All 8 Gideon Planeswalkers in Magic Ranked

Oath of Gideon | Illustration by Wesley Burt

Magic has its share of iconic characters, and Gideon Jura certainly belongs among them as one of white’s most prominent planeswalkers, if only due to his presence in the years of lore focused around the exploits of the Gatewatch.

The planeswalker cards that depict this self-sacrificing warrior of justice range in power and cost, though they share similar traits, like destroying or exiling permanents and becoming a creature, which makes it one of the most aggressive planeswalker types in the game.

What Are Gideon Planeswalkers in MTG?

Gideon Jura | Illustration by Aleksi Briclot

Gideon planeswalkers are planeswalkers with the Gideon subtype that depict the character Gideon Jura (occasionally known as Kytheon). A unique feature of Gideon planeswalkers is that they often turn into indestructible creatures, representative of the protective hieromancy Gideon uses to shield himself and charge into battle. As the ability to attack suggests, Gideon planeswalkers favor aggression. In addition to the creature stuff, they often buff allied creatures or exile opposing permanents.

#8. Gideon, Martial Paragon

Planeswalker Deck planeswalkers are historically over-costed and underpowered, because why should Wizards put good cards in decks aimed at newer players? Despite the historical issues with the archetype, Gideon, Martial Paragon could be decent, maybe even playable, if its first ability made any sense.

Why untap all your creatures and then buff them? What’s the use of untapping them, then making it easier for them to attack? Creatures in white generally get tapped because they attacked. It feels like an ability with two parts, but you only get one: You either attack, forsaking the anthem to untap your creatures, or you pump your creatures and ignore the untap effect. This should have given them vigilance and the buff, and that could have been a respectable Planeswalker Deck planeswalker for token and go-wide decks, if still an over-costed one. But Wizards didn't let that happen.

#7. Gideon, the Oathsworn

Gideon, the Oathsworn also comes close to playability. The static ability is actually decent and works well with both white’s love of going wide and +1/+1 counter synergies; cards like Dusk Legion Duelist and Elite Scaleguard come to mind. The trouble is that this Gideon isn’t guaranteed to do anything the turn you cast it. You can make it into a creature but, like vehicles animated the turn you cast them, it’s still affected by summoning sickness. A planeswalker that only impacts the board if you already have two creatures which must attack, so they can’t defend Gideon, is unacceptable at any cost, let alone 6 mana.

#6. Gideon, Champion of Justice

Gideon, Champion of Justice pushes us towards playable Gideons, though it’s still rather underwhelming. It has the potential to be the biggest Gideon since its power and toughness scale with the number of loyalty counters on it, and those add up fast in Commander. It also has a powerful ultimate as a finisher. But that +1 ability does very little and it takes a hair too much time to reach the others.

#5. Gideon Jura

Gideon Jura distinguishes itself from other Gideons in a few ways. First, and very importantly, this iteration of Gideon does not gain indestructible when animated, so it can eat a Doom Blade. Be mindful of animating it.

Gideon Jura’s other abilities also make it more suited to control than aggression. Making all creatures attack it buys the control player at least a turn of time and potentially sets up a blowout if you control a few large creatures or have the mana for Settle the Wreckage. If you’ve kept your opponent’s board trimmed, it’s not uncommon to play this, uptick it to a whopping 8 loyalty, then let Gideon take the hit and kill whatever creature attacked it. A more controlling Gideon makes for a nice change of pace, and it emphasizes the character’s ideals as a protector that’s too willing to pursue justice through self-sacrifice.

#4. Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is unique as the only Gideon that produces tokens. They’re very nice tokens, too; most planeswalkers make 1/1s, so the 2/2 Knight Ally tokens pose a serious threat. It’s a very aggressive Gideon as its the only Gideon that makes itself a creature by adding loyalty rather than with a 0 loyalty ability, so killing Gideon gets harder and harder the more you attack. The emblem ties it together neatly, so it’s not only a great token producer but a payoff for token generation. Think of it as the most flexible Glorious Anthem in the game.

#3. Gideon of the Trials

Gideon of the Trials enabled a unique “Oops, All Gideons” strategy that used multiple versions of Gideon to exploit the emblem. This was only made possible by a rules change with Amonkhet that allowed players to control multiple planeswalkers of the same type as long as they hand different names—previously, players could only control one planeswalker with the same type. You could consider this a poster child for the change, a planeswalker that only functioned because Wizards changed how the game worked, and that’s pretty cool.

#2. Gideon Blackblade

Gideon Blackblade is one of the most aggressive Gideons since you don’t need to waste its loyalty ability to make it a creature. It feels a little stale to make Gideon’s static ability its most basic ability while other prominent planeswalkers like Teferi and Nissa got extremely flashy static abilities, but it makes for a powerful planeswalker that attacks well.

#1. Kytheon, Hero of Akros / Gideon, Battle-Forged

Putting the only Gideon that doesn’t start as a Gideon at number one sounds strange, but Kytheon, Hero of Akros has aged extremely well. Savannah Lions is still amazing in aggro decks, as long as they have extra abilities. Transforming into a planeswalker that continues attacking definitely counts. Sure, this requires some work since it has to attack with a bunch of other creatures, but the activated ability helps Kytheon survive. If any color can attack with three creatures in a timely manner, it’s white.

Gideon Payoffs

A very small number of cards directly pay you off for controlling Gideon planeswalkers. Most of these come from Planeswalker Decks and are as unplayable as the planeswalkers they reference. The least of these are Companion of the Trials and Gideon's Company, a pair of creatures with irrelevant activated abilities contingent on controlling Gideons. Then we have the tutors.

Gideon's Battle Cry is almost respectable. Four mana to put +1/+1 counters on all your creatures and drawing a planeswalker could be very strong, but this spell can only find the worthless Gideon, the Oathsworn. Had it found any Gideon we could be in business, but alas. Gideon's Resolve is even worse as it finds a worse planeswalker.

But planeswalker decks aren’t the only source of Gideon payoffs. Gideon's Triumph isn’t exactly good removal, but it can be a two-for-one. The wording is also interesting; the creatures don’t need to actively be blocking or attacking, so you can set up clever plays based on combat damage.

The king of these effects—really, the only Gideon payoff worth playing—is Gideon of the Trials. The emblem is quite strong, especially since the more Gideons you have, the harder it becomes to remove them all.

Who Is Gideon Jura?

Gideon Jura, also known as Kytheon, is a planeswalker from Theros. As a young boy, Kytheon, Hero of Akros led a street gang known as the Irregulars. After he was captured and arrested, Kytheon spent time training under Hixus, Prison Warden and learned his iconic hieromancy. When Akros came under attack from monsters, Kytheon and his Irregulars were freed from prison to fight back. They won a stunning victory, and Kytheon eventually became a champion of Heliod, the sun god, and he was tasked with slaying Erebos's Titan. Kytheon, in his hubris, turned his weapon on Erebos, God of the Dead himself, resulting in the deaths of his Irregulars. This awoke Gideon’s spark.

He planeswalked to Bant and spent a time there, then walked the multiverse seeking justice, all too willing to sacrifice himself to get it. He spent time on Regatha, seeking a great well of white mana, and he ended up hunting Chandra Nalaar. Gideon played a prominent role in protecting Zendikar from the threat of the Eldrazi, and he became a founding member of the Gatewatch, and also lead soldiers of the Boros Legion to enforce peace on Ravnica. Gideon stayed with the Gatewatch through the War of the Spark against Nicol Bolas, ultimately sacrificing himself to protect Liliana Vess as she betrayed the would-be God-Pharaoh.

Are Gideon and Kytheon the Same Person?

Yes. Kytheon was the name Gideon went by on Theros. After the tragedy with Erebos, his spark ignited and he went to Bant, one of Alara’s shards. The people who met him there misheard his name and called him Gideon; the planeswalker chose to take up the new name as a fresh start.

Is Gideon Alive?

No. Gideon sacrificed himself to save Liliana during the story events of War of the Spark, as depicted in Gideon's Sacrifice. Liliana spent a brief period searching for a way to bring him back to life before committing herself to living the second chance she had been granted well.

What Other Gideon Cards Are There?

A handful of cards aren’t Gideon planeswalkers but reference him, sometimes under the name Kytheon:

• Gideon's Avenger
• Gideon's Battle Cry
• Gideon's Company
• Gideon's Defeat
• Gideon's Intervention
• Gideon's Lawkeeper
• Gideon's Phalanx
• Gideon's Reproach
• Gideon's Resolve
• Gideon's Sacrifice
• Gideon's Triumph
• Kytheon's Irregulars
• Kytheon's Tactics
• Oath of Gideon

Wrap Up

Gideon, Ally of Zendikar | Illustration by Eric Deschamps

Gideon’s planeswalkers are uniquely aggressive thanks to their ability to become creatures and attack. The other abilities support it well, typically by supporting other creatures. While some Gideon planeswalkers are underwhelming, they’re very cohesive and create a strong image of the character they represent.

Which Gideon planeswalkers are your favorite? Do you play any of them? Let me know in the comments below or on the Draftsim Discord!

Stay safe, and thanks for reading!