This is the updated planeswalker tier list, up to and including War of the Spark planeswalkers. This is identical to my post on Reddit; I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have it in both places.
– Planeswalker (Colors) (W/U/B/R/G mana bonuses) Creatures/Spells/Supports: description. Getting Started: hints. Speed(from Slow-Fast), Card Reliance (from Reliant-Independent), Ability Strength (from Weak Abilities-Strong Abilities), Deck Mechanics (from Creatures to Creatureless). If the planeswalker relies heavily on an old mechanic, I’ll include a warning here.
Monocolor
Tier 1
Tier 1 monocolor planeswalkers don’t necessarily need great cards to get started. They have great mana bonuses and embody the mechanics of their element. Their abilities don’t rely heavily on a certain block, nor do they rely on particular cards to get started.
– Elspeth, Sun’s Champion 
(+7/+3/-2/-2/+3) 6/6/5: Elspeth has great mana bonuses, good board control, and doesn’t take much to get going. Getting Started: To capitalize on her mechanics, you want cards that have Activate abilities, or can trigger them (destroying gems, converting gems, etc.). Fast, Independent, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Gideon Blackblade (+4/+2/-1/+3/+1): In the current context, Gideon is a fairly powerful planeswalker. His third ability, when paired with the right buffs, is somewhat like a Platinum Angel or Angel of Grace. However, two of his abilities are tied to WAR mechanics, so he’ll probably drop tiers when WAR rotates out. Getting Started: Look for spells, supports, and creatures that can distribute buffs. With the right combo, you can create a Prevent Damage combo that only a few cards can get around. Fast, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Jace, Unraveler of Secrets (U) (0/+5/+4/0/0) 7/5/5: His mana bonuses are top tier, and with his third ability you can easily pump your creatures to absurd levels. Getting Started: You want cards that help you draw more cards. Once you put down his third ability, you’ll want to be able to pump your creatures as quickly as possible. Fast, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Koth of the Hammer (R) (-1/-1/0/+9/0) 10/6/3: Koth has ridiculous mana bonuses, and cheap mechanics that help him get red matches. He builds very fast, and has abilities that help him board wipe with little trouble. Getting Started: Put creatures in your deck. Profit. Fast, Independent, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Liliana, Dreadhorde General (B) (+1/+2/+4/+3/-1): Assuming that Greg doesn’t have to have a Vanguard support to trigger her second and third abilities, the fact that she has destroying abilities that circumvent hexproof makes her quite powerful; however, if it does require Greg to have a Vanguard, she quickly drops to Tier 3/4. Getting Started: She thrives off of Amass abilities. Throw as many as you can into her decks. Fast, Independent, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
– Nissa, Worldwaker (G) (+3/+1/-1/+2/+4) 6/7/6: What makes this iteration of Nissa better than the others is her ability to ramp up, and since all three of her abilities produce creatures, she can fund and field a substantial force despite the cards you put in her deck. Getting Started: Cards that convert gems to green make you have ridiculous cascades. Fast, Independent, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
Tier 2
Tier 2 monocolor planeswalkers can be quite powerful, but rely more on cards than Tier 1 planeswalkers.
– Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants (+3/0/0/+3/+3) 6/5/8: His third ability is quite powerful, and his other abilities scale on par with many other white planeswalkers. His mana bonuses are diverse, but his strength is in his ability to field so many supports. Getting Started: Look for particularly nasty white supports that help control the board like Seal Away, Suppression Bonds, Sphinx’s Decree, and Ixalan’s Binding. Medium, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
– Gideon of the Trials (+5/0/0/0/+4) 5/5/5: Token blockers, the ability to significantly enhance his creatures, and returning creatures from exile all keep him in Tier 2. His reliance on getting good cards, though, is what keeps him from Tier 1. Getting Started: He’ll need some strong white creatures. Medium, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Jace, Cunning Castaway (U) (+2/+3/+2/+1/+1) 6/9/4: His abilities provide the creatures to do damage while you can focus on locking down your opponent with blue control spells. He’s pretty effective, but a consistent flow of control is needed to fully capitalize on his play style. Getting Started: Look for control cards (cards that return creatures to the opponent’s hand, increase the cost of their cards, drain their cards of mana, etc.). Fast, Slightly Card Reliant, Fairly Strong Abilities, Creatureless.
– Jaya Ballard (R) (0/+4/0/+5/0) 5/8/6: She is one of the few planeswalkers that is set up to go creatureless. Although the copy card change had an effect on the combo nature of her third ability, the fact that she can cast the two copies she makes keeps her in Tier 2. Getting Started: Look for powerful direct damage spells, supports that help you draw/enhance damage. Fast, Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Creatureless.
– Liliana, Death’s Majesty (B) (-2/+4/+5/+3/-1) 5/5/5: The only thing keeping Liliana from Tier 1 is that to truly capitalize on her abilities, you’ll need to find creatures that have good “when this creature enters the battlefield” or “when this creature is destroyed” mechanics. Getting Started: Find black creatures that have ETB (enter the battlefield) or destroy effects. Fast, Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Liliana, Defiant Necromancer (B) (0/+1/+3/+1/0) 9/10/8: What makes this basic planeswalker better than the others is that her discard mechanics are relevant even at top levels of competition. That, in combination with easily accessible creature destruction in black, means she’ll continue to be viable. Getting Started: Look for cards that force your opponent to discard. Slow, Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
– Liliana, Untouched by Death (B) (-2/+3/+7/+3/-2) 8/6/5: In most situations, she’d probably be at the lower end of Tier 2/high end of Tier 3. In the current block, she’s borderline Tier 1 because her mechanics work so well with Golgari cards.Getting Started: Zombies. Get lots of zombies. Fast, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Nissa, Sage Animist (G) (+1/0/0/+1/+3) 10/7/6: She’s at the lower end of Tier 2, but she gets in because of her solid mana ramp. Getting Started: Look for solid green creatures. Medium, Independent, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Ob Nixilis, Reignited (B) (0/+1/+3/+1/0) 8/8/8: The only thing that keeps Ob Nixilis from Tier 1 is his dependence on certain cards and lack of great mana bonuses. Getting Started: Look for loyalty generating cards, cards that destroy creatures, and cards that make you or your opponent draw cards. Medium, Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Creatureless.
– Vivien Reid (G) (+2/+2/0/0/+5) 8/5/6: With the right creature cards, Vivien is unstoppable. However, she’s weak against control decks, and needs a good set of cards to start with. Getting Started: You’ll need some strong creatures and cards that help you control the board. Medium, Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
Tier 3
Tier 3 are good planeswalkers, but rely heavily on the right deck setup.
– Chandra Roaring Flame (R) (0/0/+1/+3/+1) 10/10/6: She’s good at what she does, but her mana bonuses and low HP are a significant drawback keeping her from higher tiers. Getting Started: She benefits significantly from cards that destroy sections of the board, direct damage spells, and little creatures. Slow, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Flexible.
– Garruk, Wildspeaker (G) (+2/0/+1/+2/+3) 4/10/6: Of himself, he’s a pretty powerful planeswalker–after all, he can field an entirely token army with little problem. The downside to this, though, is that green does creatures best. By incorporating one of the strongest points of green into your deck, you’re counteracting the strongest points of Garruk, and vice-versa. Getting Started: Look for cards that enhance your creatures. Medium, Card Reliant, Weaker Abilities, Creatureless.
– Gideon, Battle Forged (+3/+1/0/0/+1) 9/6/7: He has a solid set of abilities; however, his mana bonuses and his absolute reliance on creatures hold him back from being a Tier 2 planeswalker. Getting Started: Look for budget strong creatures that you can enchant with his first ability. Slow, Card Reliant, Fairly Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Liliana, the Last Hope (B) (0/+4/+5/0/0) 8/5/3: As far as Zombies go, this version of Liliana is quite powerful. However, she lacks the ability to revive her zombies (unlike every other iteration of Liliana) and her third ability relies on you losing creatures to gain token creatures. Getting Started: Get zombies. Medium, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Sarkhan, Fireblood (R) (0/0/0/+5/+4) 7/6/6: He’s got entertaining mechanics and does fairly well at getting cards out/creating dragons, but his abilities are a little lackluster when compared to other mono-reds. Getting Started: Look for dragons and cards that combo with dragons. Medium, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Tezzeret, the Seeker (B) (+2/+3/+2/0/0) 5/8/9: He’s a great support-centric planeswalker. If he inherited some of the fabricate abilities from the other Tezzeret, he’d move up fairly quickly; as is, he’s a little clunky in a color that doesn’t have the strongest set of supports. Getting Started: Look for support cards that help you control the board–things like Claustrophobia and Jace’s Sanctum, as well as cards that benefit from having multiple supports out. Medium, Card Reliant, Weaker Abilities, Flexible.
– Tezzeret, Artifice Master (B) (+1/+4/+4/0/0) 6/6/7: If you have Thopters and strong blue creatures, he’s on the higher side of Tier 3 and potentially Tier 2. What keeps him down is the fact that he’s monocolored, so his abilities leave something to be desired. Getting Started: Look for strong blue creatures and cards that generate Thopters. Medium, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Flexible.
Tier 4
Tier 4 planeswalkers have significant drawbacks. Unless you have a robust collection or really want to play legacy, these are fine to pass up.
– Chandra, Torch of Defiance (R) (0/0/+4/+5/0) 5/6/5: Back when Energize was a viable mechanic, this iteration of Chandra was quite powerful–she could get rid of Energized gems and do substantial damage at the same time. Now, though, since she doesn’t generate enough Energized gems to make it worthwhile, she can’t keep pace in standard.Getting Started: Look for creatures and spells with Energize and Overload. Medium, Very Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Flexible. Relies on an old mechanic.
– Fblthp, the Lost (B) (+2/+3/+1/+2/+1): Although his mana bonuses are pretty solid, his abilities make him quite the gimmicky planeswalker. He’s solidly a “Vanity Tier” choice, whose main purpose seemingly is to annoy your matchups as an AI deck, since many win conditions would be thwarted by his abilities. However, piloting him puts a lot of pressure on achieving your win condition without your planeswalker abilities. Getting Started: cheap creature cards mixed with control will thoroughly annoy your opponents. Medium, Card Reliant, Weak Abilities, Flexible.
– Gideon, Ally of Zendikar (+3/+2/0/0/+2) 5/10/7: He relies too much on Ally cards to be viable in anything outside of Legacy. Getting Started: Look for Ally creatures from the Zendikar block. Slower, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven. Relies on an old mechanic.
– Jace, Telepath Unbound (U) (+1/+3/+1/0/0) 8/10/8: His abilities are good at delaying the inevitable, but he just doesn’t have the tools he needs to be viable. Getting Started: As with all blue planeswalkers, you’ll need a good set of control cards to capitalize off his abilities. Slow, Card Reliant, Weak Abilities, Flexible.
– Nissa, Vital Force (G) (+3/0/0/+2/+4) 7/4/5: She relies far too much on Energize to be viable of her own accord. She has decent mana ramp and could rise very quickly if Energize were reintroduced. Getting Started: Find cards that Energize the board. Medium, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven. Relies on an old mechanic.
Duocolor
Tier 1
Extremely powerful planeswalkers. Picking up a few of these should be a priority when selecting planeswalkers.
– Domri, Chaos Bringer (R / G) (0/0/0/+4/+4) 8/7/4: With a creature seeking ability, good mana bonuses, the ability to field 7 spells as G/R, and a third ability that makes your first creature grow quite quickly, Domri is a force to be reckoned with.Getting Started: In the theme of Gruul, you’ll want large green creatures. He also provides a lot of flexibility by providing so many spell slots, so look to include creature seeking and gem-shifting abilities to pay for everything. Fast, Independent, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Dovin, Grand Arbiter (W / U) (+3/+3/+2/0/0) 5/9/5: Although this is a tentative placement, he has good mana bonuses and his abilities will be quite strong in this more creature-centric meta (after all, part of his third ability is half of Nahiri’s third for all your creatures, and stays permanently). Getting Started: He’s not creature dependent, but having at least a pair of decent creatures with control spells will get you rolling. Fast, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
– Hautli, Radiant Champion (W / G) (+5/0/-2/0/+5) 8/6/5: The combination of her first and third abilities keeps your hand full, and pays for it quite efficiently. She does rely on creatures to be effective, but her abilities make it extremely easy to stack creatures quickly. Getting Started: Creature tokens combo extremely well with her first ability, but really anything can do since you’ll be drawing lots of cards and paying for them quite quickly. Fast, Independent, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Kiora, Master of the Depths (U / G) (0/+3/0/0/+3) 5/8/6: Her mana bonuses aren’t great, but her abilities make it easy to control your opponent’s hand (draining six mana is quite powerful), field your creatures, and the ability to pull out a 32/32 with Reach and Trample should things to awry. Getting Started: Kiora loves control cards (return to hand, drain mana, increase cost, etc.) and big creatures. Fast, Independent, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
– Ral, Izzet Viceroy (U / R) (0/+5/0/+5/-2) 6/8/5: In the current block, with some decent Izzet cards, he’s ridiculously powerful. He’s the strongest creatureless solution out there, with plenty of control options to keep the enemy’s side clear.Getting Started: Basic control cards and direct damage spells. You don’t actually need the direct damage spells (thank you third ability), it just makes matches end quicker. Fast, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Creatureless.
– Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge (U / B) (-1/+4/+4/+2/-1): If you have Artifacts, Tezzeret is a well-oiled machine. His whole kit is streamlined around Artifacts (a little bit vanguard supports with his first ability, but artifacts in general), and with the right setup, can pull out a lot of cards for free. Getting Started: Artifacts, artifacts, and more artifacts. Fast, Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
– Teferi, Hero of Dominaria (W / U) (+3/+4/-2/+1/+2) 6/7/6: Great mana bonuses, and so so so much control. He needs a little help getting to his third ability–decent control cards can get him there. After that, you’re home free. Getting Started: Throw in control cards (return to hand, drain mana, increase cost, exile creatures/supports, disable creatures) and some decent creatures. Fast, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
Tier 2
If you have the cards, these planeswalkers can bring the firepower.
– Angrath, the Flame Chained (B / R) (-1/+2/+4/+4/-1) 7/6/6: If you’re looking for a solid discard alternative to Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, look no further. In addition to a powerful discard ability, he has built in creature removal and makes the enemy planeswalker suffer for it. Getting Started: Look for cards that force your opponent to discard, and cards that can be used to kill enemy creatures quickly. Fast, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
– Kaya, Orzhov Usurper (W / B) (+3/+1/+3/+1/0) 6/7/6: Her first two abilities are rather lackluster, but her rather cheap third ability has the ability to be a one-hit kill. Getting Started: She’ll need control cards. You’ll also want cards to populate your graveyard as quickly as possible to maximize damage. Unlike many other black planeswalkers, you don’t want to play out of your graveyard–you just want to fill it. Medium, Independent, Medium Abilities, Flexible.
– Nahiri, the Harbinger (W / R) (+4/0/-1/+4/+1) 9/4/4: She can cheaply pump creatures with her first ability, and her third ability makes it easy to overrun an enemy. Getting Started: Throw creatures into your deck. Fast, Independent, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Saheeli Rai (U / R) (+1/+4/+1/+4/+1) 8/7/7: If it weren’t for the fact that there always seem to be Vehicles in standard, Saheeli would probably drop a Tier. Her mana bonuses are great, and she pairs very well with Thopter decks. Her third ability is overpowered in Legacy, but can still be ridiculous in Standard if used correctly. Getting Started: Thopter token generating cards and vehicles. Fast, Independent, Fairly Strong Abilities, Creature Driven. Uses an old mechanic, but still very useful.
– Samut, the Tested (R / G) (-1/-1/-1/+5/+5) 10/4/4: Although her abilities include the Afflict mechanic from her block, she doesn’t need Afflict in your deck to do ridiculous damage (although having an Afflict card in a legacy match means she can make a creature “quadrastrike” with little effort). Getting Started: Throw creatures into your deck. Fast, Independent, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Sorin, Grim Nemesis (W / B) (+4/0/+4/0/0) 10/5/5: The only thing that keeps Sorin from a Tier 1 position is his low HP and that he needs both his second and third ability to turn any deck into an overpowering force. Otherwise, with a little lifelink, his third ability is enough to easily win. Getting Started: Lifelink. Lots of lifelink. Also, cards that heal you. Medium, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Vraska, Relic Seeker (B / G) (0/+1/+3/+1/+3) 8/6/5: Vraska brings a lot of control with her abilities, while being able to field large creatures. Her first ability alone–support destruction–makes her extremely powerful in a color that has notoriously annoying supports (Lich’s Mastery, anyone?). Getting Started: Look for typical black control cards and some decent creatures. Medium, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
Tier 3
These planeswalkers have decent mechanics, but rely heavily on card choices and specific strategies.
– Ajani, Vengeant (W / R) (+3/+1/0/+2/+2) 9/6/5: He comes equipped with a lot of control and can efficiently control the board. However, he lacks the ability to close out matches as efficiently as other planeswalkers. Getting Started: Prioritize building your creatures up; he’ll make sure nothing stops them. Medium, Slightly Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Dovin Baan (W / U) (+3/+3/0/0/0) 5/8/5: The thing that saves Dovin Baan from Tier 4 status is that his abilities are pretty powerful and somewhat self-sustaining; that said, he needs a good set of cards to make him viable (but once he’s there, he does quite well). Getting Started: For Legacy, Energize cards. Outside of Legacy, cards that convert mana along with control cards. Medium, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven. Relies on an old mechanic.
– Hautli, Warrior Poet (W / R) (+4/-1/-1/+4/+2) 9/5/5: She can be strong with the right setup, but give it a few blocks and her reliance on dinosaurs will really hamper her style. If you have a strong Ixalan/Rivals of Ixalan collection (especially with Enrage) she’s more of a Tier 2 planeswalker currently. Getting Started: Dinosaurs, especially with the Enrage mechanic. Medium, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven. Relies on a mechanic that rotates out with Ixalan.
– Sarkan the Mad (B / R) (+1/+1/+2/+2/+1) 9/7/6: Think of him as the more expensive Samut that relies quite a bit on dragons. Getting Started: Find lots of dragons. Medium, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven.
– Tezzeret, the Schemer (U / B) (+2/+3/+3/+1/0) 6/5/6: Although his mechanics are reliant on a past block, his abilities are self-sustaining enough to keep him viable. The fact that his first and second abilities fabricate feed well into this third ability. With a card like Storm the Vault, he becomes ridiculously powerful. Getting Started: Control cards and supports. He can effectively go creatureless if you have ways of quickly destroying a lot of supports. Medium, Card Reliant, Fairly Strong Abilities, Flexible.
– Vraska, Golgari Queen (B / G) (0/0/+4/0/+4) 8/6/5: I know this is a bit of an unpopular opinion, but despite the fact that her third ability can be effectively abused, her whole kit is based around getting the match to go long, which doesn’t hold up well against strong opponents. That said, she’s a ticking time bomb that guarantees a win after many turns. Getting Started: Cards that do damage to your opponent are best, along with some control and the ability to make the match run long. Medium, Card Reliant, Fairly Strong Abilities, Creature Driven.
Tier 4
These planeswalkers rely on mechanics that no longer are used.
– Ajani, Unyielding (W / G) (+4/0/0/0/+2) 8/5/4: On paper, he’s powerful. Outside of blocks that use Energize, he’s not that great. Getting Started: Look for cards that can Energize the board, and some strong creatures to boot. Slow, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven. Relies on old mechanics.
– Arlinn Kord (R / G) (0/0/0/+3/+3) 7/5/5: In the time of werewolves, she was ridiculous. In this time without flip werewolves, she leaves a lot to be desired. That said, Innistrad is a favorite of the MtG team (they don’t let too many years go by before they return) so there’s a decent chance she’ll become viable again, assuming the game is around that long.Getting Started: Werewolves with flip abilities. Medium, Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Creature Driven. Relies on old mechanics.
– Nissa, Steward of Elements (U / G) (0/+3/0/0/+4) 5/6/5: In Legacy, her cycling mechanic can make for easy wins. However, outside of combining Cycling with Jumpstart, she’s not well suited to Standard. Getting Started: Get Drake Haven and cards with cycling. Medium, Card Reliant, Medium Abilities, Creature Driven. Relies on old mechanics.
Tricolor and Colorless
These planeswalkers are more difficult to rank because there are few of them, and their usefulness comes down to the cards that you have (although they can field significantly more than the other planeswalkers, so that would naturally rank them higher up). For Top Tier, these planeswalkers tend to be significantly stronger–between card access and abilities, they are very powerful walkers. For Basically Top Tier, these take a little more to get started, but they are still very powerful walkers. The last category, Vanity Tier, has niche usefulness. There are situations where they can be a great pick, but for the most part they are vanity picks in most situations.
Top Tier
Karn, Scion of Urza (Colorless) (+1/+1/+1/+1/+1) 5/5/6: He needs some good supports. It doesn’t matter the color, and colorless is gravy. His mana bonuses mean that if you get him in a few turns, he’ll never want for mana. Getting Started: Supports. Colorless cards. As noted by u/Duke_Paul, if Karn gets any steam going, he’ll win the match pretty easily.Medium, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
Nicol-Bolas, God-Pharaoh (U / B / R) (-1/+3/+3/+3/-1) 5/8/5: He can effectively go creatureless, and comes with a lot of control. He’s also quite easily to use as is. Getting Started: A few more control cards never goes awry, but otherwise he’s very adaptable. Medium-Fast, Slightly Card Reliant, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
Sarkhan Unbroken (U / R / G) (-1/+3/-1/+3/+3) 6/6/7: With a built in Deploy the Gatewatch, the ability to increase his mana bonuses, and overpowering token creatures, this iteration of Sarkhan is exceptionally powerful. Getting Started: Big creatures. With his third ability, you won’t have to worry much about their cost. Fast, Independent, Strong Abilities, More Creature Driven.
Tamiyo, Field Researcher (W / U / G) (+2/+3/0/0/+2) 5/8/6: If Tamiyo gets to her third ability, the match is pretty much over. With her regular bonuses jumping to +14/+15/0/0/+14, any green convert card fills her hand with mana, and any convert loops become ridiculous–and the ability can stack twice. Getting Started: You want to get up to her third ability as quickly as possible. Spells/supports that generate lots of matches are key–think of spells that convert mana, or destroy gems. Fast, Independent, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
Basically Top Tier
Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God (U / B / R) (-2/+3/+4/+4/-2): In all honesty, his abilities are somewhat lackluster. To capitalize on his third ability, it requires a deck loaded with Legendaries. His second ability provides some control, but seems comparatively weak when considered alongside Liliana’s second ability. His mana bonuses are quite solid, though. Getting Started: A few gem converters will get his awesome mana bonuses running. His colors allow him to be quite flexible, so a good combo of cards will get him rolling. Fast, Independent, Medium Abilities, Flexible.
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager (U / B / R) (0/+2/+3/+2/0) 7/6/6: He needs a decent set of cards to last him until he transforms. After that, with only minimal effort, he’ll easily win. Getting Started: Grab a few control cards. Medium, Independent, Strong Abilities, Flexible.
Vanity Tier
The Eldrazi Desolation (Colorless) (0/+2/+2/+2/+1) 6/7/6: His kit allows him to be viable even outside of Eldrazi blocks. The fact that he can field every card in the game helps a bit too. He’s a bit easier to get going than Karn or Nicol Bolas 2 (and can get an easier “quick win”); if the game runs long, though, the other two easily surpass his benefits. Getting Started: Throw in cards that work together. Fast, Card Reliant, Fairly Strong Abilities, Flexible.
Ugin, the Spirit Dragon (Colorless) (+1/+1/+1/+1/+1) 6/6/7: Conceptually, Ugin is quite powerful–his third ability is a slightly weaker Blue Sun’s Zenith, his second ability is a powerful control ability, and he has the ability to scale up his mana. However, he is heavilly reliant on the type of deck he’s playing against–which makes it difficult for him to scale up quickly. Getting Started: Ugin’s primary drawback is his inability to gain mana quickly–start by including multicolored creatures (especially tricolored creatures), then throw in a few cards that convert gems or otherwise gain mana to bring him online. Medium, Independent, Fairly Strong Abilities, Flexible.
Overall Ranking:
Generally, to mix the classifications together, you’d end up with an overall tier list like this:
– Duocolored Tier 1 and Top Tier Tricolor/Colorless
– Basically Top Tier Tricolor/Colorless
– Monocolored Tier 1
– Duocolored Tier 2
– Monocolored Tier 2
– Duocolored Tier 3
– Monocolored Tier 3
– Duocolored Tier 4 and Monocolored Tier 4
Planeswalker Attributes
Speed: A major consideration I have in constructing this tier list is accessibility of cards and the relative speed of the match. Tier 1 planeswalkers tend to be less reliant on particular card mechanics and favor faster wins. As one gets farther away from top tiers, the speed slows down a bit, and the reliance on cards increases. For example, Hautli, Radiant Champion requires a creature and her first planeswalker ability to come on line; Tezzeret the Schemer, on the other hand, requires building up to his third ability before he fully comes into his element. In a match that goes longer, the tiers would adjust somewhat. Typically, a longer game implies more control is being utilized. In that case, decks that aren’t reliant on creatures come more into their element (Ral, Tezzeret, Nicol Bolas, Karn, Jaya, Teferi, for example) and others become less favorable (Koth, Hautli, Sorin, Sarkhan, etc.). Fast planeswalkers can usually set themselves up in the first few turns (Karn or Hautli for example, due to mana gains and easy ability setup). Medium planeswalkers might take a little effort to get started, either due to poor mana gains or a reliance on certain abilities to come online (Vraska is a good example of medium, since she might take a few turns to get started with her mana gains, but has access to an effective ability fairly quickly). Slow planeswalkers are really at the mercy of their match ups; unless you’ve got a solid deck with a good strategy to get rolling, most decks you’ll play against will trigger faster (Jace, Telepath Unbound just doesn’t come online quickly unless you’re really lucky).
Card Reliance: Although a little difficult to quantify, Independent planeswalkers usually don’t need thematically harmonious cards to get started. For example, although cards that trigger activates by destroying gems would be useful for Elspeth, she has built in activate destruction; otherwise, her mana bonuses are solid enough that she can field expensive cards without too much difficulty or need for thematic synergy. Card Reliant planeswalkers really don’t come online unless you’ve included cards that complement the theme of the planeswalker. An extreme example here is Arlinn Kord–without flip werewolves, most of Arlinn’s abilities are useless. Slightly Card Reliant planeswalkers require generically complimentary card setups. Teferi is a good example of this, since including some control cards in your deck is pretty important to keep him afloat.
Ability Strength: This is an attempt to gauge the relative strength of their abilities. Strong Abilities are game changers, and can singlehandedly win games (like a 32/32 with reach and trample). Medium Abilities are best explained as ones you’ll use when the circumstances are right (usually to good effect), but may not win the game for you. Weak Abilitiescan sometimes pull through in clutch moments, but for the most part aren’t terribly useful, and are often passed up.
Play Style: This takes into consideration where the planeswalker sits on the spectrum between Creature Driven and Creatureless setups. Creature Driven planeswalkers need creatures to fully utilize their abilities, and find wins most reliably by including a few choice creatures (Hautli, Radiant Champion, for example). On the other hand, Creaturelessplaneswalkers don’t need creatures to win, and often have mechanics that help them control the board without needing to field any creatures (Ob Nixilus is a prime example). Flexible planeswalkers have abilities that complement either play style, and can be taken either direction without compromising their kit.
Disclaimers
Bias: The overt bias in these distinctions is that they’re made with Platinum tier in mind. I’m assuming that you’re planning on throwing in thematically complementary cards into their decks (albeit many Tier 1s don’t need you to be all that choosy). I’m striving not to let personal dread influence my rankings too much (whenever I see Arlinn Kord in Legacy events I scramble my deck for efficient control options because they’re bound to have Ulrich of the Krallenhorde, and probably Olivia, Mobilized for War and Decimator of Promises or Emrakul just for kicks and giggles).
A final note: I’m certain that many reading this list will probably find a few classifications they don’t agree with. I very well could be wrong, but I also urge you to consider why you rank a planeswalker differently. Could it be that you have an exceptionally strong collection in their colors, or perhaps your collection is lacking in their strengths? I’m open to reclassification for a well presented case. Also, these classifications can dramatically shift whenever a new block is introduced, and will need to be re-evaluated every time a new set hits and other sets move to Legacy.
Most recent update: 7/23/2019, added Fblthp.
Planeswalking 