Pithing Needle and planeswalkers
Asked by Red-Skull 9 years ago
can you target a planeswalker with Pithing Needle ?
BboyGeologic says... #2
excuse the typo. I meant to say: An activated ability IS any ability...
July 18, 2014 12:34 a.m.
so if an ability has no cost does that make it an activated ability?
July 18, 2014 12:41 a.m.
BboyGeologic says... #4
Activated abilities are only abilities that follow the "cost : (Colon) effect" formula.
Ex:
Tap : Target creature gains flying.
or in the case of a planeswalker
-3 : Target creature gains flying and double strike until end of turn.
Anything before the " : " is the cost and anything after the " : " is the effect.
July 18, 2014 12:57 a.m.
GJTanner87 says... #5
Planeswalker abilities that have no loyalty increase or decrease (Jace, the Mind Sculptor or Chandra, Pyromaster ) are still activated abilities
July 18, 2014 3:30 a.m.
Activated abilities are in the format cost : effect , and if the cost is nothing then it will either show a 0 loyalty counter change or a mana cost of "0" (for example, Haunted Plate Mail ). Even though the cost is nothing, it has a cost.
Planeswalker abilities are activated abilities (with the loyalty counter change as their cost). They get stopped by Pithing Needle , including abilities such as Xenagos, The Reveler 's +1 ability, because loyalty abilities are never mana abilities.
BboyGeologic says... Accepted answer #1
Pithing Needle doesn't target, but yes, you can name Planeswalkers with it.
An activated ability it any ability that has "cost : effect". When it comes to Planeswalkers adding or removing loyalty is the cost and then what comes after the : is the effect.
July 18, 2014 12:32 a.m.