Introduction
This Primer seeks to introduce new Planeswalker players into the format, but also grant new insights to the veteran.
I will write about the history of the format, then present some competitive and some funny strategies and synergies. Then, I'll present some strong cards and decks.
All contributions are welcome; graphical, content- as well as spellcheck-wise (I'm not a native speaker)!
As there is no up to date Primer to be found on the internet, I intend to make this thread the Go-To-Reference.
History
On MTGO, the Planeswalker format debuted in 2011 with all basic cards from the first Duels of the Planeswalkers (DotP) game. These cards are gold-bordered and can only be played in the Planeswalker format. Every expansion for DotP 1 got its card pool released on MTGO. DotP 2 and 3 only got their basic decks and some of their earlier expansions ported to MTGO. DoTP 2014 and it's first deck pack were also implemented.
It looks like Wizards is discontinung DotP in MTGO, as Magic 2015 was not yet imported and there have been no announcement concerning this.
In the beginning, the planeswalker format was a playground for new players to join MTGO, to play Magic with even chances. Everyone had their single Deck Pack and durdled around with it, the deck archetypes were very 'traditional' and unspectacular. But you could already buy 3 additional packs and have each card at least 4x, to build a competitive deck. This trend continued with the release of new packs with new cards, parting the mass of Planeswalker players into casual players with 1 or 2 packs and the more enthusiastic fans of the format with (single or multiple) copies of every deck pack for MTGO.
Me personally, I own every pack at least once, and 4 of those packs I build my decks with.
Today, as the format is still restricted to the New Players room, the casual players are being scared away as the competitive decks become stronger and/or faster. I would encourage a new room or the introduction of Planeswalker matches to other rooms.
General Strategies
Deckbuilding in the Planeswalker Format (PW) is, in addition to all rules applicable for other formats, restricted by:
-A Restricted list, only 1 of each Restricted card may be used in a deck. This list is quite long.
-No Sideboarding: All Sideboards must have a size of 0.
-Only gold bordered cards featured in the Planeswalker packs may be used. With the new client, you may use regular basic lands.
-(Almost) only Basic Land. The format has 2 Basic fetcher lands and Cathedral of War, but there's no way you can consistently have RR or UU available on turn 2 in a 50/50 UR deck ... 8 Fetchies enable this on turn 3, but the lands come into play tapped...
Decks in PW are mainly categorizable in three groups:
-Aggro, which is either Burn or creature Aggro
-Midrange, with Ramp elements
-Control, featuring Mass Removal and Counterspells
There are a small number of Combo decks, but apart from the odd Seismic Assault+Treasure Hunt deck, these are based on either midrange or control playstyle.
So as you may have figured out by now, turning creatures sideways and not allowing your opponent's ones to do so is the main road to victory. There are infinite turn combos, burn decks, Tinker shenanigans, and mill strategies, but they all have big disadvantages that make them non-contending
Format defining cards and combos
Aggro is usually played out with Red, White and Green (blue and black are possible!) and the plethora of decks availalable in this archetype is almost infinite.
Midrange is usually played as Green + Splash, splashing any color or multiples. As with aggro, there are multiple exceptions.
Control is usually played with Blue, but White and Black also have good Control Elements. Junk is a very strong Control player.
I will post one deck defining Creature and it's deck type to show you some possible starting points for deck building.
For the non-creature cards, the list is even longer, sporting Ramp, Equipment, Auras, Counters, Reanimation, Removal, Utility, draw etc., I will not go into detail here. If someone wants to make a list with the most important ones, feel free. Here is a sample of two of most the powerful and iconic cards for each color:
For Deck Types, I also accept contributions, but please keep them as good as possible, which means assume we have 4 of each card available. Budget versions can still be derived from the most powerful deck.
Here, I will present some contributed decks and some of my own, starting with one Sample Decklist for Aggro, Midrange, and Control
First is a very fast RDW (Red) deck. The Archetype is THE deck for the Spike player, as it wins most consistently and punishes the opponent for every mistake and for not playing life gain. I would not recommend this to have fun or play against unexperienced players, though...
Next is a Jund(BGR) Midrange Ramp deck that gives the opponent a small earlygame window to win and then stomps over them. However, it is prone to Counterspells and lots of removal from the opponent.
Last is a Control deck. Blue Control decks are easy to build, so here is the author's favorite PW deck: Junk(BGW) Control with a blue splash. Usually, the opponent feels safe till the last second while this deck stabilizes at around 10 life, proceeds to kill and exile everything the opponent tries and then Kicked-Rites the opponents best creature, resulting in a scoop or mass removal and the game grinding on. Basically, the more turns this deck survives, the bigger its chances of winning.
Restricted Cards
This is a list of the cards that can only be used once per deck: This list is very old and incomplete. It may be outdated. The new client can't handle checking all ~2500 cards for legality of multiples. The official list is even older still.
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lorthos, the Tidemaker
Multani, Maro-Sorcerer
Massacre Wurm
Thrun, the Last Troll
Grave Titan
Mirri the Cursed
Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
Rancor
Retether
Skarrgan Firebird
Silent Arbiter
Flamebreak
Three Dreams
Thragtusk
Xathrid Gorgon
Goblin Piledriver
Celestial Force
White Sun's Zenith
Serra Ascendant
Archon of Redemption
Celestial Mantle
Deathbringer Liege
Hanna, Ship's Navigator
Kaervek the Merciless
Wheel of Fortune
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Stoneforge Mystic
Chain Reaction
Anowon, the Ruin Sage
Captain of the Watch
Loxodon Warhammer
Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund
Martial Coup
Voice of All
Wrath of Good
Tolsimir Wolfblood
Nemata, Grove Guardian
Howl of the Night Pack
Godhead of Awe
Corrupt
Defiler of Souls
Immaculate Magistrate
Final Revels
Soul Warden
Nath of the Gilt-Leaf
Imperious Perfect
Evacuation
Nekrataal
Rakdos the Defiler
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Persuasion
Malakir Bloodwitch
Vampire Nighthawk
Tinker
Vampire Nocturnus
Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
Baneslayer Angel
Vampiric Dragon
Mind Control
Planar Cleansing
Pyroclasm
Rorix Bladewing
Shadowmage Infiltrator
Malfegor
Blazing Specter
Great Sable Stag
Nicol Bolas
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Sword of War and Peace
Flame Wave
Razormane Masticore
Platinum Angel
Hurricane
Earthquake
Mirri, Cat Warrior
Verdeloth the Ancient
Conqueror's Pledge
Relevant Links
List of all available card packs: Here
Thanks for reading, hope you got some insight to the Planeswalker format, and
See you ingame (I'm Asatas1) !
Introduction
This Primer seeks to introduce new Planeswalker players into the format, but also grant new insights to the veteran.
I will write about the history of the format, then present some competitive and some funny strategies and synergies. Then, I'll present some strong cards and decks.
All contributions are welcome; graphical, content- as well as spellcheck-wise (I'm not a native speaker)!
As there is no up to date Primer to be found on the internet, I intend to make this thread the Go-To-Reference.
History
On MTGO, the Planeswalker format debuted in 2011 with all basic cards from the first Duels of the Planeswalkers (DotP) game. These cards are gold-bordered and can only be played in the Planeswalker format. Every expansion for DotP 1 got its card pool released on MTGO. DotP 2 and 3 only got their basic decks and some of their earlier expansions ported to MTGO. DoTP 2014 and it's first deck pack were also implemented.
It looks like Wizards is discontinung DotP in MTGO, as Magic 2015 was not yet imported and there have been no announcement concerning this.
In the beginning, the planeswalker format was a playground for new players to join MTGO, to play Magic with even chances. Everyone had their single Deck Pack and durdled around with it, the deck archetypes were very 'traditional' and unspectacular. But you could already buy 3 additional packs and have each card at least 4x, to build a competitive deck. This trend continued with the release of new packs with new cards, parting the mass of Planeswalker players into casual players with 1 or 2 packs and the more enthusiastic fans of the format with (single or multiple) copies of every deck pack for MTGO.
Me personally, I own every pack at least once, and 4 of those packs I build my decks with.
Today, as the format is still restricted to the New Players room, the casual players are being scared away as the competitive decks become stronger and/or faster. I would encourage a new room or the introduction of Planeswalker matches to other rooms.
General Strategies
Deckbuilding in the Planeswalker Format (PW) is, in addition to all rules applicable for other formats, restricted by:
-A Restricted list, only 1 of each Restricted card may be used in a deck. This list is quite long.
-No Sideboarding: All Sideboards must have a size of 0.
-Only gold bordered cards featured in the Planeswalker packs may be used. With the new client, you may use regular basic lands.
-(Almost) only Basic Land. The format has 2 Basic fetcher lands and Cathedral of War, but there's no way you can consistently have RR or UU available on turn 2 in a 50/50 UR deck ... 8 Fetchies enable this on turn 3, but the lands come into play tapped...
Decks in PW are mainly categorizable in three groups:
-Aggro, which is either Burn or creature Aggro
-Midrange, with Ramp elements
-Control, featuring Mass Removal and Counterspells
There are a small number of Combo decks, but apart from the odd Seismic Assault+Treasure Hunt deck, these are based on either midrange or control playstyle.
So as you may have figured out by now, turning creatures sideways and not allowing your opponent's ones to do so is the main road to victory. There are infinite turn combos, burn decks, Tinker shenanigans, and mill strategies, but they all have big disadvantages that make them non-contending
Format defining cards and combos
Aggro is usually played out with Red, White and Green (blue and black are possible!) and the plethora of decks availalable in this archetype is almost infinite.
Midrange is usually played as Green + Splash, splashing any color or multiples. As with aggro, there are multiple exceptions.
Control is usually played with Blue, but White and Black also have good Control Elements. Junk is a very strong Control player.
I will post one deck defining Creature and it's deck type to show you some possible starting points for deck building.
Goblin Guide RDW
Kiln Fiend Ru Combo Burn
Warren Instigator R Goblins
Steel Overseer Ux Robots
Vampire Lacerator B Vampires
Phantasmal Bear U Aggro / Illusions
Bramblewood Paragon Gr/b Warriors
Tidehollow Strix UB(R) Control
Invisible Stalker UW Auras
Squadron Hawk Caw Blade
Kor Spiritdancer GW Auras
Qasali Pridemage GW Zoo
Razorfin Hunter UR Pingers
Puresteel Paladin W Equipments
Knight of Meadowgrain Wx Lifegain
Vampire Aristocrat B(W) Sacrifice/Combo
Dungrove Elder G Hexproof
Elvish Champion Gx Elves
Sprouting Thrinax Jund Midrange/Ramp
Hypnotic Specter Bx Discard
Vengevine <- GW
Archaeomancer Ux Combo/Control
Sublime Archangel W(B) Exalted
Primeval Titan Gx Ramp
Sun Titan Junk Control
Hero of Bladehold W(g) Tokens
Nantuko Shade MBC
Mesa Enchantress UW Enchantress
Griselbrand UB(r) Reanimator
For the non-creature cards, the list is even longer, sporting Ramp, Equipment, Auras, Counters, Reanimation, Removal, Utility, draw etc., I will not go into detail here. If someone wants to make a list with the most important ones, feel free. Here is a sample of two of most the powerful and iconic cards for each color:
Deck Types and Sample Decklists
These decks aren't updated with the 2013 cards.
For Deck Types, I also accept contributions, but please keep them as good as possible, which means assume we have 4 of each card available. Budget versions can still be derived from the most powerful deck.
Here, I will present some contributed decks and some of my own, starting with one Sample Decklist for Aggro, Midrange, and Control
First is a very fast RDW (Red) deck. The Archetype is THE deck for the Spike player, as it wins most consistently and punishes the opponent for every mistake and for not playing life gain. I would not recommend this to have fun or play against unexperienced players, though...
4 Goblin Guide
4 Spark Elemental
4 Vexing Devil
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Incinerate
2 Punishing Fire
4 Searing Spear
1 Pyroclasm
2 Searing Blaze
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Ball Lightning
1 Flamebreak
4 Fireblast
Next is a Jund(BGR) Midrange Ramp deck that gives the opponent a small earlygame window to win and then stomps over them. However, it is prone to Counterspells and lots of removal from the opponent.
8 Forest
4 Mountain
4 Swamp
3 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Rampant Growth
4 Terminate
4 Cultivate
4 Pernicious Deed
4 Blightning
1 Thragtusk
4 Bituminous Blast
1 Asceticism
4 Primeval Titan
1 Debtors' Knell
1 Elderscale Wurm
2 Violent Ultimatum
1 Hellkite Overlord
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Mind Shatter
Last is a Control deck. Blue Control decks are easy to build, so here is the author's favorite PW deck: Junk(BGW) Control with a blue splash. Usually, the opponent feels safe till the last second while this deck stabilizes at around 10 life, proceeds to kill and exile everything the opponent tries and then Kicked-Rites the opponents best creature, resulting in a scoop or mass removal and the game grinding on. Basically, the more turns this deck survives, the bigger its chances of winning.
2 Island
3 Plains
4 Swamp
4 Evolving Wilds
3 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Elixir of Immortality
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Explore
4 Pernicious Deed
3 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Eternal Witness
4 Yavimaya Elder
2 Vindicate
4 Rite of Replication
1 Thragtusk
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Nightmare Incursion
4 Sun Titan
Restricted Cards
This is a list of the cards that can only be used once per deck:
This list is very old and incomplete. It may be outdated. The new client can't handle checking all ~2500 cards for legality of multiples. The official list is even older still.
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lorthos, the Tidemaker
Multani, Maro-Sorcerer
Massacre Wurm
Thrun, the Last Troll
Grave Titan
Mirri the Cursed
Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
Rancor
Retether
Skarrgan Firebird
Silent Arbiter
Flamebreak
Three Dreams
Thragtusk
Xathrid Gorgon
Goblin Piledriver
Celestial Force
White Sun's Zenith
Serra Ascendant
Archon of Redemption
Celestial Mantle
Deathbringer Liege
Hanna, Ship's Navigator
Kaervek the Merciless
Wheel of Fortune
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Stoneforge Mystic
Chain Reaction
Anowon, the Ruin Sage
Captain of the Watch
Loxodon Warhammer
Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund
Martial Coup
Voice of All
Wrath of Good
Tolsimir Wolfblood
Nemata, Grove Guardian
Howl of the Night Pack
Godhead of Awe
Corrupt
Defiler of Souls
Immaculate Magistrate
Final Revels
Soul Warden
Nath of the Gilt-Leaf
Imperious Perfect
Evacuation
Nekrataal
Rakdos the Defiler
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Persuasion
Malakir Bloodwitch
Vampire Nighthawk
Tinker
Vampire Nocturnus
Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
Baneslayer Angel
Vampiric Dragon
Mind Control
Planar Cleansing
Pyroclasm
Rorix Bladewing
Shadowmage Infiltrator
Malfegor
Blazing Specter
Great Sable Stag
Nicol Bolas
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Sword of War and Peace
Flame Wave
Razormane Masticore
Platinum Angel
Hurricane
Earthquake
Mirri, Cat Warrior
Verdeloth the Ancient
Conqueror's Pledge
Relevant Links
List of all available card packs: Here
Thanks for reading, hope you got some insight to the Planeswalker format, and
See you ingame (I'm Asatas1) !