Proliferate

Propagate Mechanic Speculation

Hey Mark, with proliferate and populate both being done already, what do you think a mechanic called Propagate would do were it to be similar to the other two?

Populate was called propagate in design which I to this day sometimes mistakenly call it. I have no idea what else it would do.

Mechanics Populate Proliferate

Non-Target Proliferation

If/when: "this permanent can't be the target of proliferation effects"

Proliferate isn’t targeted.

If/When Proliferate

All Will Be One Theme

Did All Will Be One have a wedge theme at some point in design? It seems like the sets biggest mechanics all appear primarily in sets of wedge colors (WBG poison, URW artifacts, BGU proliferate, GUR oil counters)

Not specifically, but sometimes designs drift in certain directions.

Abzan (W/B/G) Artifacts Colors Jeskai (U/R/W) Mechanics Poison Proliferate Sultai (B/G/U)

Proliferate Technology and Counter Types

You could make an eternal Giant Fan variant that removes a counter from one thing and adds a counter to another *of a type that's already on it*, right? That's just Proliferate-adjacent technology which we've had for years. The issue only arises when you make the card able to care about arbitrary counters the card *might* be able to have?

Yes, you can create another of a counter already on a card. Understanding potential is much more difficult.

Eternal Giant Giant Fan Proliferate You Make The Card

Proliferate in ONE

I've listened to your Drive to Work on ONE. I was surprised to hear you didn't mention the problems of proliferate and corrupted in this set (for limited). Proliferate requires to have a poison counter, which is more likely as the starting player. Corrupted was more likely to achieve as the starting player, resulting in a snowballing effect. Indeed, ONE had a big OTP advantage. I know you prefer to promote attacking, but sometimes that does cause the defending player to have little comeback tools.

I haven’t seen any data that going first in Phyrexia: All Will Be One has a higher win rate than other premier limited format.

Attacking Corrupted Drive to Work Limited Phyrexia: All Will Be One Poison Proliferate

Opposite of Proliferate

If/when: a mechanic that's the opposite of proliferate?

If. Adding things usually advances the game, while removing things tends to slow it down. Also, we don’t want to remove poison counters from players.

If/When Mechanics Poison Proliferate

Tracking Coolness

You had already answered the question in 2023 about Rainbow Dash being more rules obediant. I had asked about tracking coolness the same way you track levels on class enchantments because proliferate shouldn't affect coolness so counters are out. Your response at the time was that while this was doable, the silliness was the cheerful silver bordered design of the card. (Paraphrasing)

To be rules compliant, we would have to have something to track. If counters were off limits, I’m not sure it could be made in an eternal form.

Dash Enchantments Eternal Proliferate Rainbow Dash Rules

Rad Counters Feedback

I know it's early, but what do you think is the overall response to Rad Counters? I personally think it's a nice, flavorful way to give mill more of a presence on the board overall. Less I win out of nowhere/does nothing, more interaction with the rest of the board (proliferate, life drain, graveyards' ect)

Anecdotally, the mechanic has been liked.

Flavor Mechanics Mill Proliferate Rad Counters

Multiple Doom Counters

JUDGE! Specifically, I have need of your might as the official Un-rules judge!If Baron von Count were- somehow- able to get a second Doom Counter on him (perhaps through proliferate), where would it be set? Would its position be the same as its predecessor, or would it always start at 5?

It doesn’t functionally do anything. You just have two counters marking the number rather than one.

Baron Von Count Proliferate Un-sets

Proliferate's Design Challenge

On Proliferate: how do you feel about its place in the game right now? is it higher on the storm scale than the 6 you gave it in 2019? What would you change about it if anything?

Proliferate is a beloved mechanic, but it’s hard to design around, so I do think it will return one day, but not often. I’m willing to call it a 5.

Mechanics Proliferate Storm Scale

Errata and Stun Counters

Re: Errata-ing stun counters. I think I didn't make myself clear enough. If you take the card Opt, it used to say "Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library." When scry became evergreen, it was changed to "Scry 1." which plays the same on its own but has a functional difference when combined with other cards (now it triggers "When you scry" abilities). Surely making a card use stun counters when it didn't before would cause a functional change with proliferate and other effects, but Wizards already accepts those edge cases when updating text to evergreen keywords like scry. So why are counters different? Are they seen as a bigger change (less of an edge case) or something?

It’s less of an edge case.

Errata Evergreen Keywords Opt Proliferate Scry Stun The Library Triggered Abilities

Finality Counters Query

Just verify, on the context of “… the functionality has to remain the same (to make such an errata like putting stun counters on exerted creatures or finality counters from an older spell). The mere existence of proliferate makes turning something into a counter different even if the text is identical, and in none of the provided cases it is.” With Finality Counters, does it make a difference if a permanent has one or more finality counters on it?

I don’t believe so.

Creatures Errata Proliferate Stun

Errata for Keyword Mechanics

"It’s introducing errata, as those swaps aren’t exactly the same, so I don’t think the chances are high." To be fair, this already happens when you update certain abilities to keywords (for example, Opt now works with "When you scry"). Are counters a higher bar?

My point is the functionality has to remain the same. The mere existence of proliferate makes turning something into a counter different even if the text is identical, and in none of the provided cases it is.

Errata Keywords Mechanics Opt Proliferate Scry

Proliferate vs Antiliferate

We’ve had proliferate, when are we going to get antiliferate?

Proliferate is building up your own stuff, so it’s something you can build around. Removing opponents stuff is frustrating and you can’t build around it. Removing your own stuff is usually messing with play balance. We also don’t want to remove poison counters as the inability to remove them is core to their mechanical identity.

Game Balance Poison Proliferate

Mechanics Together Prediction

Do you think we will ever see fabricate, proliferate, and populate in the same set? I assume it would most likely have to be something like a horizons or masters set, but those three mechanics seem like they would be fun to see together in a limited environment.

Modern Horizons is the only place I expect to see them together.

Fabricate Fabricate Limited Mechanics Modern Horizons Populate Proliferate

Proliferate Interaction

I've been testing a proliferate deck on Arena and realized that Ghostform counters from Kaya the Inexorable don't work the way I thought. I now understand that they are more for reminders (kinda like monstrous and +1/+1 counters).I get that you don't want to have every type of counter needing to be defined, I guess I just wish it was different.

Some counters are more about being a marker that an event has occurred more than granting an ability. Proliferating those will seldom “do anything”.

Ghostform Kaya the Inexorable Magic Arena Proliferate

Vanilla Planeswalker Concept

Could we ever see a French Vanilla planeswalker? i.e. all their loyalty abilities are just keywords (ex. investigate, proliferate, populate, etc)

Is there a reason to do this other than to say we did?

France French Vanilla Investigate Keywords Planeswalkers Populate Proliferate Vanilla

Gameplay Mechanic Alternatives

Hey, Mark! Have R&D ever played with some kind of gameplay mechanic to count for something but without using counters (thus not being affected by mechanics that interact with counters, such as proliferate)? Something analogous to counters just like exile is to graveyards.

We don’t want counters, which act just like counters, that we label “not counters”. We have experimented with other ways to show progression, but the tools are limited.

Game Design Game Play Limited Mechanics Proliferate The Exile Zone

Proliferate Mechanic Review

Do you think proliferate is too broad? It seems like if designed today it would have a number limiting up to how many things you can affect, or maybe be only for your side of the field.

It hasn’t caused problems as is, and it’s a popular mechanic.

Mechanics Proliferate

Mentor Mechanic Analysis

"Mentor is not a good fit for blue. Blue's +1/+1 counter interaction is usually outside of combat."To me, Mentor doesn't feel much different from Thrummingbird's Proliferate trigger on combat damage, or Guild Thief applying a counter to itself. Mentor is so telegraphed, it doesn't feel truly IN combat like a combat trick normally would.If it's not because of whether or not blue has combat tricks, what about Mentor is truly a break?

It’s not a break, but it’s a stretch.

Bend / Break Blue Guild Thief Mechanics Mentor Proliferate Two Color