Gideon Jura‘s third ability that costs zero loyalty counters makes Gideon into a 6/6 creature. (It will matter later, but this creature will be white, because Gideon is a white permanent.) When this happens Gideon also has an ability that prevents all damage to it. So in effect you gain a fairly large and tough attacking creature.

Combust deals five damage to a white or blue creature AND this damage cannot be prevented. So if Combust is played targeting an ‘animated’ Gideon, what happens?

In this example we have two competing effects, one saying that damage is prevented and another saying that this specific damage cannot be prevented. In Magic, if two effects are diametrically opposed the effect that states that something cannot happen ‘wins.’ As Combust’s ability states that the damage cannot be prevented, this will override Gideon’s ability that prevents damage.

When damage is dealt to a planeswalker that is also a creature, it will have two effects. The first is that the damage will be applied to this creature as damage is n does. In other words this Gideon can receive lethal damage and go to the graveyard. As Gideon normally ‘animates’ as a 6/6 creature, it would take at least one additional point of unpreventable damage in this situation to deal lethal damage to it. The other effect that this damage will have is to remove loyalty counters form Gideon. If this animated Gideon has five or fewer loyalty counters on it, all of them will be removed and Gideon will be go to the graveyard due to the state-based actions that causes planeswalkers with no loyalty counters on them to go to the graveyard.

Today’s Rules Tip was suggested by George FitzGerald, a level 1 judge from Sarasota, Florida, United States.