Does Lifelink work on Planeswalkers the way it does on other sources that it deals damage to in MTG? Read on below and find out!
Does Lifelink Work on Planeswalkers?
Lifelink works on any source that it deals damage to, including Planeswalkers. That said, the exchange happens a bit differently than with players or creatures.
When Lifelink deals damage to players, they lose life points and creatures lose toughness. But, when Lifelink deals damage to Planeswalkers, they lose neither; they lose loyalty counters instead.
When a Planeswalker loses all of its loyalty counters, it goes to the graveyard, like a creature that lacks the toughness to survive an attack.
Example Card: Liliana Vess
Liliana Vess is a powerful old Planeswalker card, she was one of the first Planeswalkers ever released. A Mythic Rare card, he abilities allow her to mill a card from opponents and put all creatures from all graveyards onto the battlefield under your control.
She also has the abilities to search your deck for a specific card and place it onto the top of the deck. If you choose to use this ability, you also get to shuffle up the rest of the deck before moving on.
If a Lifelink source wanted to target this Planeswalker and gain life from it, it would need to come in the form of a powerful spell or ability. There is no way to attack Liliana Vess as a creature.
FAQs About Lifelink Working on Planeswalkers
What Can Damage a Planeswalker?
Planeswalkers can be damaged by spells and abilities that require a “permanent” card as their target. They may also be affected by combat damage if the occasion arises. There are also some rare occasions that a spell may temporarily turn a Planeswalker into a creature. In this case, it can be targeted and damaged as any other creature on the field.
Does Lifelink Work Against Abilities?
Lifelink works against creatures with abilities unless the ability is something like protection or shroud. In those cases, the ability prevents Lifelink from working correctly and damage is simply damage with no life gain attached.
Can You Block a Planeswalker?
Technically speaking, Planeswalkers can be blocked only if they are dealing out combat damage. But, most attacks from Planeswalker cards are in the form of activated abilities, rather than combat damage. That said, some Instants, or abilities for that matter, may help you prevent a Planeswalker’s attack from being successful as well.
Final Word
Lifelink does indeed work on Planeswalkers, though it may be a bit harder to find a way to target it. Afterall, Planeswalkers count neither as players nor creatures, which most cards target.
But, if you can target a Planeswalker and deal it damage from a Lifelink source, the ability pulls through and you gain life points.
Hopefully, that clears up all your questions! Thanks for reading!