Jump to content

Planeswalker

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ChaoticHeavens (talk | contribs) at 10:35, 1 September 2013 (Fixed the deletions from 2013 June 05; added Theros gods, & Elspeth returning to Theros). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

In the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, a planeswalker is a mage with the ability to travel to different planes of existence.

Magic: The Gathering

In the fictional multiverse of the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game, a planeswalker is a powerful mage, able to travel across the planes of existence. All players are planeswalkers; non-player planeswalkers are described in Magic’s back-story (which is represented in novels, starter-deck inserts, online articles and card flavor text), and with Lorwyn the first Planeswalker cards were introduced. Planeswalkers have a near-monopoly on travel between and knowledge of the various planes, though other powers capable of opening portals between worlds do exist.

Only those with a rare and innate ability called the "planeswalker spark" can become planeswalkers. (The spark can be transferred from one being to another, but the process is highly dangerous and potentially fatal.) Only one individual in a million is given the spark. Even then, they must "ascend", which usually occurs spontaneously during a time of great stress (most common being a form of horrendous death, e.g., the sylex blast or its aftereffects). This ascension, as well as the extraordinary amount of power at their fingertips, drives almost all planeswalkers insane over time. In an attempt to prevent this, most planeswalkers are tutored by older ones. Wilders, or planeswalkers that decide to travel the multiverse untutored, exist (Ravidel) but are often extremely dangerous and sometimes utterly insane.

A planeswalker has complete control over his or her physical appearance, and does not physically need to eat, drink, sleep, or even breathe (although some, such as Urza, do these things to help preserve their sanity). Planeswalkers are very difficult to kill and can't die of natural causes, (such as being stabbed, or even dismembered). This is due to that fact that the Planeswalker's spark that is present within his or her brain is the source of the Planeswalker power. While the brain still exists, a Planeswalker still has the ability to traverse the many planes, can regenerate and shapeshift at will, and can stay alive for millennia upon millennia—and, of course, perform magical activity.

Due to their near-immortality which radically alters their perspectives and personalities, Planeswalkers rarely have relationships with non-Planeswalkers. They know, as soon as they meet someone, that they will outlive them, and that they will have to live with the loss. However, some Planeswalkers, such as Urza, may associate with mortals if he or she finds an advantage in doing so. Urza made two exceptions, one for Xantcha (an artificial Phyrexian human loyal to him), and Barrin the master wizard, who had learned to magically reverse and control his aging. Both Xantcha and Barrin eventually died, though not of old age.

During the Time Spiral cycle of novels (which includes Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, and Future Sight), a series of rifts in the actual fabric of multiverse has begun to cause havoc and apocalyptic destruction in many planes. Specifically in the plane of Dominaria, Planeswalkers have begun to seal those rifts to repair the rents in time and space, whether according to their will or not, by giving up their Planeswalker sparks (though it usually demotes them to the status of mortals or kills them outright)—called "mending." Though it seems that the worlds of the multiverse have begun to heal because of this mending, it is revealed that all the tears in the multiverse result from entropy due to world-scarring events such as the Dominarian Apocalypse, but also because of the Planeswalks of powerful Planeswalkers—which have gradually accumulated over time.

Thus, the creation of Planeswalker sparks has been irreversibly altered by the laws that govern the multiverse. The result is a new breed of Planeswalkers, sometimes called "neowalkers," "planescrawlers," or "jumpers" by fans because of their exponentially decreased powers. These new Planeswalkers can Planeswalk between the multiverse's many planes but do not have the other advantages of the old Planeswalkers. Though they have a small boost in power compared to other mages, the new Planeswalkers are no longer immortal and must rely on their own wizarding abilities, rather than gain the magical might and potential that was immediately gained by their older counterparts. It is unknown if these powers were lost because of the mending or if they were originally bestowed because the mulitverse was damaged.

By the end of the novel Future Sight, in Dominaria, several of the prominent Planeswalkers have been destroyed and some new looking Planeswalkers have appeared, such as Venser, an artificer living in fear on the island of Urborg, and Radha, a Keldon elf.

Famous planeswalkers from the Magic mythos include:

The Nine Titans

In a last-ditch attempt to stymie the Phyrexian invasion of Dominaria, nine planeswalkers entered the plane of Phyrexia, in gigantic titan engines of Urza's design, to set off bombs to destroy the plane.

Mistaken for planeswalkers

Though they are often confused for planeswalkers, Yawgmoth, Mishra, Memnarch, Lim-Dûl and Marit Lage are, in fact, not. Jodah is often thought to be a planeswalker due to his longevity, but is in fact a mortal wizard who has, on numerous occasions, scolded and advised planeswalkers.

"Gods"

Some planeswalkers are considered to be gods by the inhabitants of the planes. On the other hand it is uncertain if some of the known gods are really planeswalkers. Examples of these are:

Some characters are considered gods, but certainly aren't Planeswalkers:

  • Gaea
  • Yawgmoth, neither god nor Planeswalker, but ruler of Phyrexia and embodiment of its black mana.
  • Ramos
  • Marit Lage, a being with the power to planeswalk, though not in the same way as planeswalkers.
  • The primeval dragons Rith, Treva, Darigaaz, Dromar and Crosis
  • The Myojin, extremely powerful spirits from Kamigawa. The Myojin of Night's Reach demonstrated the power to transport across planes, but is not a planeswalker.
  • Oona of Lorwyn
  • The Eldrazi Titans - Emrakul, Kozilek and Ulamog.
  • The gods of Theros - Heliod, God of the Sun; Thassa, God of the Sea, Erebos; God of the Underworld; Purphoros, God the Forge; Nylea, God of the Hunt [1]

Cards

In the October 2007 large expansion set Lorwyn, planeswalkers were introduced as a new card type,[2] distinct from artifacts, creatures, enchantments, instants, lands, sorceries, and tribal. These cards represent the reduced-power planeswalkers that exist post-Time Spiral since previous generations of planeswalkers were too powerful to represent on a card. A planeswalker comes into play with a number of loyalty counters (indicated on the bottom right of the card) representing their alliance to the player and can only activate one of their abilities each turn. Each ability costs or generates loyalty. Planeswalkers cannot attack or block.

The original cycle of Planewalkers printed in Lorwyn were:

In the October 2008 large expansion set Shards of Alara, three new planeswalkers were introduced, while Ajani returned with a new card.

In the February 2009 small expansion set Conflux, Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker was introduced.

In the October 2009 large expansion set Zendikar, two new planeswalkers were introduced — Sorin Markov and Nissa Revane. Chandra made her return as Chandra Ablaze, depicting her character after the events of the novel "The Purifying Fire".

In the February 2010 small expansion set Worldwake. Jace returned as Jace, the Mind Sculptor. This is widely considered to be the most powerful planeswalker card ever printed,[3] and was the first planeswalker card to be banned, receiving bans in Standard,[4] Extended and Modern.[5]

In the April 2010 large expansion set Rise of the Eldrazi, a new planeswalker, Gideon Jura, was added after being introduced in the novel The Purifying Fire. Sarkhan also made his return as Sarkhan the Mad.

In the October 2010 large expansion set Scars of Mirrodin, players were introduced to two new planewalkers - Venser, an artificer from Dominaria, and Koth, a Vulshok Mirran. Elspeth also made her return as Elspeth Tirel.

In the February 2011 small expansion set Mirrodin Besieged, Tezzeret, returned as Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas.

In the May 2011 small expansion set New Phyrexia, Karn made his return as a planeswalker, after previously being depicted as an artifact creature in the Urza's Saga set.

In the Magic 2012 core set, Jace, Chandra and Garruk returned with new cards, while Gideon and Sorin were reprinted in their original form.

In the September 2011 large expansion set Innistrad, Garruk and Liliana each returned with new cards.

In the February 2012 small expansion set Dark Ascension, Sorin returned with a new card.

In the May 2012 large expansion set Avacyn Restored, two new planeswalkers were introduced.

In the Magic 2013 core set, Ajani and Liliana returned with new cards, while Jace, Chandra, Garruk and Nicol Bolas were each reprinted from previous sets.

In the October 2012 large expansion set Return to Ravnica, one new planeswalker was introduced, and Jace made his return with a new card.

In the February 2013 large expansion set Gatecrash, one new planeswalker was introduced, and Gideon made his return with a new card.

In the May 2013 large expansion set Dragon's Maze, Ral Zarek was introduced as a new, Izzet-aligned planeswalker.

In the Magic 2014 core set, Garruk and Chandra made their return with new cards, while Liliana, Jace and Ajani were reprinted from previous sets.

In the September 2013 large expansion Theros, Elspeth returned with a new card.

  • White - Elspeth, Sun's Champion

Planeswalkers in Fiction

In addition to Magic the Gathering's numerous novels, Wizards of the Coast have released several webcomics telling short stories about the planeswalkers. The comics come in trilogies:

  • The Hunter and the Veil (Garruk Wildspeaker and Liliana Vess)
  • Flight of the White Cat (Ajani Goldmane)
  • Fuel for the Fire (Chandra Nalaar and Jace Beleren)
  • The Seeker's Fall (Tezzeret)
  • Honor Bound (Elspeth Tirel)
  • The Veil's Curse (Garruk Wildspeaker, Liliana Vess, and Jace Beleren)
  • Journey to the Eye (Chandra Nalaar and Sarkhan Vol)
  • The Wild Son (Garruk Wildspeaker)
  • Awakenings (Jace Beleren, Chandra Nalaar, and Sarkhan Vol)
  • Enter the Eldrazi (Jace Beleren, Sarkhan Vol, and Nicol Bolas)
  • The Raven's Eye (Liliana Vess)
  • Gathering Forces (Ajani Goldmane, Elspeth Tirel, Koth of the Hammer, and Venser)
  • Scarred (Elspeth Tirel, Koth of the Hammer, and Venser)
  • Dark Discoveries (Tezzeret, Nicol Bolas, Venser, Elspeth Tirel, and Koth of the Hammer)

References

  1. ^ "Planewalker's Guide to Theros, Part 1". Wednesday, August 21, 2013
  2. ^ "Planeswalking the Walk". Monday, September 3, 2007
  3. ^ "Daily MTG - Latest Developments Column: About Jace". Friday, April 15, 2011
  4. ^ "Daily MTG - Standard Bannings Explained". Monday, June 20, 2011
  5. ^ "Jace, the Mind Scultpor - Sets & Legality".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Planeswalker&oldid=571059998"