Like Convoke?

More to your question: Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor, Arbiter of the Ideal, Archangel of Tithes, Catapult Master, Devout Invocation, Glare of Subdual, Hand of Justice, Knotvine Paladin, Master Apothecary, Skirk Fire Marshal, and/or Voice of the Woods are the only rares/mythics I can think of right now that would be helpful. And of that list Glare of Subdual is the clear winner.

Improvise benefits, provided your dudes are artifacts (you don't happen to have any Thopters or Servos laying about, do you?)

How convenient that Servo Exhibition is the same color as Gideon.

It appears that the ]Amonkhet game day, launch, and buy-a-box promos have gotten spoiled.

So, there might be a monument building mini-theme, cycling returns (I hope that and -1/-1 counters remain the only mechanical overlap between AKH and my next block), and a new keyword action exert. No reminder text, but I'd guess it is "tap it, and it doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step."

I'm betting on a 180 degrees tap, personally.

I wouldn't. Some people normally play their cards this way so that their opponent can read them better.

180 tap is stupid for so many reasons. Off the top of my head...

"Read the card" arrangement
"Tapping a tapped creature" rules confusion (ALREADY a problem for new creatures)
Flip cards.


My bet is a space-saver keyword action, "Exert {thing}" meaning "Tap {thing}. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step." which is a pretty common bit of verbage that could be shortened (Much like "Remove {thing} from the game" to "Exile {thing}", "{thing} is put into the graveyard from the battlefield" to "{Thing} dies", or "Put {token} onto the battlefield" to "create {token}")

This is also possible: "If an exerted permanent would become untapped, it becomes unexerted instead" which would be functionally identical to the "180 tap" and as easily tracked as standard "Doesn't untap on its controller's next untap step". But They seem to like making new keyword actions at least a little backwards compatible if they can, so having to be "Exert" going forward while old cards retain "Tapped but doesn't untap" doesn't seem like their style for a mechanic they still like.

I've seen "Put a -1/-1 counter on this" floated, possibly "To exert a permanent, put a -1/-1 counter on it and it becomes Exerted. You can't Exert an Exerted permanent" making it somewhat akin to Monstrous or Renown in that it's a one-time effect

We were both wrong. It's a special case of not untapping next untap step.

It also can only ever happen while the creature is being declared as an attacker, which is probably why a "tap" action hasn't been folded into the overall exert action.

It is funny how giving an exert creature vigilance effectively lets you exert for free. I was wondering if the actual rules might prevent that, but I double checked the article and he specifically mentions vigilance as a way to avoid the cost.

Someone at a prerelease will cast Spidery Grasp on an exerted Glorybringer to eat a blocker and kill another creature with exert next turn, and it will be glorious.

I guess we are going to have to carry around little baggies for punch-out counters now? Or maybe there will be a new line of deck boxes with pouches?

Well, best case scenario you can REVERSIBLE punch the counters back into the card-holder (I do this with some table top games)

I honestly think that most of the punch counters are cute, but unnecessary.

-1/-1 counters might be useful to differentiate from +1/+1 counters in constructed, but in limited, dice will work just fine. Embalmed counters are only useful if you don't have the appropriate token. The exerted counter tracks an effect that we're already somewhat used to tracking without counters. And the brick counters can also be replaced with dice, assuming they only appear on noncreature permanents.

Basically, I think they're all somewhat useful, but it shouldn't be that hard to play without them.

This isn't the first time Magic has had a counter punch sheet.

That was Fallen Empires.

Look it up sometime, it's kinda cool.

Fun times. I still have these somewhere.

I have them too! They came with an issue of the Duelist magazine.

Amonkhet masterpieces are coming tomorrow! They are called Amonkhet Invocations.

my god those masterpieces are ugly

yeah those are unequivocally horrible

My strongest opinion here is that the title font is terrible, and the random space-filling hieroglyphics make it even worse.

But as far as the rest of the frame goes, I'm actually coming around to it. It was jarring at first, but there are definitely aspects of it that I like.

I like the design overall. The noise in the text bars is a little annoying when the font was already a little tough to read, but the full look is at least strongly evocative. Which is way, WAY more than I can say for Aftermath.

I hate Aftermath.