Do Planeswalkers Get Summoning Sickness? MTG Rules Explained

Planeswalkers and Summoning Sickness: The Short Answer

No, planeswalkers do not get summoning sickness. You can activate their loyalty abilities and attack with them the turn they hit the battlefield.

This trips up a lot of players because planeswalkers look like they should follow creature rules. They don't. Different card type, different rules.

What Is Summoning Sickness, Anyway?

Summoning sickness is the informal name for rule 302.6 in the Comprehensive Rules:

"A creature can't attack or activate abilities that have {T} in their costs unless its controller has continuously controlled it since their most recent turn began."

That "most recent turn" part is the key. Creatures need to wait one turn before they can attack or tap for abilities. Planeswalkers don't fall under this rule because they aren't creatures on the stack and they use loyalty abilities, not tap abilities.

The 2018 Rules Change That Changed Everything

Before October 2018, planeswalkers weren't creatures at all. They entered as non-creature permanents and stayed that way. Summoning sickness was a non-issue because they could never attack.

Then Magic changed the rules. Planeswalkers became creatures with creature types when they resolve. A Jace, the Mind Sculptor is now a "creature — Phyrexian" (or Human Wizard depending on the printing). This meant they could attack.

But here's the thing — they still don't get summoning sickness. The rules specifically exempt them.

Why Planeswalkers Skip Summoning Sickness

Three reasons planeswalkers dodge the sickness:

• Loyalty abilities don't use the tap symbol. They use loyalty counters instead. The summoning sickness rule only applies to abilities with {T}. Planeswalker abilities use +/- numbers.
• They're not creatures on the stack. When you cast a planeswalker, it's a planeswalker spell. It resolves into a planeswalker permanent. The rules treat it differently than creature spells.
• The rules say so explicitly. Rule 306.5: "A planeswalker doesn't become a creature until it enters the battlefield, and the rules for permanents with the creature type apply to planeswalkers only after they enter the battlefield."

So even though a Gideon Jura is technically a "creature — Human Soldier" on the battlefield, he doesn't suffer from the sickness that affects regular creatures.

Planeswalkers vs. Creatures: Key Differences

Can You Attack With a Planeswalker Immediately?

Yes. Once a planeswalker resolves, it's on the battlefield as a creature. If it has enough loyalty to activate a loyalty ability that gives it loyalty counters, it can attack.

Wait — planeswalkers don't attack directly. They are the target. But if a planeswalker has an ability that creates creatures (like Gideon, Ally of Zendikar's +1 creating Soldier tokens), those tokens can attack immediately because they enter as new creatures.

The planeswalker itself can't attack because planeswalkers are not valid attack targets. Planeswalkers are the things you're attacking with creatures. A creature deals combat damage to a planeswalker, and loyalty counters get removed.

Edge Cases and Gotchas

What if a planeswalker loses its loyalty abilities?

Some cards like Blood Moon can turn a planeswalker into a non-creature permanent with no abilities. In that case, it's just a vanilla permanent. It doesn't get summoning sickness because it was never a creature — it just had a creature type.

What about the "Embalm" or "Eternalize" clause?

If a planeswalker dies and gets exiled to create an embalmed token, that token is a Zombie creature copy of the planeswalker. It does have summoning sickness because it's now a creature token, not a planeswalker.

Planeswalker commander edge case

In Commander format, if a planeswalker is your commander and gets bounced to hand, you can cast it again. It still doesn't have summoning sickness. Your opponents will hate you.

How to Use Planeswalkers the Turn You Cast Them

Here's what you can actually do when a planeswalker hits the battlefield on your turn:

1. Activate loyalty abilities immediately. You don't need to wait. Most planeswalkers have a minus ability you can use right away if you have enough loyalty counters.
2. Attack with creatures. Your existing creatures can attack. The planeswalker can't be attacked directly — your opponents' creatures attack it.
3. Use the loyalty ability to create tokens. Some walkers like Nissa, Who Shakes the World make creatures that can attack immediately because they enter as new permanents.
4. Activate abilities that generate mana or card advantage. Teferi, Hero of Dominaria's -1 can bounce something immediately. No waiting required.

Quick Reference: Can Planeswalkers...

• Activate loyalty abilities the turn they enter? Yes.
• Attack the turn they enter? No — planeswalkers can't attack because they aren't valid attack targets. Creatures attack planeswalkers.
• Be attacked the turn they enter? Yes. Your opponent's creatures can attack your planeswalker immediately.
• Use abilities that cost {T}? No. Planeswalkers don't have tap abilities. They use loyalty counters.
• Be affected by "creature" removal? No. They need "destroy" or "exile" effects. Wrath of God hits them. Terror does not.

The Bottom Line

Planeswalkers don't get summoning sickness. They enter, they do their thing immediately, and they start generating value or controlling the board right away.

This is part of why planeswalkers are so powerful in Magic. They don't have the "do nothing for a turn" problem that most expensive creatures have. You drop a Jace, the Mind Sculptor on turn 5, and on your opponent's turn, you're already Brainstorming.

Know this rule. Your opponents might not.