I'm still asserting that Planeswalkers can play spells from your hand (with some limitations like # of times per turn, they use your resources, etc.), have special abilities based on those spells they play (VERY STRONGLY hinted in Jace's profile) and will otherwise behave like creatures, meaning P/T, combat participation, and so on. In other words, I think the type line will say "Planeswalker Creature - Whatever".
Example:
Darac Awrred
2UUU
Planeswalker Creature - Human Wizard
2/2
If a spell CARDNAME plays would draw cards, it draws that many cards plus 1. He brings obsession to the research compulsion.
I also think "The Five" will be a rare cycle in Lorwyn. If they're going to be supposedly complex rules wise, that'll be almost necessary.
Regarding Waver: WotC doesn't usually like to make people keep track of extra information like number of untap steps, because people are forgetful, and this also creates opportunities for cheating. "Next untap step" (as in, for example, Yosei, the Morning Star) is okay, but "next two untap steps" is pushing it a bit on the memory issues, especially without counters to keep track of things. And Waver's time mechanic seems to fit better in Time Spiral block than in Lorwyn, though I'm aware that MaRo is pushing inter-block design.
Waver, in my opinion, does not really have a memory issue, but I will agree that it's pushing it in that area. I don't think it's too hard to remember which creature is locked down. All you have to really remember is how many times that creature hasn't untapped. In (draft) Limited, this might be more of an issue if someone's drafting a lot of Wavers, but I don't think it's that much of one. Again, it does certainly toe the memory line, and is one reason I said "A-" on believability.
On the subject of the cards themselves, they're plausible more or less. For all we know, R&D might have decided to allow green to dabble in reanimation (though that seems pretty crazy) to allow for it to recover their creatures. Still, I'd personally just give green "Raise Dead" effects and go from there if that was the intended goal.
Anyway, the collector's numbers actually seem more or less "fine" from an alphabetical and "large set" standpoint. It depends on the allocation of the colors, but 47-50 each is generally what's done. Guesstimating would put the alphabetization (sp/word?) approximately at what numbers were provided.
Still, without pictures I'm going to stay on the fence. If these turn out to be fakes, you get an A- for good fakes from me.
DISCLAIMER: 100% Speculation that I tried not to plagiarize off of anyone. If I for some reason copied something someone already said, it means I agree with him/her.
I had an idea on possible functionality/-ies of Planeswalkers today, which is to say about 10 minutes ago as I was walking in the door:
Suppose you were able to play spells "through" your Planeswalker. What the heck does that mean? I'll use an example:
Suppose someone has Whirling Dervish, Akroma, whatever with Pro-black on the table. You have a (let's say) White Planeswalker on your end. One of the rules capabilities of a Planeswalker is that you can have your Planeswalker cast something such as Terror instead of you. Normally, Terror is a black source, but by having your Planeswalker "cast" it, you're effectively having it come from a White source. In other words, you're targetting Akroma, whatever, with what becomes a white-aligned Terror and thus she dies. Of course, that's just one idea, and you'd still have to pay the 1B mana cost of the Terror, but by filtering it through said "White Planeswalker" (at some extra cost or something like "Non-white spells CARDNAME would play cost 2 more to play") you can get around nasty things like Akroma. This also allows for interesting text such as "Whenever CARDNAME plays a white spell, you gain 5 life". The above Terror example wouldn't gain you 5 life, but Sacred Necter (and Reviving Dose especially) would sure look a LOT better, dare I say Constructed playable. 9 life for 3W Sorcery? Tempting, if you ask me. This also better allows for the use of Planeswalkers in Limited.
Additionally, I also feel that Planeswalkers will be sort of like World Enchantments, in that you the player can only have one Planeswalker at a time (everyone can have a Planeswalker, but just one per player). If a second one comes under your control, the first goes good-bye to the graveyard (unless something like Leyline of the Void interferes :)); you'd choose which one to keep if somehow you had 2 or more enter your control at the same time, the rest go to the appropriate graveyard.
As for P/T versus Vanguard behavior versus WoW TCG Hero behavior... I haven't quite worked out that angle.
And lastly, I expect them to end up as rares. If the rumor about them being complicated enough to need a Tips card is true, then I'm fairly sure we can bank on them being Uncommon at the minimum.
And really truly lastly, this is an example card, using Liliana Vess to emphasize the concept and other weird ideas going through my head:
Liliana Vess
3BB
Planeswalker
Black spells Liliana Vess plays cost 1 less to play.
Whenever Liliana Vess plays a black spell, she may pay 3 life. If she does, destroy target creature.
Spells per turn: 1
Starting Life: 7
(And yes, life gain/loss spells and effects can be siphoned over to your planeswalker with this example, but only as all-or-nothing per spell/effect. A Tendrils combo could be partially mitigated by having some of the copies affect your planeswalker, for instance.)
If they did a keyword action to signify bounce, the most likely word would be "Dismiss" I think. I personally am a fan of "Banish" because it sounds more proactive on spells like Boomerang, but it's a little misnomerish when you use it on your own things.
Example:
Darac Awrred
2UUU
Planeswalker Creature - Human Wizard
2/2
If a spell CARDNAME plays would draw cards, it draws that many cards plus 1.
He brings obsession to the research compulsion.
I also think "The Five" will be a rare cycle in Lorwyn. If they're going to be supposedly complex rules wise, that'll be almost necessary.
Anyway, the collector's numbers actually seem more or less "fine" from an alphabetical and "large set" standpoint. It depends on the allocation of the colors, but 47-50 each is generally what's done. Guesstimating would put the alphabetization (sp/word?) approximately at what numbers were provided.
Still, without pictures I'm going to stay on the fence. If these turn out to be fakes, you get an A- for good fakes from me.
I had an idea on possible functionality/-ies of Planeswalkers today, which is to say about 10 minutes ago as I was walking in the door:
Suppose you were able to play spells "through" your Planeswalker. What the heck does that mean? I'll use an example:
Suppose someone has Whirling Dervish, Akroma, whatever with Pro-black on the table. You have a (let's say) White Planeswalker on your end. One of the rules capabilities of a Planeswalker is that you can have your Planeswalker cast something such as Terror instead of you. Normally, Terror is a black source, but by having your Planeswalker "cast" it, you're effectively having it come from a White source. In other words, you're targetting Akroma, whatever, with what becomes a white-aligned Terror and thus she dies. Of course, that's just one idea, and you'd still have to pay the 1B mana cost of the Terror, but by filtering it through said "White Planeswalker" (at some extra cost or something like "Non-white spells CARDNAME would play cost 2 more to play") you can get around nasty things like Akroma. This also allows for interesting text such as "Whenever CARDNAME plays a white spell, you gain 5 life". The above Terror example wouldn't gain you 5 life, but Sacred Necter (and Reviving Dose especially) would sure look a LOT better, dare I say Constructed playable. 9 life for 3W Sorcery? Tempting, if you ask me. This also better allows for the use of Planeswalkers in Limited.
Additionally, I also feel that Planeswalkers will be sort of like World Enchantments, in that you the player can only have one Planeswalker at a time (everyone can have a Planeswalker, but just one per player). If a second one comes under your control, the first goes good-bye to the graveyard (unless something like Leyline of the Void interferes :)); you'd choose which one to keep if somehow you had 2 or more enter your control at the same time, the rest go to the appropriate graveyard.
As for P/T versus Vanguard behavior versus WoW TCG Hero behavior... I haven't quite worked out that angle.
And lastly, I expect them to end up as rares. If the rumor about them being complicated enough to need a Tips card is true, then I'm fairly sure we can bank on them being Uncommon at the minimum.
And really truly lastly, this is an example card, using Liliana Vess to emphasize the concept and other weird ideas going through my head:
Liliana Vess
3BB
Planeswalker
Black spells Liliana Vess plays cost 1 less to play.
Whenever Liliana Vess plays a black spell, she may pay 3 life. If she does, destroy target creature.
Spells per turn: 1
Starting Life: 7
(And yes, life gain/loss spells and effects can be siphoned over to your planeswalker with this example, but only as all-or-nothing per spell/effect. A Tendrils combo could be partially mitigated by having some of the copies affect your planeswalker, for instance.)
EDIT - Nal you just had to ruin the party.
Artifact
Cloud Key
Coalition Relic
Darksteel Garrison
Epochrasite
Soultether Golem
Whetwheel
Gold
Jhoira of the Ghitu
Nonbasic Land
Graven Cairns
Horizon Canopy
White
Angel of Salvation
Even the Odds
Goldmeadow Lookout
Imperial Mask
Mistmeadow Skulk
Saltskitter
Blue
Cloudseeder
Pact of Negation
Reality Strobe
Take Possession
Black
Magus of the Abyss (confirmed)
Nihilist
Stronghold Rats
Red
Pact of the Titan
Shivan Sand-Mage
Skizzik Surger
Green
Baru, Fist of Krosa
Quagnoth
Ravaging Riftwurm
Rites of Flourishing
Spellwild Ouphe