Phyrexia: All Will Be One is Magic: The Gathering‘s first set of 2023 and marks the return of Rare Planeswalkers.
This shift in rarity allows Planeswalkers to have a bigger impact on Limited due to showing up more frequently. As for Constructed formats, Rare Planeswalkers usually have more niche applications compared to their ultra-powerful Mythic Rare counterparts. Despite that, the last time Magic players saw Rare Planeswalkers in War of the Spark, they had a significant impact on various formats.
Each ONE Planeswalker is playable and worth running, however, there are some cards that are better than others. With a focus on their impact in Standard, here is each Planeswalker in ONE ranked from worst to best.
Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler
Tyvar is a fantastic combo enabler in eternal formats but lacks any teeth in Standard. There just aren’t enough valuable activated abilities for B/G decks to take advantage of what Tyvar enables. This is still a solid value Planeswalker. It’s able to give a creature pseudo-Vigilance and will synergize with some of the useful activated abilities in Standard. The -2 ability is a nice hit of recursion while fueling graveyard-based strategies. Every Planeswalker in ONE is playable, Tyvar just doesn’t have the support other cards do.
Nahiri, the Unforgiving
R/W Equipment might have some teeth in Standard going forward thanks to the support that dropped in ONE. Nahiri is a great tool for that archetype and packs two very useful abilities. The Nahiri’s second +1 ability allows the player to loot, which is important in White and Red decks that generally lack ways to draw cards.
The 0 loyalty ability is where Nahiri will earn her spot in the 75. This copy effect is a powerful way to further apply pressure on the opponent through combat and gets better when combined with creatures’ enter-the-battlefield triggers. The R/W archetype isn’t at the top of Standard yet, but if it emerges look for Nahiri to be a key card.
Kaya, Intangible Slayer
Seven mana is a lot for a Planeswalker. Kaya has proven to be worth the cost as a role player in W/B/X control lists. She comes down with six mana so she won’t be immediately taken down. The Hexproof is surprisingly effective at stifling the opponent, forcing them to commit in combat to get rid of Kaya. If they are unable to, she will begin generating massive amounts of value. She can drain the opponent for three each turn or draw you two cards. These abilities in a control shell are game-breaking in how effective they are. The -3 is a powerful piece of removal against creatures and Enchantments that gives you a 1/1 token copy of it. This ability can be used against your own spells to double the value from activated or triggered abilities.
Koth, Fire of Resistance
Big Red might be back on the menu in Standard. Koth is a strong four-mana Planeswalker that helps you consistently hit land drops with its +2 and is a form of removal by using the -3 ability. It’s a good value piece for Red decks looking to overwhelm the opponent with damage spells and expensive threats with Flying and Haste. The ultimate isn’t difficult to get to either, while the -7 is a game-winning ability that lets you deal four damage to anything whenever a Mountain enters the battlefield.
Lukka, Bound to Ruins
Lukka is a Planeswalker that looks fine when reading the card, but its value presents itself when you’re facing an R/G deck and they resolve this five-mana house of a card. The +1 mana effect allows you to continue applying pressure through creatures. The -1 is a great way to create a hefty 3/3 creature. Lukka can also just come down and be a removal spell, leaving you one loyalty counter to spare when cast for full price. Lukka isn’t an overwhelming force as a card, but the way it perfectly fits into R/G decks positions it well in Standard going forward.
Jace, the Perfected Mind
In Standard, Jace can enable a grindy mill strategy or help fill your graveyard in a reanimation shell. It’s a versatile Planeswalker that doesn’t do a great job protecting itself, but it can generate enough value in one turn that it’s worth running even if it gets immediately removed. The -2 is the bread-and-butter ability on Jace. It mills three and draws a card. Later, this ability has the potential to draw three cards, which is a huge boon for any Blue list. The -X is a way to end the game through mill, but you likely won’t find yourself firing off that ability as often over the -2 or +1.
Kaito, Dancing Shadow
Kaito was built to support Ninja decks in eternal formats, but it is a powerful value Planeswalker in Standard despite the lack of a Ninja-tribal archetype. This four-mana Planeswalker plays can draw a card or prevent a creature from attacking or blocking until your next turn. This is an effective way to stymie creature decks that need to win through combat. A U/B deck looks to control the battlefield with disruption in the form of countermagic and removal spells. The -2 is a solid way to apply pressure when the battlefield is locked down. These 2/2 Artifact tokens come packed with Deathtouch, making them threatening blockers. When they leave the battlefield, you drain the opponent for two life. Kaito is fine into control matchups but can dominate the game when faced against a list centered around creatures.
Nissa, Ascended Animist
Green ramp builds have been given another big-mana payoff. Nissa can simply come down as a seven-mana overrun effect that should win the game during that turn’s combat phase. In times when that ability isn’t useful, the +1 has proven itself as a valuable ability. It is a consistent form of token generation that can dominate the battlefield as attackers and blockers. The -1 ends up being useful considering how many lists run important Artifacts and Enchantments to enable their game plans. Sadly for Green players, Nissa can’t be found with Storm the Festival but that’s a minor downside for an otherwise excellent card.
Vraska, Betrayal’s Sting
Poison is all the rage in Standard in the wake of ONE’s release. Vraska is a powerful top-end finisher for Toxic that can come in and help push the opponent to 10 poison counters. The 0 ability is strong, drawing you a card and triggering Proliferate which essentially makes this ability +1. The -2 is a solid piece of removal that plays much better than it looks like on face value. Black decks can use Vraska as another piece in their extensive removal packages. The -9 ultimate ability isn’t that difficult to hit and will end the game immediately through poison counters. A deck built around Vraska will be able to Proliferate often and easily elevate from six to nine loyalty counters.
The Eternal Wanderer
The Wanderer is two-for-two on fantastic Planeswalker cards. This version is a six-mana Planeswalker with five starting loyalty. The static ability is a great way to protect itself. It’s common for Planeswalkers to be destroyed by being attacked by multiple creatures. The +1 is a solid way to trigger enter-the-battlefield abilities. The 0 ability creates a solid 2/2 creature token with Double Strike. The -4 is a useful reset ability that can wipe the board leaving one creature for each player left standing. The value The Eternal Wanderer enables is stellar and serves as a strong top-end finisher for control decks.
