MTG Top 10: Planeswalkers | Episode 31

In this week's top 10, I delve into the archives of MTG tournament results to discuss the top 10 planeswalkers in MTG history!
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[@FillyCheeseSteak]

1. Liliana of the Veil 2. Liliana of the Veil 3. Liliana of the Veil 4. Liliana of the Veil 5. Liliana of the Veil 6. Liliana of the Veil 7. Liliana of the Veil 8. Liliana of the Veil 9. Liliana of the Veil 10. Jace, the Mind Sculptor

[@evanross7519]

I see it

[@SkyShroon]

if hedron crab was a planeswalker, it would be #1

[@sovereign683]

Indeed...

[@DarkTider]

I think the logic of the list is flawed though, only looking at top 8's doesn't actually tell the whole story of whether a planeswalker is good or not, but says more about the deck they are in, and some numbers get artificially skewed by the decks around the planeswalker, rather than the planeswalker itself. As you mentioned, Jace the mind sculptor got itself banned, which puts it lower on the list of top 8's, but also reflects it as being a weaker planeswalker on this list, which is just nonsense. Likewise Gideon enjoys from having had a place in completely broken lists, that were not broken because of gideon, but because of other cards that work well with him, such as collected company and siege rhino. In addition, you are comparing planeswalkers directly, even though their power and results are from widely different formats, so the relative opposition they face is different. Liliana is lower than elspeth on this list, because liliana spends most of her time in modern, whereas the majority of Elspeth's results come from standard, a very different enviroment that isn't really comparable. All of the walkers are powerful, but I think your method for determining the order of their power makes no sense whatsoever. It's like saying the strongest person on earth, is the one that lives next to the weakest people, and not whether he is objectively stronger by himself. Still a fun list of "best performing" walkers :D

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Thuran Yeah "best performing" may be a better way to put it, but that's not as catchy!

[@OnlyZunkin]

There simply are very few other objective ways to measure the performance of a card. Of course it is far from perfect, but this method does carry more weight with it than just a list of somebody's personal opinions.

[@mwo79]

Nizzahon Magic plus when planeswalkers weren’t cards, but the players, makes us the players the most powerful planeswalkers.

[@aichliss]

I think the key conceit to this list is that “best” refers to “best-in-format”.

[@Darkersneasel]

@@OnlyZunkin I disagree with this being the most objective way to look at things. It probably should be normalized based off how long it was playable. JTMS is busted and being available in less tourneys because of banning.

[@jonathantanner7083]

Psych, mind sculptor unbanned

[@jamesroberson4853]

Jonathan Tanner mhmm my favorite card is back lol

[@666voyager666]

I'll keep my karn as a personal #1

[@donsancho6690]

Karn is an awesome card one way or another!! Did you find it in a booster pack? If so, you are one lucky man

[@tibaltthejank-blooded4684]

How 'bout that new Karn huh? Pulled him at a prerelease, then was too stupid to sell when he hit $70

[@pepijn2456]

J'ai un francais Karn libere. (I have a french Karn Liberated). Not french just bought it on cardmarket

[@cthulhu5707]

Karn is not on this list? Karn is the god of tron! Why is he not on this list?

[@cthulhu5707]

I'm triggered!!!!

[@NizzahonMagic]

I was surprised by that too -- but he just hasn't put up enough Top 8s to be one of the most successful planeswalkers of all time. He's definitely powerful and still sees play, so he could climb up the list in the next few years, but right now he is empirically less successful than about 14 other planeswalkers.

[@lucassteele1185]

Nizzahon Magic but she is six to play

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Lucas Steele She is, and she existed in a Standard format where that was fine. Karn never did much in Standard - he is a Modern All-Star for sure - but doesn't have a big enough resume outside of that format to crack the list.

[@Ninjamanhammer]

+Nizzahon Magic Your criteria for this video is pretty bad, it is pretty biased towards cards that are good in standard and it's a pretty bad use of top 10.

[@Masaru_kun]

the wallet sculptor shoulda been #1

[@fusioncore3268]

This is the best thing ever 😂

[@modernminded5466]

But he isn't the best.

[@SeaBassz]

you mean Jace, the price sculptor?

[@somehoweverynameiwantistak5535]

Hah and you said that before the unbanning. Now hes just insane

[@dervakommtvonhinten517]

he doesnt sclupt the wallet, he makes you sell it...

[@xornious]

0:26 “Planeswalkers are a relatively new creature type.”

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Roxy You must be the first person to point out that mistake on this year old video!

[@Kuronosa]

Aww....you beat me to it....

[@peaceandwar771]

Jace The Mind Sculptor's +2 is underwhelming? That's his best ability. The worst thing you want to hear when playing against Jace is when your opponent uses his +2 ability, looks at your top card, and says while smirking "you can keep it."

[@ericsalazar4027]

Nah the worst thing is when that happens and its one of if not the only card you are hoping to draw to get back into the game.

[@marco5030]

His brainstorm is his best ability by miles.

[@WhiskeyPieSometimes]

I'm partial to Sorin, Lord Of Innistrad. Mostly because I love token generators and he goes well in my janky W/R/B Vampires deck.

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Greg Lytle Yeah he is good!

[@blueslimeg10ttv43]

I love him

[@AndrewLK87]

Thanks for directing me to the site, nice vid.

[@andycic.544]

I feel like being banned should automatically put you in number one

[@CardBazaarYT]

I like this top ten. Good job, sir.

[@NizzahonMagic]

Thanks!

[@alsween218]

Glad to see the "Soul Sistah" on here AND get the top spot! The whole time I'm like "where's Elly?" and then BAM😆 she graces us with her presence😍. Anyway I'm kinda surprised that Garruk the Apex Predator didnt make it on here. Grand Prix play or not that card was a MAJOR problem to deal with in game😨.

[@jackpabich763]

Can lists get updated? I love your videos, and am always curious how time changes these videos. Keep up the great content!

[@magwaii6790]

I play Venser in modern. Extremely underrated. Good Vid (:

[@Vensris]

Always love the top 10's!

[@NizzahonMagic]

Enjoy!

[@Morgormir]

"His +2 is really underwhelming" damn and I wanted to subscribe to your channel too.

[@NizzahonMagic]

+リンク 天皇陛下 So sad.

[@TauntedSymbol]

it is though, if he didn't have the brainstorm ability it would be pretty bad tbh

[@nicholasperkins4655]

I know this was made before but I think Chandra, Torch of Defiance is the best mono red planeswalker yet. Card advantage, Mana Ramp, and removal. Seems solid to me.

[@TheRubsi]

Nissa, vastwood seer was such a powerhouse, loved the card.

[@WillArtie]

awesome man - love these Vids!

[@NizzahonMagic]

Glad to hear it!

[@nightingaleseraph]

Liliana of the veil became a must have for smallpox and jace, the mindsculptor is a must in stoneblade.

[@GudHunterYT96]

Nissa nature's artisan is a really good Planeswalker imo Managed to swing 140 ish damage with my mono green elf,treefolk,centaur deck.

[@eila2088]

You get points for being good in block and punished for being banned or played in Legacy or Vintage... Vintage seems to not exist ("Mind Sculptor can only be played in legacy") and baby Jace/Mind Sculptor aren't mentioned for their Legacy (in case of BJ) or Vintage playability (both).

[@NizzahonMagic]

Sean Metivier Yeah my method for sure doesn't give enough credit for Vintage, it isn't a format I ever play, so I need to do some research to figure out what Vintage events are the most elite.

[@Finngrinder]

Kid Jace is like the most played Vintage Walker. Dunno if he even outraced Mind Sculptor. Saheeli has also been huge

[@ryanmcpartland2296]

Would you do a follow up to this, like in a year? It'd be nice to see how rankings change.

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Ryan McPartland Given how close the top 3 are, I probably will!

[@paweassassin5444]

Nicol Bolas is the best planeswalker ever.

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Paweł Assassin you can't have two "best evers"!

[@bunnies1978]

Which one

[@hoverant7709]

I hate him

[@therealnerdyg]

@@NizzahonMagic it is 3 now...

[@evanross7519]

No

[@joranmoore5663]

Hey Nizzahon, are there any Walkers you'd think from the past year-ish you'd think of changing the list with?

[@NeoAxiom]

It's funny that the #1 is the first planeswalker i ever pulled from a bonus back in a starter deck

[@damium5]

YEAAHHH i Have both Number one and number 2 =D great list =)

[@TheSushiandme]

Fedeskier step up and get all of them ;) x4.

[@ethanpascoe1540]

Well, since this is out of date... I have the top 2 planeswalkers from a 2016 list. Poggers.

[@tweaglescout]

I personally also love Jace Belren

[@ZeBestBagguetCrGd]

What about Garruk Apex Predator

[@thetruth4654]

My list of the Planeswalkers that i think are the strongest 1.Jace, the mind sculptor 2.Liliana of the veil 3.Karn Liberrated 4.Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 5.Chandra torch of defiance 6.Gideoen of the Trials 7.Gideon Ally of Zendikar 8.Liliana of the last hope(She is mainly a sideboard card but she can win the game all on her own make make gaps Shorter right when she hits play) 9.Gideon Jura(Simply due to how hard it is kill him) 10.Elspeth, Suns Champion(She is even in a few Legacy sideboards though not very often) My honarable mention is Tamiyo Field Researcher okey her bant cost is hard to cast but if she is on a stable Board i have won games With her purely on her card advantage of her plus, used her minus to deal alot of damage and get a huge tempo advantage and when i have gotten her emblem(Omniscience) Sure i do not win the game on the spot but with an omniscience effect it`s so hard to loose

[@cashrabley3248]

You should do a top 10 planeswalker characters by taking into account all their cards

[@dakotakade3547]

Teferi, Hero of Dominaria deserves to be on this list too. I know he wasn't out yet, but God do I hate that walker.

[@tdogg46142]

in my commander deck (I run Nahiri, though with new cards that may change), I have Ally of Zendikar. I have never pulled it off, because the odds of the combination of cards is crazy (I'll tell below), i can ultimate him 4 times in one turn (three before combat), with just the cards I have currently in it. Start of turn (Emeria Shepard and a equiped Sword of the Animist on battlefield and Gideon, AoZ, plains and Knight of the White Orchid in hand) Play Gideon, AoZ, Ultimate him Assuming opponent has more lands, play Knight of the White Orchid, search deck for plains and put on battlefield Emeria trigger, put Gideon on battlefield, ultimate him. Play plains, repeat previous line Attack with creature equiped with Sword of the Animist, sword of the Animist triggers, search deck for plains and put on battlefield Emeria trigger, put Gideon on battlefield. After combat ultimate him. Creatures I control get +4/+4 and opponent probably cries

[@tch204]

I feel like the title should say MTG Top 10: Most Successful Planeswalkers, because if this were based on overall power level, these rankings would not be the same (clearly)

[@NizzahonMagic]

+tch204 That's true - but I don't think there is really an empirical way to talk about power level, it is subjective, and with my top 10s I like delving into the history of magic and what made particular cards dominant in their time - it is an interesting way of looking back at Magic while helping me and my viewers improve on card evaluation.

[@tch204]

I totally don't disagree with your thought process, and I think videos like these are great. However, the title is simply misleading.

[@raynmanshorts9275]

One of the few Chandra cards where she doesn't look like congealed ass is also one of the few where she's actually good.

[@aidanru.2469]

Chandra, Torch of Defiance should definitely take a spot on this list!

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Aidan Ru. She has very little in the way of PT and GP top 8s right now, so she isn't even close!

[@Natboof]

that has changed

[@anteater2083]

Nizzahon Magic Looking at this comment 1 year later

[@georgeducharme2819]

i actually saw flip nissa in a top 8 modern elves deck as a 1 of not too long back. it was even maindecked.

[@NizzahonMagic]

+George DuCharme I could see that.

[@wehpudicabok6598]

Would love to see this list updated for 2020. It would probably look very different now. At least, it would have Oko

[@NizzahonMagic]

There is a 2019 update - but yeah, it is also pre-Oko

[@DaltonHBrown]

noob here, why isn't Garruk, Apex Predator on this list? A +1 of his is "destroy another target planeswalker" he comes out with 5 loyalty and his -8 is "target opponent gets an emblem with 'when a creature attacks me it get +5/+5 and has trample"

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Dalton Brown He costs 7 mana. So only really controlly decks can play him. He saw a little play, but not near enough to make this list.

[@willemboele2079]

and elspeth costs six and she is number one.....

[@zuri4077]

I just recently bought three of my first planes walkers and two of them are on this list

[@phoenixfire9176]

Wasn’t mind sculptors +2 why he was so broken?

[@nogotogon3513]

i main Elspeth in a token soldier deck, it is nice getting 3 10/10 indestructible first strike vigilance firelink creatures every turn

[@The_Hissing_Fool]

Hmmm. Granted, this video is now over a year old, but I have to admit I wasn't expecting that No. 1. Poor Jace get's hobbled by the mighty Ban Hammer, not that I personally feel bad about that. I'm more of a Liliana of the Veil kind of person, myself.

[@justinlemay581]

my guess is a vraska (possibly vraska the unseen or vraska relic seecer, but that's just my opinion)

[@flamedragon07]

Just letting you know . If you did already Jace the Mind Sculptor is officially unbanned in modern. UNBANNED! UNBANNED UNBANNED! I repeat Jace the mind-sculptor is unbanned in Modern!

[@NizzahonMagic]

Yep, wasn't when I made this.

[@YoshikikiOG]

MAH BABY AT #1

[@donsancho6690]

Same here... Love the planeswalker. "Elspeth do your thing" "ok **burps out 78.5 creatures** wait a sec **wipes the board** a last one **all those creatures become hard to block and stronger**

[@PraxusUK]

Going to guess at Karn Liberated as number one. I was wrong.

[@FedeArgentina]

Why not Knight-Errant ??!?!

[@Wiitigo_X]

No sorin Markov or Nicol bolas?

[@generalawesome7279]

I wouldn't say that Sorin Markov is all that great. He's really good in commander though.

[@Finngrinder]

was Vintage never a Format at the GP or anything? Jace/Vryn is pretty good there

[@NizzahonMagic]

+The-Jaded Nope, but in more recent videos I use Vintage Championships as PT top 8.

[@ReMeDy_TV]

Question: That Liliana is and has continued to be the most consistently expensive Planeswalker to purchase (~$75), even over Jace (~$70), and despite Liliana being rotated out of standard. Be honest, how much does that have to do with Liliana being hot as fuck?

[@stephenheninger8498]

Have the number of top 8's increased that could have an influx on the impact of the walkers scores in this regard.

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Stephen Heninger There are GPs now than their used to be, at least in Standard, so it does have some impact.

[@bcdfezz]

3 years later, I wonder if Oko would contend with these Planeswalkers

[@Yotanido]

The only planeswalker I really have is Ajani Goldmane. It's pretty good in a lifegain deck, though it does have trouble protecting itself. I also Lilliana Vess, but I don't play it in any deck.

[@ethancarter739]

Gotta love jace the mind sculptor being legal in modern

[@NizzahonMagic]

Surprisingly hasnt had a huge effect yet.

[@stefanofagiano7054]

where would teferi, hero of dominaria be now? Could he make the list?

[@Supsup516]

elspeth is queeeeennnnn

[@Riboflav1n]

Supsup516 here here

[@tygonmaster]

Yes, but Gideon is right behind her. :lennyface:

[@Polo23R0]

Curious to know if Oko changed this

[@itzpharaoh2325]

Jace the Mind Sculptor will probably be on top soon

[@seryntheon8195]

elspeth was in my first ever u/w deck in mtg she came from a booster pack (my first one) and people hated me for my luck. good times.

[@TheGrouch91]

Same here. I was actually disappointed because I didn't even know how planeswalkers work. Oh the nostalgia.

[@seryntheon8195]

The Grouch Yea man exact same. :)

[@dinosaur5432]

I pulled a foil Liliana of the veil, but I didn't know what it was worth

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Dino Saur Nice

[@yavorkotsev9781]

What do you think about the planeswalker vraska

[@pairot01]

Boy has this aged poorly, I don't think it's correct to look at both standard and eternal formats.

[@berndb3141]

I wouldn't say Jace, the Mind Sculptor's +2 ability is underwhelming. Meddling with your oponents draws can be quite good.

[@NizzahonMagic]

It can be, it can also be completely irrelevant, and is that far more frequently.

[@berndb3141]

I think, it depends. If you are ahead, it's great. You can just ship the draw of your oponent if it would allow him to catch back up. If you are behind, it's not good.

[@NizzahonMagic]

@@berndb3141 Know what's better when you are ahead? A planeswalker with an ability that impacts the board.

[@arnauddeniger802]

The old bolas rules them all!

[@tyton4437]

Why if I look up Chandra the pyromaster do I find a card with a different design is it just a redesign I don’t see any difference in spells

[@aaronroberts7720]

Gideon will always be my avatar in magic.

[@jackmccoy2865]

on your list, it says that lilly had 11 pt top 8s and 64 gp top 8s, totaling up to 106 points. these don't add up, since 64+22 is 86, also the numbers for gp and pt top 8s that lilly has are the same as jace the mindsculpor's...

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Jack McCoy PTs are worth twice as many points, so 108 is correct. That said, I clearly made a mistake in the video since Jace and Liliana should not have the same,total.

[@jackmccoy2865]

ok, i watched it again and saw the part where you said PTs are worth twice as much, which i missed the first time.

[@ahubb21]

I know he's a high drop, but I'm surprised Garruk, Apex Predator didn't even get an honorable mention.

[@dawsonstevens7632]

Okay Ugins ult is usually game ending especially in a turn for tron deck. And Karn Liberated is god

[@Master_Chef_Mattman]

Where is Sorin Markov? He can come in and drop someone to 10 life right away! He is hard to play in multiplayer, but in mono-black he's amazing!

[@NizzahonMagic]

Probably at Markov Manner.

[@lucasbakeforero426]

I have only one of the planeswalkers on the list and it is Elsphet

[@silverwinterheartsnow6925]

Why isn't Karn Liberated on this list? (7): 6L |+4: Target player exiles a card from hand | |-3: Exile target permanent | |-14: Restart the game, leaving in exile all non-Aura permanent cards exiled with Karn Liberated. Then put those cards onto the battlefield under your control |

[@NizzahonMagic]

Points. He was #11 when I made it. He may make it when I do the update at some point.

[@LounoirRecords]

i have 1 liliana of the veil and thats about it :) still worth about 90 bucks or so

[@alexp3860]

Cab you do a updated version of best plainwalker

[@Coreyseyes11]

Do you ever worry that these videos may become obsolete as soon as future sets come out?

[@NizzahonMagic]

I mean they most assuredly will. I plan on updating them at some point. Gideon,Ally of Zendikar would be #1 on this list now haha

[@riverswater5688]

Might be time to update this video; it’s been five years

[@NizzahonMagic]

It has been updated twice since this.

[@riverswater5688]

@@NizzahonMagic aye! i found them eventually! Thank you! i love your videos

[@sorafowler4497]

Tibalt is obviously #1

[@TheSushiandme]

My favorite planeswalker is Tibalt :D

[@NizzahonMagic]

+TheSushiandme He is pretty cool. Hope he returns to the story some day!

[@juanduarte9923]

Nicol Bolas or Vraska?

[@royalechaos]

If anyone hasn't heard of the card, check out the plainswalker Domri Rade.

[@jinx-gamingmore242]

My friend packed jace the mind sculptor 🔥🔥

[@carlmohr4323]

Calling Jace Beleren or Garruk Wildspeaker as number one. Maybe Elspeth, Knight Errant. Let's see how I did.

[@leanderrechenberger9428]

why isn't ajani mentor of heroes there? hes so good

[@zachbergmann7916]

huh. Bought elspeth for my soldier tribal without realizing how good she is on her own. Guess she really is the champion of the sun.

[@GlowingFog]

I think number of copies in a deck should be taken into account, having a one of in a sideboard shouldn't be worth 4 of in mainboard. It would push jace, the bank sculptor to #1.

[@NizzahonMagic]

+GlowingFog I have considered this before, but some sideboard cards which are staples deserve to have their bit of history remembered, so I haven't found a good way to distinguish that.

[@wiredspider]

Planeswalkers are a relatively new creature type?

[@NizzahonMagic]

+wiredspider Yeah in the grand scheme of things. They didn't exist until 2007, and Magic was around about 13 years before that.

[@wiredspider]

lol No you said Creature type lol they arent creatures

[@aorusaki]

JACE IS BACK, BOYS! XD

[@NizzahonMagic]

Yeah hasn't had much of an impact yet, though.

[@charlesguzman5027]

I was hoping for a good Planeswalker for number 1 and I already had it SMH 🤣. I didn’t even consider her as number 1. I thought she was okay.

[@jamesroberson4853]

Jace the mind sculptor hands down best.

[@gavincarpenter2739]

Had my top 5 jumbled, but everything was there. 5. Elspeth 4 Jace, Architect 3 JTMS 2 Liliana 1 Gids

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Gavin Carpenter Wow you love your Gideon!

[@gavincarpenter2739]

Nizzahon Magic It's more of a hatred of seeing it everywhere.

[@007subscriber]

This list should NOT be called 'Top 10 Planeswalkers' because that is not what it is. It's top 10 standard planeswalkers basically but even that would be an inaccurate statement because it's not exactly fair to compare top 8s for new cards and old ones. I mean are you really going to try to convince anyone that Elspeth, Sun's Champion or Gideon, Ally of Zendikar are stronger than JtMS and LoTV? Fucking no way in hell. Dominating standard does not make something a good card, just a good standard card.

[@myaramiu]

007subscriber Exactly...

[@obviouslylee]

But...it isnt just standard he is talking about. Those results are tournaments for all formats. And he also said several times that he isnt reviewing them based on raw power. He said himself that Jtms would probably top that list.

[@felixrivera895]

Elspeth has been my best bitch since her duel deck released. If I played a white deck without her I tended to lose

[@senpaisatan3441]

I have Elspeth in my Esper control deck. Also I have Jace, Mind Adept.

[@N7xVoss]

I have Chandra, Pyromaster!

[@Someone-sq8im]

No Liliana defiant necromancer?

[@NizzahonMagic]

She didn't exist when I made this, and wouldn't make it just yet, though I think she will get there.

[@Someone-sq8im]

Nizzahon Magic ok, but jace telepath unbound came out in the same set

[@NizzahonMagic]

Oh - you're right, I am thinking of the wrong Liliana, was thinking of Liliana the Last Hope. The one you are talking about is nowhere close to making the list.

[@jakedubiel8483]

Why on earth is bolas not on here? +3 to destroy any non-land permanent is beyond overpowered

[@NizzahonMagic]

+Jake Dubiel Because he doesn't have enough GP or PT top 8s, sadly for him. He's strong. But his color and mana requirements have held him back from being heavily played.

[@renevargas4496]

Where would oko be now ?