| Rad counter | |
|---|---|
| Counter | |
| Use | 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. |
| Placed on | Players |
| Introduced | Fallout |
| Last used | Fallout |
| Statistics | |
|
21 counter creation cards  14.3%  28.6%  9.5%  19%  9.5%  9.5%  4.8%  4.8% | |
| Scryfall search | |
| oracle:"Rad counter" | |
A rad counter is a counter that is placed on players rather than objects. A card that refers to life loss “from radiation” refers to life lost as a result of the triggered ability associated with rad counters. Rad counters were introduced as part of Universes Beyond: Fallout.[1][2][3][4]
Description[ | ]
Rad counters represent your current radiation levels, and the higher that is, the more serious the impact. They may strengthen cards, but come with the risk of death. Rad counters, unlike most other counters, have an inherent ability: At the beginning of the precombat main phase of a player with rad counters, that player mills cards equal to the number of rad counters they have. For each nonland card milled this way, that player loses 1 life and removes one rad counter from themselves.[5] This ability is represented by the Radiation helper card.
The mechanical execution of rad counters may be reused in future sets, but possibly not under the same name.[6]
Flavor[ | ]
 | This article or section discusses story elements that are not canonical. |
The global thermonuclear war at the terminal end of the Sino-American War transformed ionizing radiation into a very commonplace risk in the wastelands of the Fallout Universe. The amount of radiation and biochemical agents released during, before, and after the Great War led to major changes in the biosphere. Its presence has induced widespread mutations in flora and fauna, leading to the emergence of giant versions of regular species. The radiation-induced mutation is behind many of the staples of post-War United States. Some humans may also become mutated by radioactive exposure. Although most will die after exposure, a combination of factors can cause them to become ghouls, humans who resemble walking corpses and have extended lifespans.
Rules[ | ]
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Rad Counter
- A type of counter a player can have that causes that player to mill cards at the beginning of their precombat main phase, then lose 1 life and remove one rad counter for each nonland card milled this way. See rule 122, “Counters,” and rule 725, “Rad Counters.”
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 725. Rad Counters
- 725.1. Rad counters are a kind of counter a player can have (see rule 122, “Counters”). There is an inherent triggered ability associated with rad counters. This ability has no source and is controlled by the active player. This is an exception to rule 113.8. The full text of this ability is “At the beginning of each player’s precombat main phase, if that player has one or more rad counters, that player mills a number of cards equal to the number of rad counters they have. For each nonland card milled this way, that player loses 1 life and removes one rad counter from themselves.”
- 725.1a A card that refers to life loss “from radiation” refers to life lost as a result of the triggered ability associated with rad counters.
- 725.1. Rad counters are a kind of counter a player can have (see rule 122, “Counters”). There is an inherent triggered ability associated with rad counters. This ability has no source and is controlled by the active player. This is an exception to rule 113.8. The full text of this ability is “At the beginning of each player’s precombat main phase, if that player has one or more rad counters, that player mills a number of cards equal to the number of rad counters they have. For each nonland card milled this way, that player loses 1 life and removes one rad counter from themselves.”
Rulings[ | ]
- The inherent triggered ability has no source.[5]
- It is controlled by the active player.
- The cards are milled all at once, which means abilities that trigger "whenever one or more nonland cards are milled" will trigger exactly once as long as at least one nonland card was milled.
- If a player has fewer cards remaining in their library than the number of rad counters they have when the triggered ability resolves, they'll mill as many cards as they can.
- In a game using the shared team turns option, such as an Archenemy or Two-Headed Giant game, the inherent triggered ability associated with rad counters triggers once for each player on the active team that has rad counters. Each instance of that ability is controlled by one of those players.
Cards that remove rad counters[ | ]
References[ | ]
- ↑ Blake Rasmussen, Chris Mooney, Pete Hines (October 19, 2023). "Magic: The Gathering x Fallout™ - First Look (Video)". YouTube.
- ↑ Billie Kaplan (October 19, 2023). "A First Look at Magic: The Gathering - Fallout, Available March 8, 2024". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Matt Tabak (February 20, 2024). "Magic: The Gathering - Fallout Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Annie Sardelis (February 27, 2024). "Designing the Magic: The Gathering - Fallout Commander Decks". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Eric Levine (February 27, 2024). "Magic: The Gathering® – Fallout® Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 21, 2024). "Could rad counters show up in a future (non UB) set?". Blogatog. Tumblr.