How does Deathtouch affect planeswalkers?

How Does Deathtouch Affect Planeswalkers?

Deathtouch is a keyword ability that is often found on creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It has a simple effect: when a creature with deathtouch deals combat damage to a creature or player, that creature or player is destroyed. But what about planeswalkers? Do they fall under the purview of deathtouch as well? Let’s dive into the rules and find out.

Direct Answer

To start, let’s get the direct answer out of the way: planeswalkers are not creatures, and therefore, Deathtouch does not affect them. This means that a creature with deathtouch will not destroy a planeswalker when it deals damage to it.

Why are planeswalkers not affected by Deathtouch?

Planeswalkers are a unique type of card in Magic: The Gathering. They are not creatures, but rather powerful, legendary beings that have the ability to transform and manipulate the game state. Because they are not creatures, they do not have the same rules and interactions as creatures, including Deathtouch.

How do planeswalkers take damage?

Planescwalkers can take damage in two ways: directly and indirectly.

• Directly: When a planeswalker is dealt damage directly, it loses loyalty counters equal to the amount of damage it takes. For example, if a planeswalker with 4 loyalty is dealt 2 damage, it would lose 2 loyalty counters, leaving it with 2 loyalty.
• Indirectly: When a planeswalker is dealt damage indirectly, such as through a spell or ability that deals damage to it, it also loses loyalty counters equal to the amount of damage it takes.

Can Deathtouch affect planeswalkers indirectly?

While Deathtouch cannot affect planeswalkers directly, it can still affect them indirectly. For example, if a creature with deathtouch deals combat damage to a planeswalker-controlled creature, the planeswalker would lose loyalty counters equal to the amount of damage the creature took. However, this is still an indirect effect, and not a direct result of the Deathtouch ability.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Deathtouch does not affect planeswalkers directly. They are not creatures, and therefore, do not fall under the purview of the Deathtouch ability. While planeswalkers can take damage indirectly through Deathtouch, this is not a direct result of the ability. Instead, it is an indirect consequence of the damage being dealt to a planeswalker-controlled creature.

Key Takeaways

• Planeswalkers are not creatures and are not affected by Deathtouch.
• Planeswalkers can take damage directly or indirectly.
• Deathtouch can affect planeswalkers indirectly by dealing damage to a planeswalker-controlled creature.

Common Questions

• Can a planeswalker be destroyed by Deathtouch?
  • No, planeswalkers are not affected by Deathtouch.
• Can Deathtouch deal damage to a planeswalker?
  • No, Deathtouch can only deal damage to creatures or players.
• Can a planeswalker take damage from Deathtouch?
  • Yes, a planeswalker can take damage indirectly from Deathtouch if a creature with Deathtouch deals damage to a planeswalker-controlled creature.

Example Table

Note: This table is for illustration purposes only and is not meant to be a comprehensive summary of the rules.