MTG Fallout mechanics explained: Junk, rad counters & more

From new token types to returning favorites, we’ll walk you through all of MTG Universes Beyond: Fallout’s main mechanics.

MTG’s Universes Beyond: Fallout Commander decks all set to arrive on March 8, and spoilers for the set are beginning to drop daily.

This close to release, we have a much better idea of how each of Universes Beyond: Fallout’s Commander decks are going to work. We’ll walk you through all of the set’s new and returning mechanics, and soon you’ll have a much better idea of which parts of this MTG x Fallout crossover suit you best.

Universes Beyond: Fallout new mechanics

Junk Tokens

Junk is a new Token type that is set to be very beneficial for players, providing an alternative to Clue tokens that is riskier and more situational, but without Clues’ somewhat restrictive initial cost.

A player with a Junk Token may tap and sacrifice it to exile the top card of their Library. For the remainder of their turn, that player may play the exiled card by spending mana as normal. This type of effect is often referred to by fans as an ‘impulse draw’, and is particularly popular in red deck. While Impulse draws can backfire by rendering the card unusable after the current turn, they can still be an excellent way to expand your options on any given turn.

Thankfully for players who wouldn’t want to see a repeat of Treasure Tokens’ ubiquity, there are restrictions in place to keep Junk from getting too crazy. For starters, the player must abide by all the normal casting restrictions and timing of the card they are casting from exile. Also, Junk can only be sacrificed at Sorcery Speed, meaning you cannot exile and play any interrupts during your opponents’ turns.

Regardless of its limitations, Junk will likely become a popular new Token type that increases the number of options players have at hand. This is especially great news for Commanders that accrue value through exiling their own cards like the ever-popular Prosper, Tome Bound, and The Thirteenth Doctor.

Rad Counters

At the beginning of each player’s precombat main phase, that player mills cards equal to the number of Rad Counters they have, taking one point of damage and losing one Rad Counter per nonland card milled. Any Rad Counters on that player are then removed.

Where Junk Tokens were beneficial for their player, Rad Counters are at their best when stacked up on opponents. That being said, there are self-mill scenarios that can make it beneficial to stack Rad Counters on yourself too, particularly if you have any graveyard reanimation. Rad makes for a new damaging Counter variant to synergize with proliferate, without being quite as oppressive as Poison.

There are several parts of Rad Counters’ design that seems intended to minimize frustration and instant-win scenarios. Firstly, the damage caused by Rad counters is not immediate, taking effect at the affected player’s next upkeep. Secondly, Rad counters remove themselves as they deal their damage, only sticking around when a player mills land. This is an excellent new design that is set to be punishing without making other players at the table feel utterly powerless.

Returning mechanics

Proliferate

WOTC/Bethesda

Whenever a card with Proliferate activates, the player controlling it may add on an additional counter to any permanent or player, provided at least one counter of that type is already in place there.

Proliferate is one of the absolute best abilities ever printed in MTG, in large part due to its interaction with deadly counter types like Poison and its ability to drastically speed up Sagas. Universes Beyond: Fallout is a very counter-heavy set, with several different counter types in play. As a result, Proliferate is going to be an extremely consequential ability whenever it is played, boosting your resources while potentially burning opponents for lethal damage.

Energy Counters

WOTC/Bethesda

Returning from their debut in the Kaladesh block, Energy Counters are an extra resource for players to utilize on top of mana. Energy can be spent to fuel additional effects on cards, from draw power to buffing and creating tokens.

Interestingly, Energy does not disappear at the end of steps, phases, and even turns, allowing players to stockpile it for big plays. Energy will mostly be seen in the Science! deck, fuelling powerful artifact Creatures and strategies like Liberty Prime, Recharged.

Squad

WOTC/Bethesda

Returning from the Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40K Commander decks, Squad is a great way to boost the size of your forces if you have the mana to spare. Whenever a creature with Squad is played, its player may pay the card’s Squad cost any number of times, creating token copies of that creature equal to the number of times the cost was played.

This ability may seem costly at first, but in long-running games and decks with great ramp, it can quickly set you ahead of other players at the table. While main sets have mostly skipped over Squad, it’s nice to see its return here in another Universes Beyond product.

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