their “plus” abilities. You can only use PW abilities at sorcery speed, and only once per turn.
8. Can non-Planeswalkers activate Planeswalker abilities? A loyalty ability of a permanent can still be activated even if that permanent isn’t a planeswalker. But even so, in general, only one loyalty ability of a permanent can be activated in a turn, and only once that turn (C.R. 606.3). This is generally only relevant with cards that allow other permanents to gain loyalty abilities.
9. What happens when a Planeswalker reaches 0 loyalty? A Planeswalker with 0 loyalty is put into its owner’s graveyard. This is a state-based effect that is checked continuously.
10. Can you have two Planeswalkers out at the same time? What about with the same name? Yes, but Planeswalkers have their own version of the Legend rule. You cannot have multiple copies of the same Planeswalker, even if they are different cards. So, you can’t have two cards that have the type “Jace” for instance, but you can have as many different Planeswalkers in play as you can cast. However, you can have two Planeswalkers out with the same first name, as long as their full names are different (e.g., “Garruk, Unleashed” and “Garruk, Cursed Huntsman”).
11. Does Deathtouch work on Planeswalkers? No, Deathtouch is a static ability that causes 1 point of damage of the source with deathtouch to kill any creature it deals damage to (unless that creature is indestructible). This does not apply to Planeswalkers, because they are not creatures. You’ll need an additional ability like that of Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence , which explicitly redirects Deathtouch damage to Planeswalkers.
12. Does giving a Planeswalker indestructible prevent it from going to the graveyard when it has 0 loyalty? Giving a planeswalker indestructible will stop it being destroyed it will not stop it going to the graveyard when state based actions are checked and see a planeswalker with zero loyalty, nor will it stop him losing loyalty when he takes damage. Indestructible only prevents destruction effects; a Planeswalker going to the graveyard due to having 0 loyalty is a state-based action.
13. Does copying a Planeswalker ability add loyalty? You may copy a planeswalker’s ability. Doing so won’t affect the planeswalker’s loyalty because raising or lowering its loyalty is part of the cost of the ability, not part of its effect. The copy simply duplicates the effect of the ability.
14. Can you proliferate Planeswalkers? Yes. Proliferate allows you to 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. You can use proliferate to add loyalty counters to your Planeswalkers.
15. Do Planeswalkers have summoning sickness? No, Planeswalkers do not have summoning sickness. You may activate a Planeswalker’s loyalty abilities on the same turn you play it. For instance, you can play Liliana of the Veil and immediately use the “-2: Target player sacrifices a creature” ability.

Conclusion

Mastering the timing and strategic use of Planeswalker abilities is essential for success in Magic: The Gathering. By understanding the rules surrounding sorcery speed activation, loyalty costs, and turn-based restrictions, you can maximize the impact of these powerful cards and gain a competitive edge. Further, engaging with resources such as those provided by the Games Learning Society can enhance your understanding of game mechanics and strategy. To learn more about games and education, please visit GamesLearningSociety.org.