As a Un- set, there’s no doubt that Unfinity will be full of wacky and wild mechanics to play with. Thanks to Acorn cards, however, these unique mechanics will matter more than ever, as they’ll see Eternal play. This has already stirred up a lot of controversy, and we’re still almost two months from Unfinity’s release!
Thanks to Mark Rosewater’s ComicCon panel, we now know the latest and weirdest MTG mechanic; Stickers. As a new mechanic that lets you physically attach game pieces to your cards, Stickers are unlike anything else. As a result, getting used to this Eternal legal mechanic may take some time.
Thankfully, we’re here to help, so without any further ado, let’s get into everything you need to know about Stickers in Magic: the Gathering!
What Are Stickers in Magic: The Gathering?
Stickers are a brand new mechanic and additional play object introduced to Magic: the Gathering in Unfinity. As the name suggests, Stickers are literally physical stickers that can be attached to Magic cards you own during a game. Stickers are brought into play from Sticker Sheets by cards such as Carnival Carnivore. There are four types of Stickers available: name, art, ability, and power/toughness. These Stickers can be physically attached to a card in order to modify its characteristics.
One Sticker Sheet will be found as the 15th card in every Unfinity Draft Booster. Each Sticker Sheet has three name Stickers, three art Stickers, two ability Stickers, and two power/toughness Stickers. Ability, as well as power/toughness Stickers, additionally require a Ticket cost to be paid to be placed upon a card. Tickets are a new Counter introduced in Unfinity, given by cards such as Animate Object. Like Energy from Kaladesh, Tickets are a new kind of resource represented by counters on a player.
Once applied to a card, Stickers will remain attached and in effect until the card is moved to a nonpublic zone. The non-public zones in Magic: the Gathering are currently the library and the hand. This means Stickers will remain attached to the card so long as it’s on the battlefield, in the graveyard, in exile, on the stack, or in the Ante zone. Once a Stickered card is moved to a nonpublic zone, the sticker is returned to the Sticker Sheet.
In Constructed play, a player with Sticker cards must choose ten unique Sticker Sheets and randomly pick three before a game to use. A tool will be available for Magic Online players to achieve the same results. In Limited drafts, players may only use the Sticker Sheets they open in their own packs.
What Are the Rules of Stickers in Magic: The Gathering?
As an incredibly unique and undoubtedly confusing new mechanic, you have a few questions about the rules for Stickers. Thankfully, we’re here to answer everything we can do with all the available information. Most importantly, and controversially, you can only Sticker the cards you own. This means that you cannot sticker your opponent’s cards.
It is important to note that any card may only have one power/toughness Sticker at once. If an additional power/toughness Sticker is added to a card, it is placed on top, which is now considered the card’s power/toughness.
Stickers are also purely additive to cards. This means that they will not be removed if you cover up art elements or words in a card’s name. As Mark Rosewater notes, “cards that care about objects in the art still count anything “under” the sticker”.
Cards that care about another card’s name, such as Pithing Needle, are also affected by the name Stickers. Additionally, it matters where those name Stickers are placed. ‘[Urza’s] Blightsteel Colossus,’ ‘Blightsteel [Urza’s] Colossus,’ and ‘Blightsteel Colossus [Urza’s]’ are all treated as differently named cards.
It’s also essential to note that Stickers cannot be copied. In this regard, they are similar to Counters, despite Stickers being physically added to MTG cards.
Are Stickers Eternal Legal in Magic: The Gathering?
Yes, Stickers are Eternal legal in Magic: the Gathering. This means that, theoretically, you can see Stickers played in Commander, Legacy, and Vintage. Since opponents cannot Sticker your cards, you do not have to worry about a Sticker being placed on your Black Lotus, however.
Mark Rosewater also stated that while Stickers are legal in Eternal formats, they’re not designed for tournament play. In a Blogatog post, Rosewater revealed that Stickers “we’re designed not to be of a power-level for high-end Legacy/Vintage play.” As a result, you’re likely to only run into Stickers in the occasional Commander game. That’s provided they’re well received enough to be played by people.
