Turning a planeswalker into an artifact, then animating with karn.

Asked by -Logician 8 years ago

If I use Liquimetal Coating, Mycosynth Lattice, or something else to turn a planeswalker into an artifact, then use Karn, Silver Golem to turn that artifact planeswalker, who still qualifies as a noncreature artifact into an artifact creature, does it stop being a planeswalker? Do its loyalty counters remain? Can it use its planeswalker abilities that turn?

My guess is that it is no longer a planeswalker until end of turn, and while it isn't a planeswalker, I can't use its planeswalker abilities, but I can use any other activated abilities it might have that aren't planeswalker abilities.

erabel says... Accepted answer #1

Short answer: You're wrong, it can still do walker-things.

Long answer: ...Basically the same thing. Karn, Silver Golem has a type-changing effect that doesn't specify that the artifact in question loses its other types and abilities, so it would still be able to do walker-y things. A type-changing effect that specifies losing other types would be something like Darksteel Mutation.

July 31, 2015 1:18 a.m.

-Logician says... #2

So Karn, Silver Golem's phrase, "Becomes an artifact creature," doesn't reset the types of the permanent to artifact and creature, and instead simply adds creature as one of the types? If so, that's where my interpretation was foggy. The word "becomes" feels like it would do a hard reset on the types.

July 31, 2015 1:22 a.m.

GoblinsInc says... #3

The latter half of this rule may help.

205.1b Some effects change an objects card type, supertype, or subtype but specify that the object retains a prior card type, supertype, or subtype. In such cases, all the objects prior card types, supertypes, and subtypes are retained. This rule applies to effects that use the phrase in addition to its types or that state that something is still a [type, supertype, or subtype]. Some effects state that an object becomes an artifact creature; these effects also allow the object to retain all of its prior card types and subtypes.

July 31, 2015 1:25 a.m.

This discussion has been closed