Relentless
| Relentless | |
|---|---|
| Mechanic | |
| Introduced | Fifth Dawn |
| Last used | Assassin's Creed |
| Reminder Text |
A deck can have any number of cards named CARDNAME. A deck can have up to NUMBER cards named CARDNAME. |
| Storm Scale | 4[1] |
| Statistics |
9 cards  11.1%  11.1%  44.4%  22.2%  11.1% |
| Scryfall Search | |
| fulloracle:"A deck can have" | |
- For several unreleased mechanics of the same name, see List of unreleased mechanics.
Relentless is a slang term used by Magic R&D to describe spells that allow a constructed deck to have a larger number of copies of a certain-named card than the "four-of" Deckbuilding rule (100.2a) would normally allow.
Description
This mechanic was first printed in black as a way to recapture the experience of playing Plague Rats under Richard Garfield's original Alpha rules, where there were no limits on the number of copies of a card a player could use in their deck.[2][3][4][5] It is named after the first card to bare the mechanic, Relentless Rats.[6][7] While the majority of cards with relentless are black, The Council of Colors has deemed it available to any color as long as the flavor of the card is appropriate.[5] Thus far, each Relentless card has a mechanic that magnifies the more copies that are played, making them Kindle variants.
A variant on the Relentless ability was created for Throne of Eldraine and introduced on the card Seven Dwarves.[8] It allows players to break the "four-of" deckbuilding rule but places a higher maximum limit on the card — seven, to match the flavor of the Seven Dwarfs. This restriction applies to both Limited and Constructed formats where the card is legal:[9] for constructed this is an advantage. Still, this is a restriction for Limited as Limited decks can hypothetically play any number of copies. This variation would later be used to depict the nine Nazgûl in The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth.[5]
Strixhaven: School of Mages introduced the card Dragon's Approach, which is the first non-permanent to have the ability.
Cards with relentless
- White
- Blue
- Black
- Nazgûl (The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth) [max. nine]
- Rat Colony (Dominaria)
- Relentless Rats (Fifth Dawn)
- Shadowborn Apostle (Magic 2014)
- Red
- Dragon's Approach (Strixhaven: School of Mages)
- Seven Dwarves (Throne of Eldraine) [max. seven]
- Green
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (2021-07-16). "What was the general reception of “limitless” creatures...". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 22, 2018). "Is the Relentless Rats ability tied to black or is black the only place it's been done?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 01, 2017). "Why did Shadowborn Apostle and Relentless Rats get an ability that lets them dodge the deck construction rules?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (July 12, 2017). "Is the relentless rats ability tied to creatures?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ a b c Mark Rosewater (July 3, 2023). "Stepping into the Ring, Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 10, 2019). "Is there an internal R&D term for the Shadowborn Apostle any number ability?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 21, 2019). "More City Talk". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 12, 2019). "Does "a deck can have up to (number) cards named _____" have a nickname?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Eli Shiffrin (September 11, 2019). "I was going to wait until seven people had asked...". Twitter.