Able To Harm Spells That Aim At Planeswalkers?

Planeswalkers are a unique type of permanent spell in Magic with special rules. They have a name, mana cost, and type, but they are not considered players. Some spells can target planeswalkers directly, like Dreadbore, while others like Lightning Bolt can target players. When casting a burn spell, the choice is “target creature” or “target player”. A planeswalker can be attacked like a player or be damaged by an opponent’s spell or ability. Any damage dealt to planeswalkers removes loyalty counters, and a planeswalker with no loyalty counters goes to the graveyard.

Spells and abilities can only target plainswalkers if they say either “target planeswalker” or “target permanent”. However, noncombat damage dealt to a player by a source can be directed to planeswalkers. Starting with the Dominaria set, this rule was replaced, and now individual spells tell you whether or not they can target planeswalkers.

Planeswalkers can be protected with counterspells or by using creatures you control to block attacks. Some planeswalkers can summon creatures that can block and protect them or have abilities that can. When a player moves to combat, they can send some of their creatures to attack the planeswalker, damaging its loyalty.

A spell can only target what it says it can target, and planeswalkers are not players. However, if the spell does damage to a target player, your friend can redirect that damage to a planeswalker they control.

In Magic: The Gathering, a player can use a damage-dealing spell to target a planeswalker without needing the word “planeswalker” in its text. Planeswalkers are not considered opponents, but if the card reads “any number of targets”, they can be targeted.

How does damage work with planeswalkers?

Planeswalkers are creatures with loyalty counters, which can be attacked or dealt damage by an opponent. Damage dealt to a planeswalker removes loyalty counters, while those without are put in the graveyard. They typically have three abilities: adding loyalty counters for a small benefit, removing small counters for a larger effect, and removing a large number of counters for a big effect. The last effect, known as the planeswalker’s “ultimate” ability, leaves the opponent devastated.

The starting loyalty of a planeswalker is typically lower than its ultimate cost, and players must build up loyalty to access it. Most planeswalkers have three abilities, each with a positive or negative number next to it.

Can burn spells target planeswalkers?

The text states that a player can target a planeswalker and redirect noncombat damage to it, but this is a redirection effect. The opponent can have the source deal the damage to a planeswalker the first player controls instead, subject to the normal rules for ordering replacement effects. The opponent can choose whether to redirect the damage as the redirection effect is applied. Technically, the answer should be no, as the planeswalker is not targeted unless the spell says so.

Can damage be redirected to planeswalkers?

If you deal noncombat damage to an opponent, you can redirect that damage to a planeswalker they control instead. This doesn’t matter how the effect identifies the opponent; only that the damage would be dealt to an opponent. For example, casting a shock at a player for two but redirecting the damage to a planeswalker for -2 loyalty counters would trigger Guttersnipe, triggering the effect and redirecting at the planeswalker to kill an initial 4 loyalty counter planeswalker. This is related to the ability on Satyr Firedancer, as a planeswalker is considered an opponent.

Can planeswalkers be targeted by spells?

Magic offers numerous removal spells that can target Planeswalkers, including instant-speed spells like Swift End and permanent spells like Dovin’s Veto. However, it may be futile to use a removal spell on a Planeswalker after the opponent has already benefitted from its abilities. Counterspells like Negate and Dovin’s Veto can prevent Planeswalkers from entering the battlefield. It’s important to focus on reducing the opponent’s life total or milling their library instead of ignoring their strongest card, as they cannot activate their Planeswalkers if they’ve already lost the game.

Does Deathtouch work on planeswalkers?

Deathtouch is a powerful move that results in the loss of one life point for each opponent and the gain of one life point for the player who controls a creature with deathtouch. Furthermore, it enables the destruction of a planeswalker in the event that damage is inflicted upon it.

Can you block damage going to a planeswalker?

It is not possible to block with a planeswalker unless the attacking creature possesses a specific attribute, such as Gideons or a creature with the Luxior or Giada’s Gift ability. Nevertheless, it is possible to block creatures that are attacking a planeswalker directly. The act of blocking is considered to be combat damage. However, in the event that a card inflicts combat damage upon a player, the damage inflicted upon the creature that is blocking does not contribute to the total combat damage.

Does a planeswalker with indestructible take damage?

The text posits that indestructible is a static ability. It states that permanents with indestructible properties cannot be destroyed and that multiple instances of indestructible on the same permanent are redundant. Furthermore, it disregards state-based actions for lethal damage.

Does indestructible work for planeswalkers?

Indestructible creatures accumulate damage and are removed during the cleanup step. Lethal damage is defined as an amount greater than or equal to a creature’s toughness, and it is used for assigning trample damage. If a creature with lethal damage stops being indestructible, it is destroyed the next time state-based actions are checked. Indestructible permanents can be exiled, returned to a player’s hand, put into a graveyard for having 0 or less toughness, or sacrificed.

A regeneration effect can be used on an indestructible permanent, but it does not apply unless it loses indestructibility before the end of the end step. Planeswalkers with indestructible will still have loyalty counters removed as they are dealt damage. If a planeswalker has no loyalty counters, it will still be put into its owner’s graveyard.

In most cases, indestructible becoming a keyword doesn’t represent a functional change. There are two exceptions: if a permanent was made indestructible by a resolving spell or ability, and then lost its abilities, it would still be indestructible. If a group of permanents were made indestructible by a resolving spell or ability, they would also be indestructible.

In summary, indestructible creatures accumulate damage and are removed during the cleanup step.

Can you direct damage to a planeswalker?

The Planeswalker redirection rule, introduced in Lorwyn with the introduction of the first Planeswalker cards, states that players cannot directly target a Planeswalker with damage-dealing spells. Instead, they must target a player and redirect the damage from that player to a Planeswalker they control. Wizards has acknowledged this rule as unintuitive, as they can attack Planeswalkers and target them with spells like Hero’s Downfall. The change was revealed during the MTG Arena reveal stream last September, with Lightning Strike now stating that it “deals 3 damage to any target”.

Aaron Forsythe, Senior Design Director at Wizards of the Coast, confirmed that this new wording was intentional and that Wizards plans to remove the Planeswalker redirection rule, allowing players to target Planeswalkers with damage like they do players and creatures. This change will have a dramatic impact on many existing cards, but the biggest questions are around cards that currently deal damage to “target player” or “each opponent”.

Does Deathtouch bypass indestructible?

In contrast to creatures with deathtouch, indestructible creatures are incapable of being destroyed, rendering them invulnerable to damage. A Darksteel Myr is capable of withstanding an Ambush Viper attack indefinitely without sustaining any adverse effects.

Can lightning helix target planeswalkers?

The Lightning Helix is a versatile card that can kill creatures, burn planeswalkers, hit an opponent, and save life. It has been used in over a hundred games and is often used like a 2 mana lightning bolt. While the 3 life gain is nice, it’s usually a small effect. However, it’s fun to get hit by a lightning bolt and then hit that player back with a lightning helix, as it can potentially win the game.