Novel mechanics have always been a part ofMagic: The Gathering, and Universes Beyond sets have a tendency to introduce fresh mechanics for their represented franchises. The Fallout set, based on Bethesda’s long-running and ever popular post-apocalyptic roleplaying franchise, is no exception. This set introduces the never-before-seen rad counters.
In the Fallout series, radiation reduces your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats and can lead to mutations or even death. Since you don’t have a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat block while playing Magic, radiation works a little differently. So grab your geiger counter and get ready to learn about rad counters!
Rad Counters are a type of counter introduced in theUniverses Beyond Fallout set, based on Bethesda’s popular Fallout series. Set in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the United States is a nuclear wasteland, radiation is a constant concern for players of the Fallout franchise.
In Magic: The Gathering,radiation is represented by rad counters, a special type of counters placed on players rather than creatures. They function similar to poison counters, and can be applied via attacks from certain creatures and from the effects of cards in the Fallout set. Radiation counters have the following effect:
Radiation
At the beginning of your precombat main phase, if you have any rad counters, mill that many cards. For each nonland card milled this way, you lose 1 life and a rad counter.
Effectively, you mill a card at the beginning of your precombat main phase, andevery time you mill a nonland cardinto your graveyard, you lose one life and remove one rad counter. Soif you have two rad counters, you’ll need to mill two cards.
If one is a sorcery or another nonland card, you lose one life and remove a rad counter.If the next milled card is a land, you won’t take damage, but you keep the rad counter and mill again on your next turn.
“Precombat main phase” refers to your first main phase.Gaining a second attack phasethrough an effect such as Relentless Assaultdoes not result in your second main phase being a precombat main phase.
Only the first main phase is a precombat main phase, no matter how many attacks you get in a turn.
There are several ways to inflict rad counters on your opponent or yourself, depending on your strategy. TheMutant Menace preconstructed deckleans heavily into the mechanic, both punishing your opponent and rewarding you for accumulating rad counters.
Several creatures, includingThe Wise Mothman, distribute rad counters when they enter the battlefield. Several creatures also distribute rad counters to playerswhen they deal combat damage, and theNuka-Nuke Launcher can be equippedto give a creature an effect that punishes players for casting any spell until the end of their next turn.
Feral Ghoul can distribute a lot of rad counters quickly, if you’re willing to sacrifice some of your own creatures to power it up. And while Radstorm doesn’t directly add rad counters to any player,once you’ve gotten a rad counter on each of your opponents you can use it to proliferate more quickly.
Over time your rad counters will wear off, disappearing as you mill nonland cards on your turn. Aside from that natural radioactive decay,the only way to remove rad counters from yourself is by using Survivor’s Med Kit’s final option. This effect will require you to sacrifice the Survivor’s Med Kit, so you’ll want to use it sparingly.
While there areno other ways to remove rad counters from yourself, there are a few cards which will cause you to benefit from accumulating rad counters. Strong, the Brutish Thespian, for example, won’t stop the mill effect, but it will cause you togain life instead of lose it. Tato Farmer can recur milled lands onto the battlefield under your control, even from your opponent’s graveyard.
Finally, it is possible toprevent rad counters from being placed on youin the first place. Solemnity prevents counters from being placed on players and most permanents, effectively neutralizing both radiation and poison strategies. It’s a niche addition to your deck, however, unless you happen to play with several people who favor these strategies.
