Summary
There are several mechanics inMagic: The Gathering’s past that were either one-shot additions or discontinued over the years for different reasons, be it because they didn’t fit in the game anymore, or they were becoming problematic. For example, Fear is one such mechanic that was eventually removed from the game with no current plans for it to return, despite it being relatively popular among players. 2025 will be a big year forMagic: The Gathering, with six Standard-legal sets being released, divided into threeMagicUniverse ones and three Universes Beyond. Universes Beyond often have set-specific mechanics that don’t see much use thereafter, but one of these past mechanics may come back in some shape or form.
Considering that there will be three Standard-legalUniverses Beyond sets inMagic: The Gatheringthis year, it’s plausible that these will all have at least a couple of new mechanics each, which may play into the themes of each UB release. For example, Spider-Man cards may have something related to web-slinging, though something like that would need a solid gameplay adaptation. While it’s unlikely to see it back this year, Wizards of the Coast’s Mark Rosewater seems open to the possibility of Rad Counters coming back after their initial release withFalloutcards.
Magic: The Gathering’s crossover withFalloutcame just at the right time to go hand in hand with the IP’s new TV show, and it proved to be one of the most successful Universes beyond releases in the game. Rad Counters were the key mechanic of one of the Commander decks forFalloutinMagic: The Gathering, namely the one tied to The Wise Mothman. Though they were loved by fans and still are popular within the community, Rad Counters were most likely conceived as a one-off mechanic.
Rad Countersmake it so that, at the start of the pre-combat main phase of a given player, if they have Rad Counters on them, they mill that many cards and lose 1 life and 1 Rad Counter for each non-land card milled this way.
As such, Rad Counters would be great to see again in the future, even if they have a different name, so that players can use them inMagic: The Gatheringdecks focused on millingthe opponents' libraries or making them lose life as fast as possible. Last year, Head Designer Mark Rosewater stated that Rad Counters could come back in the future, albeit with a different name. Lately, seeing how popular the mechanic still is, he stated that “maybe” Rad Counters will return to appease fans.
It’s not impossible to find a new use for Rad Counters withinMagic’s Multiverse, and a similar mechanic already exists in the form of Poison Counters - though these have no immediate effect, but instead make players who have ten or more of them lose the game. Considering that Rad Counters are predominantly seen on Black, Green, and Blue cards, with this making especially sense due to the color identity of The Wise Mothman, it seems likely that they may return in these colors most of all.
There are currently 21cards inMagic: The Gatheringthat use Rad Counters, and they have helped mill decks inMTG’s Commander format a lot. However,Falloutwas and still is only legal in Commander, Vintage, and Legacy, so reprinting Rad Counters as a mechanic with a new name would make it more accessible for the rest of the playerbase, which would be a good thing. It’s unclear when and in which set this mechanic may return, but considering the pipeline for new releases, Rad Counters may rear their head again sometime between late 2026 and 2027, or possibly later. Even then, this remains speculation at this time, as nothing official has been confirmed just yet.
