Hello and happiest of days to each of you! I hope this day for each of you is finding you as well as possible! Often in Commander brews I toss in Planeswalkers despite the fact that they aren't really loved by many, since in a multiplayer game they can be attacked in waves and then killed. So, outside of decks really designed to break them, like with Doubling Season and such?? I have written on this topic before ten years ago, but things have shifted since then as well as card stock and then the metagame! Why run them?? I love them!

Let's turn to planeswalkers today in our multiplayer brews and then what they look like and then some tricks to play them.

Ready?

Let's start with my positive criteria:

Strength #1: Repeatable Effects

Often in MTG, repeatable effects either take mana or time with Phyrexian Arena in our upkeep or tapping a Looter after a turn of waiting. However, after Planeswalkers arrive, they can be used immediately and then again and again until killed or you used negative or ultimate stuff and then die to us. Since they are just a never-ending barrage of the good stuff, they are very strong at repeatable stuff.

Consider the card of Mobilization which used to rule casual town and then you spend three mana at any time to make a 1/1 Soldier with vigilance too. Everyone used to run them all up and down the block in many brews. But no one runs them anymore! Why? Because of planeswalkers! Consider two Elspeths. Her Knight-Errant version costs one more, +1s to make one for no mana, or will pump your dork and give it flying this turn too, for another +1. Then the Sun's Champion version costs six and then arrives with four loyalty and then +1s for an amazing three dork Soldiers! Then she can -3 to sweep as well.

That's made the first relatively minor outside of Soldier Decks and mana-sink brews with Green.

Strength #2: Flexibility

Our #2 strength is flexibility. Most cards in MTG are often played for one ability. For example, want to kill something? Then drop Ravenous Chupacabra or Acidic Slime and or cast a Vindicate! Want to recur something? Drop Karmic Guide or Eternal Witness or cast Regrowth. Want to draw? Then add to your brew Mulldrifter or Fact or Fiction. But planeswalkers have multiple abilities! They can do many a thing unlike your normal cards, like the Elspeth above that sweeps too!

Here are two amazing examples in two five-cost mono-Black five loyalty too. The former above can +1 to draw and lose life too. Then the second ability can -3 to remove a dork. Either way, you are set! The latter lady can +1 to make a foe discard a sweet card and then -2 to Imperial Seal but not lose live twice. Or you can ultimate her for a nasty recursion! Once you drop her, and use her +1 people will drop their hands they hate discard so much. Run them into mass removal that won't hurt you like In Garruk's Wake!

Strength #3: Card Advantage

The third great strength here are is that they are card advantage machines! You can get this in a few ways. Take Elspeth, for example! She makes three tokens or one or two based on the version. If they trade with dorks or get removal spells then they act as a mini-card advantage. Or if you kill stuff over and over the same. Or if you have the +1 card draw of Ob Nixilis above or others you just draw over time.

Here are a couple of Sorins in Orzhov that show that in action. The four-drop three loyalty one dominated Standard when legal and then +1s to make a lifelinking Vampire! Then you can -2 him on arrival and then make an unanswerable Anthem in emblem form to pump all of your stuff's power by one. Then the six-drop one with six loyalty can +1 to reveal and draw the top card and then win-con shoot each foe equal to the cost what was shown. Win con and card draw combo in one ability! Then you can -X him to shoot a permanent for X and then gain that in life too! I adore him in most of my Orzhov brews.

Strength #4: They Save You

The last one is that by getting your folks to combine and attack your planeswalker, they won't be attacking you. That can keep you alive and then find ways to win or live. There have been times when I am at single digit life or like 10 or 12 when I drop and get my planeswalker attacked and then I draw a sweeper like Rout or Wrath of God and then win. Great stuff for the surviving!

Now let's turn to Weaknesses!

Weakness #1: Every Color and Deck has an Answer

Every color has an answer! Sometimes it's pinpoint answers like Hero's Downfall or Vindicate. Blue can counter or bounce after you've built up. If they have a deck with dorks they can attack en masse! Generous Gift and Beast Within? Desert Twister? Every deck and color combo that exists can attack or take them out. Also Red has tons of burn to kill them too.

Need to protect them from targeted removal? Sure thing! Just give them hexproof with something like Privileged Position!

Weakness #2: Pillow Forts Don't Protect

The next weakness is that one of the times people will just save themselves from attacks Pillow Forts don't work on planeswalkers, just you - like the beloved Ghostly Prison, Propaganda and then even my favorite secret good one domain like Collective Restraint. Or even Windborn Muse or other dorks that care...

...just run the handful of stuff that does, like the Sphere for all of your enchantments or most Fogs like the free one if you control your Commander above and just for opposing stuff so you won't be stopped.

Weakness #3 - They Can be Card Disadvantage

The worst is when that happens. Sure, if your planeswalker is answered by pinpoint removal, then it was 1:1 so that's fine - no issues there. But if they can get past your Pillow Fort and then attack, then they take out your precious planeswalker and then you are down a card without them spending any resources other than time. That's the big one to me!

That's why I like to run instant speed answers to attackers like Aetherize or Rout to just answer attacks about to kill my prevcious stuff. Or you can flicker it out with things like the four-drop 2/2 Cat Beast above with a non-creature cast you can do to flicker it and then it's removed from combat. I don't mind some instant speed targeted stuff there too if needed since the Rout might hurt my board postion too much or on your planeswalker to bounce - not ideal, but better than losing it - good with Capsize and more.

Now let's turn to some specific planeswalkers or conner cases in multiplayer and Commander next!

Good Corner Case - Vraska the Unseen

This five-drop Golgari one has five loyalty too and then +1s to kill everything that smashes it for a round of turns! No one will attack her while she has done so, or you can -3 to Vindicate anything that ain't a land as emergency removal. Her ultimate easy to get too can make three game winning Assassins that are Phages! She's a big exception since she stops attacks, needs to be traded with and then has all of the abilities of the first one.

Bad Stuff - Jace, the Mind-Sculptor

This overrated-in-multiplayer four-drop with three loyalty powerhouse dominated all formats and was restricted or banned in tons! Then you can +2 him to fateseal someone or 0 to Brainstorm! Or -1 to Unsummon a dork? What's not to love? He's not...bad. But he's got a low loyalty his +2 really needs the right brew, his Brainstorm the best one doesn't grow loyalty...he's just rarely worth the card slot or cash.

Commander Stuff - Sorin Markov AND Oko, Thief of Crowns

Some stuff depends on the format too. This rough to cast six-drop first version of Sorin has just four loyalty. Then you can +2 him and Shock and gain two life from any target, and then -7 him to Mindslaver someone. His -3 can drop someone's life to a killable 10. That's why he's here. That's okay in 20 life formats halving them, but by the sixth turn when he arrives people are often at that. It's great against life brew decks too in there. But in Commander? On the sixth turn many may still be at or around their starting 40. There it rises in value considerably, but you don't see as much. Oko is amazing in Commander too, with his Simic colored three-drop four loyalty thang with a +2 to make Food and then +1 to answer opposing dorks and rocks by making them ability less 3/3s - amazing to answer Commanders or turn your Treasures or Food into dorks.

The Group Hug Exception - Jace Beleren

This awesome three-drop Group Hugger means that many won't attack him at all! He arrives with on-curve three, then +2s to have everyone draw, or you -1. I know many will do the first one and then second twice and then repeat, but that keeps you at a lower 3 and more desired for everyone to take him out if they aren't benefitting. Just use the +2.

The Great in Multiplayer Exception - Angrath, the Flame-Chained

There are some basic planeswalkers that are good in duels, but dial up in abilities against multiple people! The best here I haven't mentioned above is Angrath in Rakdos five-mana with four loyalty! He can drop with a +1 to have each foe both discard and then eat 2 damage too. That's great in all of the good places and then with his -3 to Threaten a dork for the turn and the sac it and they don't get it back if it's cheap - so a double win-con there with removal too. That's just nasty good in all of the places!

They are Hard to Traditionally Answer

Remember how easy it can be to take out planeswalkers? Yup! Well run some that cannot be answered with stuff. The six-drop red mythic lady with six loyalty cannot be countered, and then +2s to give everyone else an emblem for a damage in their upkeep they cannot answer. Then she can -3 to Bolt mass-remove all non-Elementals and then -X to Blaze a dork and then exile it. Then the Orzhov lady has hexproof so she cannot be targeted. Then she's got six loyalty on a seven-drop and then can +2 to drain 3 life from all foes, or 0 to draw two and then have foes scry. Or -3 her to exile an enchantment or dork and then make a copy that's a 1/1 flyer! Both of these fun ladies each have doable ulitimates on arrival and are amazing with their built-in protection. Run them!

There we go! From Sarkhan Unbroken that ramps and draws on a +1 to Gideon, Ally of Zendikar in token and aggro brews with his emblem and token making too to pump doable on arrival, this is all a great untapped area of potential in multiplayer from Commander to other formats like Five Color. Check it out! Embrace your inner planeswalker lover!