Playing the same planeswalker twice
Asked by Orfevator 8 years ago
Recently, while playing with one of my friend, he casted a Liliana Vess planeswalker followed by a second copy. He then proceeded to transfer all counters from the first to the second one before sacrificing it, stating that it was like that in the rules and allowing him to ultimate the planeswalker. Being relatively new to the game, I did not object, but I find this play shady.
In this case, when the second planeswalker enters the battlefield, would he rather be forced to sacrifice one of them without being allowed to transfer the loyalty counters?
Raging_Squiggle says... Accepted answer #2
Planeswalker Uniqueness is a rule that restricts the control of 2 or more planeswalkers of the same name. Their names are in the type line as the subtype for the planeswalkers. (I.e. Ajani, Caller of the Pride and Ajani, Mentor of Heroes).
If 2 or more planeswalkers with the same name are on the battlefield controlled by the same player, that player must choose one and put all others into their owner's graveyard(s) as a state based action. They are not destroyed, they are not sacrificed, and this cannot be responded to.
No where in the Comprehensive Rules does it say you "move" the counters from one planeswalker to another of the same name. Unless otherwise stated or altered by abilities/effects, planeswalkers enter the battlefield with loyalty counters on them equal to the number on the bottom right corner of the card itself.
May 17, 2016 2:47 a.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #3
Let's not jump straight to "cheating" or "shadiness". Your friend may have just been taught how to play incorrectly. Either way, that's not how planeswalkers work. Nothing in the game rules allows for transferring loyalty counters between planeswalkers in this way. If a player controls more than one planeswalker of the same type then they choose one to keep and put the rest of them into the graveyard. That's it.
zandl says... #1
Your friend's a cheater.
From Wizards:
"For example, the Chandra, Pyromaster card reads "Planeswalker Chandra" on the type line. If a player controls two or more Planeswalkers that share the Chandra subtype (i.e. Chandra Ablaze; Chandra Nalaar; or Chandra, the Firebrand), that player chooses one to keep and puts the rest into their owners' graveyards."
Can't look up the exact rule right now (as I'm on my phone and that would be horrible), but you can Google "Planeswalker uniqueness rule" and read it all for yourself.
Also, unless there is an effect that explicitly says otherwise (i.e. Oath of Gideon or Doubling Season), Planeswalkers always enter the battlefield with a number of loyalty counters equal to the number in their loyalty box.
May 17, 2016 2:37 a.m. Edited.