Proliferate

Proliferate
[[File:{{#setmainimage:MTGA Proliferate.png}}|70x70px]]
Keyword Action
Introduced	Scars of Mirrodin
Last used	Modern Horizons 3 Commander
Reminder Text	Proliferate (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
Storm Scale	5
Statistics	86 cards 1.2% 7% 25.6% 12.8% 2.3% 23.3% 1.2% 1.2% 2.3% 7% 3.5% 11.6% 1.2%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Proliferate"

Proliferate is a keyword action introduced in Scars of Mirrodin. When a player proliferates, they choose any number of players and/or permanents with counters on them, then put another of each kind of counter already there on these players or permanents.

Description

Proliferate allows a player to add an additional counter to all permanents and players in the game, but only if they already have a counter. For example, a player proliferates and chooses an opponent with a Poison counter, a Planeswalker card with a loyalty counter, a creature with a -1/-1 counter, and an artifact with a charge counter on it. That opponent would then get another poison counter, the planeswalker would get another loyalty counter, and the creature now has two -1/-1 counter and the artifact has two charge counters on it. Proliferate does not target, so permanents with shroud or hexproof can still be chosen and will recieve additional counters.

Thematically, the proliferate mechanic is tied in with the Phyrexia faction in Scars of Mirrodin and its related Infect mechanic. As such, each of the cards that have been printed with the proliferate ability is marked with the symbol of the Phyrexia faction. Only featured on blue and artifact cards in Scars of Mirrodin, it has spread to black and green in Mirrodin Besieged, illustrating the block theme/storyline of the Phyrexian infestation taking over Mirrodin. In Phyrexia: All Will Be One this is closely associated with the Toxic mechanic, which largely replaced Infect. In order to present proliferate gameplay different from both War and Scars blocks, neither +1/+1 nor -1/-1 counters are present. Instead, the chief interaction is with oil counters (and to a lesser extent poison counters) which are similar to charge counters. The five rare planeswalkers also contribute to this different gameplay.

In War of the Spark, it instead represents "the influence of the planeswalkers": the heroes in blue, white and green - in opposition of Bolas in Grixis - building up creatures with +1/+1 counters and the loyalty counters of the many Planeswalkers, and additionally synergizing with the Amass tokens.

Reminder text

The latest reminder text for proliferate reads "Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there."

Previously it read "You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there". This means that older versions of proliferate only increased one type of counter while the updated version increases each type of counter.

Development

Mark Rosewater originally developed a mechanism for creatures to amplify infect by adding -1/-1 counters to those already on other creatures. This mechanism furthered the metaphor of a Phyrexian disease spreading. Eventually, it grew to affect all counters.

Rosewater considers the design of Proliferate as an important shift in how R&D thought of backwards compatibility and as a big part of the push toward using counters to differentiate sets.

History

Proliferate was introduced in Scars of Mirrodin and took advantage of the new infect mechanic, appearing only on blue and artifact cards. In Mirrodin Besieged, it also showed up on one card each in black and green. In New Phyrexia it also appeared on one card in red.

Proliferate was considered for Kaladesh and Aether Revolt to take advantage of mechanics such as energy counters and Fabricate, and for the Simic guild mechanic for Ravnica Allegiance, to go along with the guild's +1/+1 counter theme, but did not make it in.

Proliferate's next appearance was in War of the Spark, taking advantage of both the number of planeswalkers in this set and the Amass mechanic. This set doubled the total number of cards with proliferate and included cards in white, blue and green. For this set, the rules for proliferate were changed; instead of adding only one counter to each permanent or player, each proliferated permanent or player now gets one counter of each kind they already have.

As with many other mechanics, proliferate next appeared in Modern Horizons. It was featured on one black card and one colorless card. Two years later, it appeared again in Modern Horizons 2. It was featured on one white card and two green cards.

Proliferate was one of the non-evergreen, non-deciduous keywords included in the Unfinity sticker sheets.

When returning to New Phyrexia for Phyrexia: All Will Be One, R&D identified that proliferate was one of the core mechanical identities of the Phyrexians and an important inclusion in the new set. Effects that trigger off proliferating were introduced in this set. All colors gained at least one proliferator, but as in Scars block the majority were in blue, green and black. The mechanic was also considered for March of the Machine. It was a main mechanic in Universes Beyond: Fallout, and also appeared in Modern Horizons 3 Commander.

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Proliferate

To give an additional counter to any number of players and/or permanents of each kind they already have. See rule 701.27, “Proliferate.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 701.27. Proliferate
  • 701.27a To proliferate means to choose any number of permanents and/or players that have a counter, then give each one additional counter of each kind that permanent or player already has.
  • 701.27b In a Two-Headed Giant game, poison counters are shared by the team. If more than one player on a team is chosen this way, only one of those players can be given an additional poison counter. The player who proliferates chooses which player that is. See rule 810, “Two-Headed Giant Variant.”

Rulings

• You can choose any player that has a counter, including yourself.
• You can choose any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled by opponents. You can't choose cards in any zone other than the battlefield, even if they have counters on them, such as suspended cards or a Lightning Storm on the stack.
• You don't have to choose every permanent or player that has a counter, only the ones you want to add another counter to. Since "any number" includes zero, you don't have to choose any permanents at all, and you don't have to choose any players at all.
• If a permanent chosen this way has multiple kinds of counters on it, a new counter for each kind is put on that permanent.
• Players can respond to the spell or ability whose effect includes proliferating. Once that spell or ability starts to resolve, however, and its controller chooses which permanents and players will get new counters, it's too late for anyone to respond.
• When you proliferate in a Two-Headed Giant game, you may give one poison counter to a team that already has one.

Examples

Example

Fuel for the Cause
Instant
Counter target spell, then proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)

Trivia

• Proliferate was featured as rules card 3 of 5 in the Scars of Mirrodin set, 5 of 5 in the Mirrodin Besieged set, and 4 of 4 in the New Phyrexia set.

External links

• A Planeswalker's Primer for Scars of Mirrodin: Proliferate (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (September 22, 2010).
• War of the Spark - Mechanic Spotlight: Proliferate | Magic (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (April 2, 2019).