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[QUOTE=olataro]Geez, my friend call up a planeswalker and practically smashed up my whole deck. My question is this, how does planeswalkers work? [/QUOTE]

The flavor of planeswalkers is that they are allies a player can call on. They are only loyal to a certain extent, however.

They come into play with a certain number of loyalty counters, as indicated by the number in the lower right-hand corner. If a planeswalker loses all of its loyalty counters it is put into its owner's graveyard. (flavor: they've had enough and are ready to leave)

Planeswalkers are extra-legendary. They each have a subtype after "Planeswalker -", like Jace or Ajani. If there are two planeswalkers on the battlefield that share a planeswalker type, they are both put into their owner's graveyard (flavor: there can be only one of any particular planeswalker; you can't even have two different incarnations of one guy - like Jace Beleren and Jace, the Mind Sculptor - in play at the same time).

Once per turn, at sorcery speed, you can play one ability of a planeswalker. To do so, you must add or remove loyalty counters as indicated by the cost of their ability. For each planeswalker, you can only use one of its abilities per turn, and you can only use it once. (flavor: they cast their own spells; note that this is strictly flavor: their abilities are activated abilities and can be countered by Azorius Guildmage but not Cancel)

They can be attacked by creatures. When you declare attackers, you can have each one attack either your opponent or one of your opponent's planeswalkers. Your opponent declares blockers as usual - his creatures can block an attacking creature whether it's attacking him or one of his planeswalkers. If a creature that attacked a planeswalker gets through, its combat damage removes that many loyalty counters.

They can be burned. If something you control would deal noncombat damage to your opponent (like say you Lighting Bolt him), you can choose for that damage to instead be dealt to one of his planeswalkers. The effect of this damage is to remove that many loyalty counters.

(flavor: as "players" themselves, they can be attacked and Lava Spiked)

[QUOTE]Can they use their abilities on an opponent's turn? Are they creatures? Are they tapped after they use their abilities????[/QUOTE]

No, their abilities can only be activated at sorcery speed - during their controllers' main phases when the stack is empty.

No, they are not creatures; they cannot be Doom Bladed, equipped, or hit by Pyroclasm. They are permanents, though, and could be affected by things like Argentum Armor's destruction ability, Disperse, Glimmerpoint Stag (this would reset their loyalty counters), Lux Cannon, etc.

No, their activated abilities do not cost {T}. You could tap them with outside effects (like Scepter of Dominance), but it would have no noticeable effect.



Here are the rules:

306. Planeswalkers

306.1. A player who has priority may cast a planeswalker card from his or her hand during a main phase of his or her turn when the stack is empty. Casting a planeswalker as a spell uses the stack. (See rule 601, “Casting Spells.”)

306.2. When a planeswalker spell resolves, its controller puts it onto the battlefield under his or her control.

306.3. Planeswalker subtypes are always a single word and are listed after a long dash: “Planeswalker — Jace.” Each word after the dash is a separate subtype. Planeswalker subtypes are also called planeswalker types. Planeswalkers may have multiple subtypes. See rule 204.3i for the complete list of planeswalker types.

306.4. If two or more planeswalkers that share a planeswalker type are on the battlefield, all are put into their owners’ graveyards as a state-based action. This is called the “planeswalker uniqueness rule.” See rule 704.

306.5. Loyalty is a characteristic only planeswalkers have.

306.5a The loyalty of a planeswalker not on the battlefield is equal to the number printed in its lower right corner.

306.5b A planeswalker is treated as if its text box included, “This permanent enters the battlefield with a number of loyalty counters on it equal to its printed loyalty number.” This ability creates a replacement effect (see rule 614.1c).

306.5c The loyalty of a planeswalker on the battlefield is equal to the number of loyalty counters on it.

306.5d Each planeswalker has a number of loyalty abilities, which are activated abilities with loyalty symbols in their costs. Loyalty abilities follow special rules: A player may activate a loyalty ability of a permanent he or she controls any time he or she has priority and the stack is empty during a main phase of his or her turn, but only if none of that permanent’s loyalty abilities have been activated that turn. See rule 606, “Loyalty Abilities.”

306.6. Planeswalkers can be attacked. (See rule 508, “Declare Attackers Step.”)

306.7. If noncombat damage would be dealt to a player by a source controlled by an opponent, that opponent may have that source deal that damage to a planeswalker the first player controls instead. This is a redirection effect (see rule 614.9) and is subject to the normal rules for ordering replacement effects (see rule 616). The opponent chooses whether to redirect the damage as the redirection effect is applied.

306.8. Damage dealt to a planeswalker results in that many loyalty counters being removed from it.

306.9. If a planeswalker’s loyalty is 0, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)

Thnx, i have so much trouble understanding planeswalkers