Planeswalker? How do you deal with them?

[Thattallguy]

I was recently playing a 3 way free for all. I had a {flameblast dragon} on the board. I wanted to pay 5 mountains and have the dragon deal 5 damage to a planeswalker to kill it and then hit my opponent for 5 damage with the dragon when it attacked. My friend told me this was not allowed. I had to attack the planeswalker directly to kill it.  So I instead applied all 10 damage to my opponent and she then redirected the initial 5 damage that I payed for to her planeswalker and took the 5 damage that my dragon could deal to herself. I am kinda confused on the rules for taking out planeswalkers. I do understand what happened in this scenario but I do wish I could find some clarity as to how you can destroy a planeswalker. Can you only attack them or can you target them like you can a player with a fireball or a lava axe. I read the rules but could find no clarity to my question.

[Staypoof]

As far as I know on the direct damage if a spell or ability say player or creature then the plainswalker can be the target. 614 is the file section that says this. Sorry for not linking it here but I'm not sure how.

[Greg54js]

There are certain funny rules such as those for {consume spirit} which you target the player then after it resolves it gets redirected to the planeswalker. I think that's how flameblast's effect works so it can hit the planeswalker but you'll say something like I'll target you with flameblast's effect then when it resolves I redirect it to your planeswalker.

[BlackJester]

Greg is correct. You can target planeswalkers normally with spells or abilities that affect permanents, like {Oblivioun Ring} or {Beast Within}. However you can't target them with anything the says "creature" or "player" because they are neither. Instead, if you could deal damage to a player, at the time the damage would resolve, you MAY redirect it to a Planeswalker that player controls. Thing is, you don't have to tell them when you initially target them whether you will redirect or not.

[BlackJester]

306.7. If noncombat damage would be dealt to a player by a source controlled by an opponent, that opponent may have that source deal that damage to a planeswalker the first player controls instead. This is a redirection effect (see rule 614.9) and is subject to the normal rules for ordering replacement effects (see rule 616). The opponent chooses whether to redirect the damage as the redirection effect is applied.