Ichormoon Gauntlet — ruling 1

Only one loyalty ability of each planeswalker may be activated per turn, no matter how many it has gained.

Ichormoon Gauntlet : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Ichormoon Gauntlet is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.

Official card text

Planeswalkers you control have "[0]: Proliferate" and "[−12]: Take an extra turn after this one." Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, choose a counter on target permanent. Put an additional counter of that kind on that permanent.

Complete guide

Ichormoon Gauntlet is a powerful blue artifact that fundamentally changes how your planeswalkers operate on the battlefield. Not only does it grant your loyalty-based allies new abilities, but it also rewards you for casting noncreature spells by bolstering existing counters. This card is a cornerstone for any deck looking to accelerate toward game-ending ultimate abilities.

A Loyalty Upgrade

While Ichormoon Gauntlet is on the battlefield, every planeswalker you control gains two new loyalty abilities. The first is a [0] ability that lets you Proliferate, allowing you to increase the number of counters on any number of permanents or players. The second is a powerful [-12] ability that grants an extra turn. Note that these are added to the existing abilities of the planeswalker, but the standard rule still applies: you may only activate one loyalty ability per planeswalker each turn.

Triggering the Gauntlet

The second part of the Gauntlet is a triggered ability that occurs whenever you cast a noncreature spell. When this happens, you choose a permanent that already has at least one counter on it. The ability then puts an additional counter of that specific kind on that permanent. This is not the same as Proliferate; you are specifically selecting one type of counter on one specific permanent to increase by exactly one.

Timing and Targeting

When you cast a noncreature spell, the Gauntlet's ability goes on the stack on top of that spell. You must choose a target permanent when the ability is put on the stack. If the target permanent loses its counters or leaves the battlefield before the ability resolves, the ability will fail to do anything. If a permanent has multiple types of counters, you choose which specific kind to add to as the ability resolves.

Strategic Implementation

The best time to play Ichormoon Gauntlet is when you have established a board presence with planeswalkers that have low loyalty or when you have a hand full of cheap utility artifacts. By casting spells to trigger the extra counter ability, you can rapidly reach the [-12] threshold to take extra turns and lock down the game state.

Interaction examples

Boosting Utility Artifacts

Arcane Signet

With Ichormoon Gauntlet on the battlefield, you cast Arcane Signet. Because the Signet is a noncreature spell, the Gauntlet triggers. You target a planeswalker you control that has three loyalty counters. The Gauntlet's ability resolves first, adding a fourth loyalty counter to the planeswalker. Then, your Arcane Signet resolves and enters the battlefield.

Incremental Growth

Swiftfoot Boots

If you control a planeswalker and cast Swiftfoot Boots, the Gauntlet triggers. You can choose to put an additional loyalty counter on your planeswalker. This interaction allows you to protect your creatures while simultaneously building toward the Gauntlet's [-12] extra turn ability granted to your planeswalkers.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.

How it works : Ichormoon Gauntlet

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1February 4, 2023· Wizards of the Coast
Only one loyalty ability of each planeswalker may be activated per turn, no matter how many it has gained.
No other card is named in this ruling.