Wither

Introduction of Value Booster

I really don't understand WotC sometimes, you take away the draft booster, because there are too many booster product lines, but now introduce the new "Value Booster", even though smaller, non-draftable boosters have proven to be unsuccessful wither aftermath. I really don't understand that logic.

The Value Booster is for a very narrow type of store. Most players will never see it.

Aftermath Boosters Draft Boosters Value Boosters Wither Wizards of the Coast

-1/-1 Environments and Design

"Play design’s dislike of -1/-1 environments makes [Wither] tricky to bring back" This got me thinking about how you like a set to have just one main type of counter so that there's no confusion about which type a given counter is, which in turn got me thinking: Would you say that a set with TWO main counters is actually harder to design than a set like Ikoria that has SEVERAL types of counters, because the latter lets you use punch-out cards while the former doesn't?

Punch out cards are a valuable play aide which can allow the designers more leeway. That said, +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters, in specific, cause a lot of confusion when in the same set together, more so than keyword counters.

Keywords Wither

Wither's Future on Storm Scale

Hey Mark, where would you put Wither on the Storm scale? How much design space would you say the mechanic has?

Play design’s dislike of -1/-1 environments makes it tricky to bring back, but Magic continually surprises.

Design Space Mechanics Storm Scale Wither

Mono Black Counterspell Violation

so are all mono black counterspells breaks like withering boon, stormgald cabal,dash hopes and imp's mischief all breaks?

Yes.

Black Dash Dash Hopes Imp's Mischief Withering Boon

Withering Boon Reprint

May I request a withering boon reprint into standard/pioneer?

No, black countering a spell is a color pie break. Black gets rid of troublesome creature cards in the opponent’s hand by forcing them to discard them.

Black Card Printing Color Pie Creatures Discard Pioneer Reprints Standard Withering Boon Your Hand

Spell Modifiers Limitation

As a previous asker talked about trample not being able to be templated onto Instants and Sorceries, are the legal spell modifiers the ones that augment the damage itself in some way (ie Deathtouch, Lifelink, Wither) and not augment the damage step (ie Trample, Double Strike, Fear)?

I believe so.

Deathtouch Double Strike Fear Instants Lifelink Lifelink Question Marks Sorceries Trample Wither

Renaming Kindred

Hey Mark, alongside the return of wither and poison as one-offs in MKM, did you consider making slime against humanity a kindred - ooze card ?

Renaming kindred doesn’t change our feelings about kindred.

Kindred / Typal Murders at Karlov Manor Ooze Poison Slime Against Humanity Wither

Wither Mechanic Scale

Hello! I found out about Wither while building my first commander deck (W/R dwarven tribal under Depala, Pilot Exemplar.) and I was curious where Wither is on the Storm scale?
Hope you have an excellent day!

Wither requires -1/-1 counters, so like persist, its return is dependent on a set using -1/-1 counters.

Commander Decks Depala, Pilot Exemplar Kindred / Typal Mechanics Persist Persist Pilot Storm Scale Wither

Damage to Permanents

Does deal damage to target permanent make sense or is possible within the rules? There aren't many applications but in theory if a land gets damage and is later that turn animated it can have lethal damage. Same is true for enchantments that become creatures. I ask because it would allow cards that deal damage to battle in sets without battles. Other uses are wither or infect damage against e.g. Theros gods that aren't creatures yet.

The issue is weighing the general usefulness of it with the confusion it might cause.

Battles Creatures Deal Damage Enchantments God Infect Lands Permanents Rules Theros Wither

-1/-1 Counters Future

Given your comment about Wither being a Storm Scale 7 and Play Design disliking environments with 1/-1 counters, does that mean we’re unlikely to see Premier Sets with mechanics involving those counters at all going forward? Would it be possible for you to give a Storm Scale rating to -1/-1 counters as a whole?

I believe in a set with punch out cards, we could support having some -1/-1 counters, provided they don’t disrupt the environment too much. I think a mechanic using -1/-1 counters has a harder hill to climb.

Mechanics Play Design Premier Sets Premier Sets Storm Scale Wither

Wither's Storm Scale

You last said Wither was a 3 on the storm scale over 10 years ago.

Has that updated / Will we see any more Wither?

Wither is probably a 7 now as play design has soured on -1/-1 counter environments.

Play Design Storm Scale Wither

Batching Application Timing

Hi Mark, you repeatedly mentioned that you were going to use batching more often, but in the latest sets I don’t see it happening. When can we expect to see the results of this? I am particularly sad that none of the cards in the new Phyrexia commander decks used batching to be a lord for Infect, Toxic, Wither and/or Poisonous. I think a handful of such cards would have really bridged the gap between old and new poison cards. (I understand why the main set couldn’t reference them though).

We batch things that are all in the set.

Batches Commander Decks Infect New Phyrexia Poison Poisonous Toxic Wither

Future Keyword Counter

If or when: a new kind of keyword counter. (Whether for a new evergreen keyword, an existing one that didn't get a counter like defender or haste, or for a nonevergreen keyword like wither)

When.

Defender Evergreen Haste If/When Keywords Wither

Wither in Phyrexia

Just curious; was Wither ever going to make it into Pyrexia: All Will Be One, or was it never on the docket?

Infect was in the set until we removed -1/-1 counters, so wither was never considered.

Infect Wither

New Damage Mechanic

If/when: a new ability with the form of "this creature deals damage [to creatures] in the form of..." like wither or infect but for a different kind of counter (or other thing)

If, more little if than big if.

Creatures If/When Infect Mechanics Wither

Rating Wither on Storm Scale

If infect is a 7, and poison is a 5, where is wither on the storm scale?

A 7.

Infect Poison Storm Scale Wither

Absence of New Black Counterspells

There seem to be a decent number of old black counterspells. They weren’t necessarily good, but they were there. However, there don’t seem to be any newer black counterspells, the most recent one being Dash Hopes from Planar Chaos. Why’s that? What changed?

There are only two. Withering Boon is from the very early years of Magic (Mirage). Dash Hopes is a punisher card from the set messing with the color pie. I don’t believe counterspells were ever part of black’s color pie since we started monitoring it.

Black Color Pie Dash Dash Hopes Mirage Planar Chaos Withering Boon

Return of Wither Mechanics

if we went back to Lorwyn/shadowmoor, could we see the return of wither?

That depends on whether the set has -1/-1 counters. As I’ve mentioned at other times on this blog, R&D’s currently down on -1/-1 counters.

Blogatog / Tumblr Lorwyn Mechanics Shadowmoor Wither

Black Spell Counter

“Could black get a spell that counters a creature spell? It can already destroy creatures and force you to discard them” Withering Boon is very sad to be forgotten

There are a lot of cards in Magic’s history that probably shouldn’t have been made, and definitely aren’t precedent.

Black Creatures Destroy Discard Withering Boon

Wither's Return to Standard

Hello Mark, where Wither on the scale to returning to Standard?

R&D’s current sour stance on -1/-1 counters puts it at a 7.

Standard Wither