For the cost, few spells pose as big of a threat as a well timed planeswalker.  The value of casting "free" sorceries every turn as well as distracting your opponent from your own life total cannot be understated.  Their ability to simply "stick" is better than that of an artifact or enchantment because, unless your opponent is playing some form of "any-permanent" removal, it won't be going anywhere for a while.  Since Tom LaPille's article in January, there have been many changes to the art of dealing with planeswalkers.  We've even seen a 180 degree turn from the premise of that article with the subsequent addition of a "destroy target planeswalker" card.  But still, planeswalkers are huge threats no matter how you slice it and Vampire Hexmage may not be an option for your particular deck build.  I often hear players lament about the strength of the planeswalker card type.  I've seen the well timed casting of a walker turn the entire tide of a game.  Planeswalker loyalty is powerful magic indeed but there is no need for a scoop just because a walker happens to become friendly with your opponent.  There are several ways to kill a planeswalker in standard right now- some of them obvious, some of them less so. In this article I'll review them in detail and discuss the ins and outs of planeswalker assassination.

Evasive Creatures / Overwhelming Force - Creature swarms are most obvious option for trampling over a planeswalker.   But too often I've seen a player opt to take another players life total from 20 to 18 instead of simply killing the planeswalker who just so happens to be wreaking havoc on the entire board.  Planeswalkers offer something much more valuable than three or four life points.  They offer control.  Don't have a hand?  I'll just use my planeswalker's abilities for free!  Have a hand?  Supplement your strategy with free spells. If you don't plan on killing the player any time soon and you aren't attacking the planeswalker, you're doing it wrong.  Of course there are an infinite number of scenarios (such as a low loyalty Chandra Nalaar ) and I cannot possibly account for your decision in each case but most of the time, you're going to want to stop Liliana from making you discard and/or tutoring while you have the chance.  Remember, planeswalkers usually go UP in loyalty so that 3/4 flyer might not have another chance to make the kill.  Board control is more important than your arbitrary life total.  Swapping out a creature in your deck such as Sigiled Paladin for something like Kor Aeronaut gets you a bit more evasion and versatility.  Flying is available in every color these days so you can also use your hasty creatures with unearth and trample to surprise an unsuspecting walker.

Destroy Target Permanent - The most direct route to killing a planeswalker is to destroy it.  Between Oblivion Ring, Maelstrom Pulse, Capricious Efreet, Mold Shambler and even Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker you have a permanent killer in every color and flavor.  These cards are great additions because they have you covered under any circumstance.  Don't have a planeswalking target?  Use them on a creature, artifact or enchantment that are sometimes equally as threatening.  We've preached the gospel of removal around here since day one and these are all versatile options that won't ever leave you with a dead card in your hand.

Counter / Bounce - Many players save their counterspells for planeswalkers.  Negate has become infinitely more played than Essence Scatter due in large part to its ability to counter planeswalkers.  Walkers usually cost at least four mana and are always a threat so countering them is never a waste.  Zendikar even gives you the underrated Spell Pierce which just begs to be played on Planeswalkers early and mid game (when they're most devastating).  Some blue wizards might even prefer the bounce with cards like Into the Roil or even Sedraxis Alchemist.  I've always preferred watching my opponent pay for a giant bomb twice for my zero card, 4 mana investment.  Of course they will be able to use their ability once before the bounce due to the nature of priority and the stack, but the bounce will still be worth it in most cases.

Pithing Needle / Meddling Mage - De-nial, it isn't just a river in Africa these days.  Pithing Needle is my personal favorite counter to a planeswalker for several reasons.  You can play it at any time, before or after a planeswalker hits the table.  It costs one colorless mana so it can easily fit into any sideboard, regardless of color, and it takes care of all copies of that planeswalker permanently.  Of course they can use some of their own removal on your needle but I'd call that a win for you if they're spending cards, mana and precious removal on your first turn Pithing Needle.  Meddling Mage does something similar for two multi-colored mana but I don't see it as being as versatile as PN and it's more easily dealt with.  I suppose you do get the 2/2 creature but for my money, Pithing Needle is a more permanent and complete solution to planeswalkers.  Both of these cards are usable in various non-planeswalking situations so they are great additions to any deck.

Vampire Hexmage - If you didn't look at this card and immediately think "destroy target planeswalker" then I suppose I'm glad you're here reading this article.  This card was printed against the preachings of Tom LaPille's aforementioned article.  If you still haven't read it, the main gist of it was that destroying planeswalkers directly may cause a rift in the flavor-time-space continuum.  More specifically, printing a card like this might confuse players who thought themselves planeswalkers into thinking that they, as a planeswalker, would be destroyed.  And also the fact that creatures in the various planes may never interact with a walker like say, Elspeth, due to the fact that she's never been to Zendikar (as far as we know).  In the end, we were given a card that might as well read "Destroy Target Planeswalker" anyway.  Of course, Tom might argue that it could also be used to remove Eon Counters from Magosi, the Waterveil but let's get serious.  The flavor concerns were trumped by game play considerations in this case and we should all be glad for it.  If you have the right mana, Vampire Hexmage is the ultimate planeswalker assassin.  And don't forget the added bonus of 'First Strike' being the new "damage on the stack" for all intents and purposes.  One more thing on the Vampire Hexmage... take another look at Coldsnap's Dark Depths... you like-a da juice?  I'll give you a few minutes to pick up the pieces of your blown mind.

Direct Damage / Area of Effect Damage - Cards like Lightning Bolt and Unstable Footing are always good options for cleanly destroying a planeswalker.  Earthquake is also an underrated creature sweep that can easily get rid of a planeswalker as an afterthought.  You can also target a low loyalty planeswalker with Volcanic Fallout instead of doing a measly 2 damage to the player.   Blightning seemed to be the twitter favorite when I posed the question to our 850 followers.   It's hard to argue with a planeswalker kill + a double discard for three mana.

Play your own copy of the same Planeswalker - Not much to this one.  If somehow you happen to be playing the same walkers, destroy theirs for the low low price of.... the same thing they paid!  You won't gain much ground but it's always an option if you're lucky (unlucky?) enough to be playing mirror walkers.  Usually I would recommend simply killing their walker some other way and then playing your own copy but sometimes you just don't have a choice.

Kill the Player - The nuclear option.  This one involves some math and a whole lot of guts.  You'll need to decide if Ajani Goldmane's -1 ability is going to be enough to kill you before your evasive creatures can deal the final blow.  Late game, killing the player may be the best option depending on the circumstances.  You'll want to look at the number of cards your opponent is holding, the fewer the better if you're thinking about killing the IRL planeswalker.  You don't want any rascally blue tricks messing up your coup de ete.  Mid to early game I would almost always advise dealing with the walker in order to gain some semblance of control over the board.  But late game you might just have to bite the bullet and go for the throat.  That's the surest way to get rid of a planeswalker.

Timing is everything in planeswalker assassination so you're going to need to weigh the planeswalker's available abilities/loyalty vs. your ability and need to kill it.  With these options, I think you're covered in almost every deck format.  If you can't seem to fit an Oblivion Ring or Meddling Mage into your sideboard, try Pithing Needle.  If you're struggling with that, swap out some less evasive creatures for some with flying, haste or even "unblockability".  This article deals with options in standard as opposed to extended or legacy.  If you're playing outside of Type 2 your options open up dramatically with classics like Vindicate.  This tutorial should also prepare you for casting and defending your own planeswalkers.  Keep an eye out for removal and play your walkers at the most opportune of times.  Take all of that rage you feel when a walker dominates you and use that to guide your decision on when to play your own.