Fell Specter

Concerns about Discard Mechanic

New 17 Feb 2022 Asked by cactusbonanza-deactivated202204 113 Comments

I don't understand why Discard - probably the most maligned supported mechanic - is continually buffed every set.Before a player even gets a TURN, a single mana will:

  • Disrupt the player's mulligan they took to keep a curve
  • Reveal a deck's colors/game plan
  • Disrupt the opponent's ability to interact (due to playing around known issues)
  • Get rid of a deck's key piece to winning.
  • Achieve card advantage
Discard, far more so than counterspells, is such bad gameplay/feeling, that most people quit on Turn 1 when a Durress/Thoughtseize, etc is played. I do. My opponent's do. Yesterday, you said you guys are careful to not make Discard so powerful, you create Discard decks. Then can you explain Tergrid? Tinybones? Waste Not? Gutmorn? Fell Specter? Sangromancer? If anything, you guys are pushing Discard, and thereby, pushing the most unfun, players-will-walk environment possible.


A few things:1) Discard is not the most maligned, but yes, there is a segment of the audience that dislikes it. There is also a segment of the audience that very much enjoys it and thinks it adds a lot to the game.2) By “discard decks”, I meant decks that do nothing but make the opponent discard and then use a win condition that takes advanatage of the opponent having no cards in hand (things like The Rack). 3) We do want decks (well, black ones at least) to have access to discard as a tool, but in moderation. Those individual cards can be powerful though.


Portions of Marodigest are unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. The literal and graphical information presented on this site about Magic: The Gathering, including card images and mana symbols, is copyright Wizards of the Coast, LLC. Marodigest is not produced by or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast. All other content © 2024 Webscape Internet Engineers. All rights reserved.