Sarkhan and counters

[Nfidel2k]

So if i activate {Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker}'s first loyalty ability, then play a card like {Incremental Growth} and give him +1/+1 counters, when he reverts to a planeswalker does he keep the +1/+1 counters for future transformations?

[Chargingswadger]

The counters will stay.

[Nfidel2k]

Woohoo!  Wanted to be sure, thanks!

[cltrn81]

It is important to note that an aura spell like {rancor} would not stay once a permanent no longer becomes a legal target.

[Ekann1]

{raging ravine} for reference.

[Nfidel2k]

Thanks all!  I'm looking at a R/G deck when Fates comes out.  This means I can throw Sarkhan in with the G Abzan lord .  Add Atarka and I think it's approaching overkill

[LinkCelestrial]

I was expecting {Experimental Kraj} shenanigans.

[rarehuntertay]

I was expecting {Experimental Kraj} shenanigans.

That is a ruling nightmare if I remember...

[Remillo]

I was expecting {Experimental Kraj} shenanigans.

That is a ruling nightmare if I remember...

Kraj is the reason rule 306.5d was changed.  It used to say "of a Planeswalker" instead of "of a Permanent".  Because of that wording, if you put a +1/+1 on, say, an animated Sarkhan, you could activate the loyalty abilities as many times as you wanted.  Wizards realized this was completely unintended and changed the wording.  Now, if a Non-Planeswalker permanent gains loyalty abilities, you can still only activate it once per turn.

306.5d: Each planeswalker has a number of loyalty abilities, which are activated abilities with loyalty symbols in their costs. Loyalty abilities follow special rules: A player may activate a loyalty ability of a permanent he or she controls any time he or she has priority and the stack is empty during a main phase of his or her turn, but only if none of that permanent's loyalty abilities have been activated that turn. See rule 606, "Loyalty Abilities."