Exert

Stun Counter Limitations

Are non-white, non-blue cards that put stun counters on your own permanents as a limitation or drawback (as seen on The Beast, Deathless Prince and Pugnacious Hammerskull) an open design space or one of the "maybe an infrequent bend" cases?

It’s an area we can explore. Exert played in this space.

Beast Bend / Break Design Space Exert Permanents Pugnacious Hammerskull Stun The Beast, Deathless Prince

Mechanic Comparisons

For folks expressing concern with mechanics like Collect Evidence, I want to point out that it’s just another keyword ability like Exert, Mill, Discover, or Amass. In fact, Exert and Mill are both used in costs and optional payments just like Collect Evidence.

Yes. It’s not something new.

Amass Collect Evidence Exert Keyword Abilities Mechanics Mill

Stun Counter Proposition

What about UR giving opponents' blocking creatures a stun counter? For red, this punishes both the choice to block and subsequently attack, and slows down the opponent (a la exert or Urabrask The Hidden). For blue, stunning is a classic.

We don’t have red stunning creatures.

Blocking Blue Creatures Exert Izzet (U/R) Red Stun Urabrask the Hidden

Exert Mechanic Insight

Just want to say that, as a fan of exert and Amonkhet block limited, I'm very glad you aren't considering changing it to use stun counters. The block had lots of built in ways to untap creatures or give them vigilance to get around exert, which would interact completely differently with stun counters. Significant functional errata is something to avoid regardless, but I think it's a particularly bad idea to make such errata in a way that would completely change the mechanic's own limited format.

It changes things more than I think most people think it would.

Amonkhet Creatures Errata Exert Functional Errata Limited Mechanics Stun Tap / Untap Vigilance

Mechanics and Intended Features

Changing exert to stun counters would be a large change since it stops working with untap effects and being able to use those, such as Vizier of Tumbling Sands, is an intended feature of the mechanic. Same is true of persist/undying using finality. It is a feature, not a bug, that you can sac a persist/undying creature twice, reanimate it, then do it twice more. Also, changing old effects to use scry or surveil was largely a buff and these changes would be nerfs which generally upsets players.

Fine points.

Creatures Exert Mechanics Persist Persist Reanimate Sand Scry Stun Surveil Tap / Untap Undying Vizier of Tumbling Sands

Stun Counters Idea

If Stun Counters existed back in Amonkhet, do you think you would've used them for the Exert mechanic?

Probably.

Amonkhet Exert Mechanics Stun

Evolving Exert Mechanic

In Amonkhet, the exert mechanic was only used for attack triggers. In Hour of Devastation, exert was also used on tap abilities. Can you tell us anything about why exert on tap abilities didn’t appear until the second set with exert?

In blocks, we liked to have the mechanics evolve over time.

Amonkhet Devastation Evolve Exert Hour of Devastation Hour of Devastation Mechanics Tap / Untap Triggered Abilities

Exert Mechanic Potential

Do you think that the exert mechanic would be a good fit thematically for any planes other than Amonkhet?

I do. People exert themselves on other worlds. : )

Amonkhet Exert Humor Mechanics Planes

Exert Errata Discussion

""Are there any plans to errata, exert - put a stun counter on this creature?" "There are no current plans to do that."" - I would hope not, I do not want to suddenly have to worry about my opponents proliferating stun counters on my Glorybringer. It sounds like an errata that makes sense, but would change the functionality of the mechanic.

Change of functionality is the biggest issue.

Creatures Errata Exert Glorybringer Mechanics Stun

Errata Plans

Are there any plans to errata, exert - put a stun counter on this creature?

There are no current plans to do that.

Creatures Errata Exert Stun

Revisiting Kicker Mechanism

If you were to do any keyworded mechanics over again using the tools you've developed to improve game clarity, what's at the top of the list? For me, it's exert. If stun counters existed at the time, they would have improved the readability of the battlefield tremendously.

I wish kicker used replacement cost rather than additive cost.

Exert Kicker Mechanics Stun

Exert and Stun Counters

Now that you have the technology of stun counters, is it more likely that exert returns as-is, or replaced with a similat mechanic that puts a stun counter on itself?

I assume exert, or a newly named exert, would use stun counters.

Exert Mechanics Stun

Exert's Design Space

May I request Exert become decidious? It seems like a really useful mechanic.

It’s not as big a design space as you might assume at first hunch. That doesn’t mean there’s not plenty more to design with it, but it isn’t a great candidate for evergreen.

Design Space Evergreen Exert Mechanics

Double-Tap Mechanic Issue

In Drive to Work you mentioned that design gave up on double-tap for logistics among other reasons. I gather Exert is an alternate implementation of that idea. Would it also be possible to implement that by a creature putting a stun counter on itself (if it doesn't have one on it already)?

The mechanic didn’t play great either.

Creatures Drive to Work Exert Mechanics Stun

Stun Counters and Exert

If stun counters had existed during Amonkhet block, do you think they would have been used as part of the exert mechanic?

There’s a decent chance we would have.

Amonkhet Exert Mechanics Stun

Exert Mechanic Rating

Hey Mark, as an exert fan: where is exert on the Storm Scale?

I’d call it a 5.

Exert Mechanics Storm Scale

Exert Mechanic Clarification

"Hi Mark, does the existence of stun counters impact the likelihood of exert returning as a named mechanic? It probably makes it a little easier to return." I hope this isn't implying an intention to errata the ability, because that would CONSIDERABLY change how it worked. I have an exert deck built around untapping the creatures via other means, and using stun counters would completely break that.

I didn’t mean to imply that we would errata exert to use stun counters.

Creatures Errata Exert Mechanics Stun

Exert and Stun Counters

Will exert get errata to use stun counters? Or is that too big a functional change?

I don’t think we’re using errata to change things to using stun counters.

Errata Exert Stun

Stun Counters and Exert

Hi Mark, does the existence of stun counters impact the likelihood of exert returning as a named mechanic?

It probably makes it a little easier to return.

Exert Mechanics Stun

Deciduous Mechanic Suggestions

I think affinity makes for a good candidate for a deciduous mechanic. Y'all use an unkeyworded form of it somewhat commonly, whether it's "for artifacts" or "for Spirits" or whatever. Other potential good options: changeling, cycling, exert, monstrosity, totem armor, detain, flashback, proliferate, kicker, surveil

Thoughts on this list?

Affinity Artifacts Changeling Cycling Deciduous Detain Exert Flashback Kicker Mechanics Monstrosity Proliferate Spirit Surveil Totem Armor