All 15 Ajani Planeswalker Cards in Magic Ranked

Ajani, the Greathearted | Illustration by Victor Adame Minguez

Ajani has often played the role of a mentor in Magic, both in the story and to newer players. He has had a couple Planeswalker Decks, and his cards tend to be rather straight-forward payoffs for lifegain or go-wide decks, two archetypes that might have been among your first builds.

Now that Ajani has returned to the story after the events of the New Phyrexian Invasion, how do his cards stack up from across the years? Let’s get into it.

What Are Ajani Planeswalkers in MTG?

Ajani Steadfast | Illustration by Chris Rahn

Ajani planeswalkers are card that have both “Planeswalker” and “Ajani” in their type line, including the card that transforms from a legendary creature into a planeswalker.

Ajani planeswalkers are centered in white Magic, with green and red as secondary colors. As a character, Ajani is a paragon of the teamwork and balance that we associate with white, and these planeswalkers abilities reflect that. Lifegain, +1/+1 counters, and tokens are among the more common effects that appear in Ajani loyalty abilities.

#15. Ajani, Valiant Protector

Planeswalker Deck planeswalkers are virtually all weak because they either don’t do anything interesting or they cost too much for the things they do. Ajani, Valiant Protector falls into the latter category. You’re looking at 6 mana plus four activations of the +2 ability before you can get the ultimate, and that’s just too slow for today’s Magic.

#14. Ajani, Inspiring Leader

You know what I’d play in a token deck over Ajani, Inspiring Leader? Inspiring Leader. Half the mana, and it’s a full-time token anthem. Let me use something else as my overrun or mass flying enabler.

#13. Ajani, Wise Counselor

Okay, slightly better here. Ajani, Wise Counselor costs less mana, starts with more loyalty, and ultimates faster than Ajani, Valiant Protector, but any deck that would want it has better tools in their workshop. I love the idea of gaining as much life as the creatures I have, but that relies on having and keeping that board state.

#12. Ajani Vengeant

Ajani Vengeant belongs in land destruction and staxy decks, and pretty much nowhere else. Once it’s on the field, you can stun an opponent’s permanent every turn, including lands, and that ultimate is devastating. And dare I say, not fun.

#11. Ajani Goldmane

Boy howdy, this kitty is showing its age. The raw advantage that the original Ajani Goldmane has is that it’s a 4-mana ‘walker rather than a 5- or 6-mana one, and its avatar token is an interesting pipe dream.

And don’t forget, Ajani catches.

#10. Ajani Unyielding

Ajani Unyielding sees an alright amount of play considering its mana value. Uptick it to filter the top of your library for creature spells, downtick it the same amount to handle a problem creature, then the ultimate spreads around +1/+1 and loyalty counters. Definitely the kind of planeswalker you want in a superfriends build with lots of proliferate effects; if you can ultimate this Ajani, you’re often set up to go off with a bunch of other ‘walkers.

#9. Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants

Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants fits as one of your many Ajani options in cat decks, but I like how it plays with Kros, Defense Contractor. In that deck, you can place +1/+1 counters on your opponents’ creatures to tap and goad them, so Ajani’s upticks help with that en route to its ultimate ability.

#8. Ajani, Mentor of Heroes

As one of my first three planeswalkers (along with Xenagos, the Reveler and Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver), Ajani, Mentor of Heroes will always have a spot in my heart. It was a mentor of mine, in a way.

That second uptick ability plays nicely in a budget planeswalker deck, but the ultimate was one of the first things I thought of when I saw Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant for the first time.

#7. Ajani, Outland Chaperone

Once again, an Ajani that’s all about the smol folk. Ajani, Outland Chaperone can spawn kithkin tokens, and if you build up to the -8 you get to drop a bunch of small-ish permanents on the battlefield. Looks to me like tech for Arabella, Abandoned Doll or Delney, Streetwise Lookout decks to mess around with.

#6. Ajani, Sleeper Agent

Oh, my heart bleeds. Ajani, Sleeper Agent tells the story of Ajani’s compleation and his betrayal of the Gatewatch. The first two abilities play out as a typical Ajani card, but then you get an emblem that turns creature and planeswalker spells into a source of poison. This Ajani plays well in an Atraxa, Praetors' Voice superfriends build; once the poison is on a player, you can proliferate it until it’s game over.

#5. Ajani Steadfast

Ajani Steadfast continues the theme that Ajani cards that play well with other planeswalkers, which is part of why is was reprinted in the Commander Masters Planeswalker Party precon. It offers a trio of relevant combat abilities that help your attackers survive without leaving you open for a vengeful swing, but the other abilities manipulate loyalty counters and give your planeswalkers a type of protection. Ajanis are superfriends superglue.

#4. Ajani, Caller of the Pride

Now here’s a cat that gets my deckbuilder gears turning. Ideal scenario, you cast Ajani, Caller of the Pride on turn 3. You uptick it immediately, and every subsequent turn. At a casual to mid-power Commander table, where do you think your life total will be on turn 7? My bet is that it’s still high enough to trade in this planeswalker for at least 20 2/2 cat tokens, if not more. Arahbo, the First Fang is probably the only deck that virtually needs this Ajani, but it can slot into other cat or token decks, no problem. A fresh round of reprints in Foundations has kept Ajani, Caller of the Pride extremely accessible.

#3. Ajani, Strength of the Pride

Ajani, Strength of the Pride is built more for lifegain decks than most other Ajani cards, and it has found a new home in the Hope Estheim mill deck. It also subverts the singleton building restriction in Commander since you can trade in loyalty counters to make Ajani's Pridemate tokens, which will then both grow when you uptick Ajani and help you to gain more life. With 15 life more than your starting total, you can unleash the nuclear option, which is to exile Ajani along with every creature and artifact that your opponents control. Of course at that point, you’re way ahead of the Felidar Sovereign and Test of Endurance win conditions, but it can be a decent failsafe in a deck that also goes wide and tall.

#2. Ajani, the Greathearted

Ajani, the Greathearted was the best Ajani until Modern Horizons 3. Its static ability is perfect in any deck that goes wide, while the downtick helps +1/+1 counter decks, token decks, and planeswalker decks. Heck, the static ability helps planeswalker decks too so that you can have more blockers in front of your ‘walkers.

#1. Ajani, Nacatl Pariah / Ajani, Nacatl Avenger

This card illustrates the moment when Ajani gained his spark, and it’s one of the best cards Ajani has ever had.

Ajani, Nacatl Pariah enters with another Cat Warrior alongside it, and its transform condition is that another of your cats has to die, which is trivial in the right build. The Vorthos in me appreciates this storytelling, though it conflicts with my Mardu () nature, which would have me actively sacrifice the token that represents Jazal.

Ajani, Nacatl Avenger’s abilities are really good, too. You can activate the ultimate after just one activation of the +2, which spreads counters around your cats. But that neutral loyalty ability is a potential game ender. With enough creatures, you can take out a player with it. A planeswalker that can end the game the turn it enters is incredible, no notes.

Ajani Payoffs

Oath of Ajani is one of the better planeswalker oath enchantments simply for its steady cost reduction. But aside from your other planeswalker payoffs like proliferation abilities, there’s a few cards that mention Ajani planeswalkers by name.

Ajani's Aid tutors for the Ajani from its Planeswalker Deck, and you can sacrifice it to throw pocket sand into a creature’s eyes for some damage prevention. Goldmane Griffin tutors and searches your graveyard for a different Ajani.

Court Cleric becomes a 2/2 if you control an Ajani planeswalker, while Ajani's Comrade can grow stronger over the course of the game.

Aside from that, look for cards that payoff the abilities of your specific Ajani, whether it’s lifegain payoffs, token payoffs, or +1/+1 counter payoffs.

Who Is Ajani Goldmane?

Ajani Goldmane is a leonin planeswalker originally from Naya, one of the shards of the plane of Alara. As you may be able to tell from his flip-walker card (Ajani, Nacatl Pariah / Ajani, Nacatl Avenger), he wasn’t the most welcome among his home tribe. When his brother, Jazal Goldmane, was killed during a midnight ambush, Ajani’s planeswalker spark ignited.

The Ajani we’ve known through most of the story was heavily shaped by the first planeswalkers he met: Sarkhan Vol, who encouraged him to lean into the rage he felt over his brother’s death, and Elspeth Tirel, who helped to heal him after a particularly nasty encounter.

He has been somewhat of a mainstay of the Magic storyline. Many of his earlier stories found him traveling with Elspeth, but he has also been part of the Gatewatch. He was compleated during the leadup to the New Phyrexian Invasion; he was a sleeper agent among the Gatewatch, though his Phyrexian nature was revealed during the climactic events of the Dominaria United story, when he killed Jaya Ballard and captured Karn.

Though he survived the events of March of the Machine and was cured of phyresis, he is forever changed, both because he is consumed by guilt over his role in the New Phyrexian Invasion and his body retains the metal “enhancements” he gained when he was compleated.

Is Ajani Still Compleated?

No. He was brought to Zhalfir during the final moments of the March of the Machine story, and he was healed by Teferi, Karn, and Melira. It wasn’t an easy ritual, though, and it cost Karn his spark and Melira her life.

Does Ajani Still Have His Spark?

Yes! Though he was compleated, Teferi, Karn, and Melira cured him of the phyresis. He returned to the story during Tarkir: Dragonstorm, though he didn’t receive a card in that set. In the story for Lorwyn Eclipsed, he helps Liliana and Dina to search for their missing students, then planeswalks to Lorwyn-Shadowmoor when he realizes that the students have gone through an Omenpath to that plane. Liliana cannot accompany him because she has lost her spark.

What Other Ajani Cards Are There?

• Ajani Fells the Godsire
• Ajani's Aid
• Ajani's Chosen
• Ajani's Comrade
• Ajani's Influence
• Ajani's Last Stand
• Ajani's Mantra
• Ajani's Presence
• Ajani's Pridemate
• Ajani's Sunstriker
• Ajani's Welcome
• Oath of Ajani
• Qala, Ajani's Pridemate

Ajani's Pridemate is a decent payoff for infinite life combos that don’t also involve Exquisite Blood; Qala, Ajani's Pridemate puts the same lifegain trigger onto a legendary creature. Oath of Ajani is notable as a cost reducer for superfriends decks.

Wrap Up

Ajani's Influence | Illustration by Sidharth Chaturvedi

Ajani Goldmane has been part of Magic’s story since his first planeswalker card in Lorwyn, and his own arc is full of twists and turns. I’m very curious to see how his story develops through 2026; Jace is going through a very similar post-compleation trauma phase, and I wonder if these two should sit and have a heart-to-heart…. But I don’t think Jace would go for that right now. (Seriously boys, go to therapy.)

Which Ajani planeswalkers do you run, and in which decks and formats? What do you think of the Lorwyn Eclipsed Ajani card? Let me know in the comments below or over on the Draftsim Discord.

Until next time, stay safe, and watch out for each other!