You can add oil counters using proliferate or The Monumental Facade, which transfers oil counters from itself to any creature or artifact.Īccording to WotC’s Matt Tabak, lots of cards put oil counters on themselves or other permanents, while others move oil counters around. Some cards, like Archfiend of the Dross, use oil counters as a doom clock (when it’s over, you lose) by losing a counter each turn. Others require you to do something, like casting instants or sorceries. How to get these new counters varies by card. Others are those bomb-like cards that you just put in every deck. Some cards are natural buildaround cards, which are only good if you build your deck to maximize some aspect ( sacrifice creatures, combat damage, spellslinger). This mechanic is very similar to how charge counters were used in the Scars of Mirrodin block, where you could have diverse implementations in cards like Shrine of Burning Rage, Tangle Wire, and Lux Cannon.

It’s one of the main mechanics of the set and is used to glue different themes (instants and sorceries matter, add counters, proliferate, and more) together.

Oil counters were introduced in 2023’s Phyrexia: All Will Be One. It’s very important to note that this set also has the proliferate mechanic, and oil counters can be proliferated to turbo-off your engines. Others still use the counters like the fading mechanic so the card comes with counters but you need to take one off every turn, like Evolved Spinoderm. Other cards, like Urabrask’s Forge, get a stronger effect the more oil counters they have (similar to Shrine of Burning Rage).

Some cards require you to take off some counters to reap the benefits, like Norn’s Wellspring or Migloz, Maze Crusher. The more oil counters they have on them, the better. Some cards get oil counters naturally as the turns go, while others require you to cast instants or sorceries. Oil counters are counters that are put on permanents, most notably artifacts and Phyrexian creatures. Archfiend of the Dross | Illustration by Lie Setiawan

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