Is hitting a planeswalker combat damage?

Is Hitting a Planeswalker Combat Damage?

In the game of Magic: The Gathering, planeswalkers are a unique card type that can be both attacked and defended against by opponents. But what constitutes "combat damage" for a planeswalker? And does the concept of planeswalker "hitting" even make sense?

Answer: No

According to the Comprehensive Rulebook, an unblocked creature assigns its combat damage to the player or planeswalker it’s attacking. If it’s not blocked, it then deals combat damage to the player or planeswalker it’s attacking during the combat damage step [1].

Key Term: Combat Damage

Combat damage is not directly related to planewalker "hitting". Planeswalkers do not have a toughness value and are not subjected to regular combat damage; instead, they have loyalty counters and can be damage through ability-based effects such as activated abilities or external damage from spells and attacks.

How Planeswalkers are Damaged

Damage to a planeswalker results in the destruction of that many loyalty counters. This can be further broken down into two broad categories: [2]:

Key Rules

The following rules regulate the application of damage to planeswalkers:

• Rule 510.1: A planeswalker can have loyalty counters or damage in excess of their loyalty; in such case, destroy that many planeswalker.

• Rule 117.5f: In the case that a planeswalker token with loyalty 3 is being attacked, there is an option to gain 1 life for an opponent at the cost of -1 loyalty.

From these definitions and rules, it’s clear that, there is no real concept of "hitting" a planeswalker to deal damage. However, to better understand, let’s explore some corner cases that may arise with regards to planeswalker destruction.

Corner Cases: Planeswalker Destruction Scenarios

1. Excess Damage Destruction: Planeswalker loses more damage than its available loyalty.

Example: planeswalker Liliana of the Veil has 7 loyalty but is attacked and receives 10 damage via Lightning Bolt ).

Outcomes: Destruction because the planeswalker cannot cover the excess 3 loyalty.

1. Loyalty Loss in Combat: After attacking or blocking, lose loyalty or gain life:

Example: planeswalker Hazoret has 5 loyalty and uses −4 on 1 opponent ( Hazoret’s Fury ) and, as a response, attacks an opponent losing 3 life and gaining a 5/5 legendary creature as a token):

Key Takeaways: In Magic: The Gathering, planeswalkers are distinct from creatures when it comes to combat; they neither attack nor have a "toughness" to be reduced or destroyed from combat damage directly.

Conclusion
Hitting a planeswalker is, in essence, a misguided concept. Placing direct combat damage isn’t something that occurs since planeswalkers don’t have any toughness value related to attacking or blocking scenarios. What matters is ensuring that each planeswalker doesn’t reach zero loyalty when destroyed because of damage by either its built-in abilities (-x) or via external causes like spells.