We are less than two weeks away from the Scars of Mirrodin pre-release, when players will be able to use all these new cards being released daily.  Many of these new spells have abilities and keywords we have not seen in years, or have never seen at all.  Now seems as good a time as any to take a closer look at some of the mechanics from SoM, and what they mean to the mega-meta of Magic: the Gathering.

Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters, and to players in the form of poison counters.) – WotC (or more specifically Mark Rosewater who has been tweeting about it relentlessly) has been trying for years to find a use for poison outside fringe casual decks.  It looks like they accomplished that feat by combining it smoothly along with Wither.  This means poisonous creatures now have a leg-up on their peers as well as players.  This is a perfect solution for an age-old quandary (how to make poison relevant) and an interesting twist to gameplay.   Good riddance Swamp Mosquito.

Metalcraft (…. as long as you control three or more artifacts.) – ‘Hey Affinity, didn’t think we would see you around again, especially so soon.  Oh wait, you aren’t Affinity.  Then, who are you….?’  Affinity’s not so distant, and not nearly as easily broken, cousin.  Metalcraft is the new way to take advantage of artifact spamming in every format.  However, as useful as it might be in Standard Constructed the mechanic really shines in Legacy where artifact lands and other goodies await to join forces with some epically powerful cards like Mox Opal.  In fact, the synergy between Affinity and Metalcraft is almost scary.  Scary good.

Proliferate (You choose any number of players and/or permanents with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.) – Make poison more effective.  Use a Planeswalker ultimate the turn it comes into play.  Pump your entire board with cards like Joraga Warcaller.  Devastate entire armies under the right circumstances.  It is safe to say that Proliferate has its uses and then some.  Multiple uses in one turn could change the complexion of a game.  Luckily for your opponents, activating an instance of proliferate is usually exceedingly expensive.  And there is always Vampire Hexmage waiting around every corner.

Imprint (When …. enters the battlefield, you may exile a ….. card from your hand.) – The only returning mechanic from the original Mirrodin is one of the more popular.  Imprint classics include hits like Isochron Scepter, Extraplanar Lense, and Chrome Mox.  A pretty impressive list of associates for one mechanic in one set, but Imprint is a powerful key-word.  The few instances of Imprint seen so far in Scars lead us to believe it will not be nearly as ridiculous this time around, which is a good thing.  Perhaps we’ll have to wait and see.

What, no Sunburst?  After a few of the preview cards looked identical to previous Fifth Dawn sunburst cards (with the light of the Five suns of Mirrodin gleaming off the metal) it was easy to guess the return of Sunburst.  Now that it appears dead, Gathering Magic would like to raise a toast, to a set that does not involve multi-colored mechanics.  After Alara and Zendikar (allies, land-based, etc.) we could use a break from themes that force our rainbowed hands.  Taken as a whole, the mechanics in SoM are very strong, and flavorful.  Infect is a spin on poison that might make the ability relevant, while Metalcraft is a watered-down look at Affinity.  So long as they keep Imprint and Proliferate at the levels we've seen, the design of the set it very good and balanced.  But, if one of these abilities ends up being overpowered just consider it an 'homage' to the original Mirrodin.  The most broken set of all time.

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