Bounty counter

Bounty counter
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Skull.svg}}|70x70px]]
Counter
Use	Marker for creature's death or reward on its death
Placed on	Creatures, Planeswalkers
Introduced	Tempest
Last used	Assassin's Creed
Statistics
6 counter creation cards 33.3% 16.7% 16.7% 16.7% 16.7%
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oracle:"Bounty counter"

Not to be confused with Bounty card.

Bounty counters are a type of counter introduced in Tempest that originally marked creatures for future destruction but later expanded to mark them so that the player got rewards on their death.

Description

Bounty counters first appeared on the Bounty Hunter card in Tempest. It has an activated ability that places one of the counters on a non-black creature which marked it for another ability that could destroy the creature. The initial usage seemed analogous to putting a bounty on the given creature for its death while subsequent uses acted as fulfilling the bounty and getting a reward of life and card draws for the creature's death.

The first card to use the second type of bounty counter was Mathas, Fiend Seeker in Commander 2017. It marked an opponent's creature each turn with a counter which made it so opposing players gained 2 life and a card draw on the creature's death. Chevill, Bane of Monsters from Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths had a similar use for them but expanded their placement to include an opponent's planeswalker cards. It adds a bounty counter to an opponent's creature or planeswalker if none had bounty counters on them already. Then once that permanent dies, it gives the player 3 life and a card draw.

Use of the first type of bounty counter returned in Jumpstart 2022 with Termination Facilitator. It has an activated ability that places one of the counters on a creature or planeswalker which marks it for its second ability. Unlike Bounty Hunter, its second ability allows any source of damage to destroy the marked creature. Bounty counters were also used by the Bounty Board in Thunder Junction Commander.

Interaction

While the use of bounty counters on the different cards is mostly unrelated, they can affect each other due to their shared type. For example, Bounty Hunter can use its ability to destroy creatures with bounty counters added by Mathas or Chevill. The Gatherer also clarified that Chevill's abilities look for any bounty counter as well including those added by the other cards. Mathas on the other hand only gives its triggered ability to those that have bounty counters it added.

Trivia

• In Magic Online, the counter is colored orange as it's considered a negative effect and shares its icon with Coin, Credit, Hit, Theft and Wage counters.
• For Outlaws of Thunder Junction, an alternate form of Bounty counters was considered (If this creature dies, all players other than its controller draw a card.).