Pithing Needle & PlanesWalkers
Asked by SiezeFire 11 years ago
Does PithingNeedle Make PlanesWalkers Abilities Useless??
Pithing Needle will keep any planeswalker (that you've named) from activating it's abilities.
So yes, Pithing Needle stops planeswalkers, and any card with an activated ability.
October 20, 2013 11:02 a.m.
Notable Exceptions:
Koth of the Hammer
's -2 ability
Xenagos, The Reveler
's +1 ability
These are both mana abilities, and so aren't stopped by a Pithing Needle
October 20, 2013 11:03 a.m.
Also Garruk Relentless Flip 's transform clause is a state-triggered ability and he will transform regardless of whether or not a Pithing Needle is naming him. Garruk, the Veil-Cursed Flip will be able to use his abilities, even if a Pithing Needle is naming Garruk Relentless Flip
October 20, 2013 11:10 a.m.
Absinthman says... #5
@Devonin: That's incorrect. Those abilities aren't mana abilities because for an ability to be considered a mana ability, it must not be a loyalty ability. See the rule below for reference:
605.1a An activated ability is a mana ability if it meets three criteria: it doesn't have a target, it could put mana into a player's mana pool when it resolves, and it's not a loyalty ability. (See rule 606, "Loyalty Abilities.")
October 20, 2013 11:32 a.m.
Actually, mana abilities are specifically defined as non-loyalty abilities, so neither of those are mana abilities, and would be stopped by Pithing Needle.
October 20, 2013 11:34 a.m.
GoblinsInc says... #7
Actually Devonin, a loyalty aility is never a mana ability. Both Koth's and Xenagos' mana generating loyalty abilities would be stopped by pithing needle.
605.1a. An activated ability is a mana ability if it meets three criteria: it doesn't have a target, it could put mana into a player's mana pool when it resolves, and it's not a loyalty ability. (See rule 606, "Loyalty Abilities.")
October 20, 2013 11:35 a.m.
Okay, then the version of the comprehensive rules I looked up for this is woefully out of date. My bad.
Yup. February 2009. Awesome.
October 20, 2013 11:36 a.m.
The clause at the time said
"A mana ability is either (a) an activated ability without a target that could put mana into a players mana pool when it resolves or (b) a triggered ability without a target that triggers from a mana ability and could produce additional mana. A mana ability can generate other effects at the same time it produces mana. "
October 20, 2013 11:36 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #11
@SiezeFire: Please don't capitalize every word. It makes reading your post unnecessarily difficult.
October 20, 2013 2:38 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #12
Notice the Feb-2009 clause is from before Koth of the Hammer was printed. The rules about mana abilities had to be updated to account for him, specifically.
Devonin says... Accepted answer #1
Loyalty abilities of Planeswalkers are activated abilities, and so are stopped by Pithing Needle
Of course, you need to name a specific card, so only PWs of the exact named kind are stopped by a given Pithing Needle (Ie: You name "Jace, the Mindsculptor" and Jace, Memory Adept works perfectly fine.
October 20, 2013 11 a.m.