Scute SwarmScute Swarm | Art by Alex Konstad

We need more than just our decks when we sit down for a game of Magic. We need dice, tokens, deck boxes, and more. Particularly because there are so many things in the game we have to keep track of: How many times you've descended this turn in a The MycotyrantThe Mycotyrant deck could be very difficult to track. With things going in and out of the graveyard, you might lose count.

Similarly, in an UrabraskUrabrask Spellslinger deck, tracking Storm count, you might miss a spell your opponent cast. Don't get me started on Betor, Ancestor's VoiceBetor, Ancestor's Voice and life gain and life loss.

It's a game of many triggers and abilities that are tough to follow. I want to explore the top five most annoying things to track in the game, whether it's tokens, mechanics without a good tracking system, or dice hell. What grinds our gears the most?

This is anecdotal and based on what the community has shared with me. It's not an exact science, but I'm fairly sure we'll agree with the mentions, whether or not the order applies.

Honorable Mention: Heliod, the Radiant DawnHeliod, the Radiant Dawn

The reason this hasn't made the main list is because it's a commander that isn't fairly common. I will say, however, it is honestly so annoying to track, and it's ranked #405 on EDHREC: Heliod, the Radiant DawnHeliod, the Radiant Dawn.

His back side says, "You may cast spells as though they had flash. Spells you cast cost less to cast for each card your opponents have drawn this turn." Not only are you playing on other players' turns, but you have to keep track of the number of cards drawn by all players, but not yourself. You have to keep track of the stack as you put different abilities on top of or above things, while keeping track of cards drawn to discount other spells.

It becomes this nightmare of triggers and tracking. I know, because I play this deck and it's been banned by my partner in our play pod because of how annoying it is to deal with.

I don't include it in the main list because it's somewhat niche. Most players who have experienced it would agree with me, but not many players have experienced it.

5. Floating Mana

We've all had a big turn with tons of mana involved. Whether it's Lotus CobraLotus Cobra, Nissa, Resurgent AnimistNissa, Resurgent Animist, or Selvala, Heart of the WildsSelvala, Heart of the Wilds, we've had to float a ton of mana.

Getting mana of any color is relevant. Keeping track of five colors, or even the two or three colors of typical commanders, is tough. Having to know to float two of red and three of blue is annoying. There are so many products that attempt to solve this problem, but it is definitely a problem.

A lot of players usually opt for magical fairy mana, that we've always picked the right colors for ourselves to avoid the trouble, but this isn't how this game actually works. Sequencing matters so much; phase changes matter; filtering mana through an Izzet SignetIzzet Signet, for example, matters.

It's not the most egregious thing, but players are often scrambling for dice to keep track of various colors in complex sequencing.

4. Cathars' CrusadeCathars' Crusade and +1/+1 Counters

This is a card that lives in infamy as dice hell. It's the sort of thing that if you're running the card in your Commander deck, you're abusing it. +1/+1 counters are annoying in general, with evolve or replacement effects. Imagine 10 tokens enter the battlefield with a Cathars' CrusadeCathars' Crusade and Branching EvolutionBranching Evolution on board and a Bristly Bill, Spine SowerBristly Bill, Spine Sower. The sheer amount of dice required would melt someone's face.

And the main reason this is so egregious is because Cathars' CrusadeCathars' Crusade puts a counter on a creature for every one that enters the battlefield. How the heck are there enough dice in a bag to demonstrate this? Some creatures are going to have more counters than others. You can't use a flat number for everything. It's insanity.

Some players just end up using InfiniTokens to track the numbers, or just giving up after 20+ counters. It's relevant if I have an [/el]Inkshield[/el], and that's the rub. You have to track every little piece of damage.

It's so tedious and annoying that I know players who don't even run Cathars' Crusade because of how annoying it is to track.

3. Day/Night

I'm not kidding when I say that to write this article, I had to look up the comprehensive rules about day and night. "If it’s day and the previous turn’s active player didn’t cast any spells during that turn, it becomes night. Multiplayer games using the shared team turns option (see rule 805) use a modified rule: if it’s day and no player from the previous turn’s active team cast a spell during that turn, it becomes night... If it’s night, and previous turn’s active player cast two or more spells during the previous turn, it becomes day."

How locked in to a game do you have to be to remember after the Prosper, Tome-BoundProsper, Tome-Bound player's non-deterministic Spellslinger turn to trigger Day if it's Night? I can barely remember to draw a second card for turn if someone's playing a Rites of FlourishingRites of Flourishing. And WOTC wants me to remember this?

This usually takes a huge toll on the player who is probably a Werewolf deck. It's annoying to track Day/Night after it triggers. It's a mechanic that doesn't really mechanically work too well either, in my humble opinion. It's not that common either.

Players often opt out of the mechanically interesting decks to avoid the maintenance needed to play it.

2. Scute SwarmScute Swarm

This is the mac-daddy of all token maintenance cards. I've heard so many people say they opt out of playing Scute SwarmScute Swarm because they hate math. The way double triggers of a card like Yarok, the DesecratedYarok, the Desecrated work with multiple lands entering the battlefield at the same time instead of one at a time will have your head spinning.

Each trigger is exponential normally. The amount of times I've seen players bust out a calculator to track them is baffling.

The problem here is that I haven't seen a real solution to this. Calculators and InfiniTokens are still not enough to make everyone understand how much you make and when. It's like actually a requirement to understand math to play. Don't get me wrong, math isn't always hard, but it's always annoying. Having to stop in the middle of a game to do some quick calculations that aren't basic adding and subtracting is crazy.

It was originally the number one on my list because of how annoying everyone finds it to play or watch someone else play, but the final one is actually truly annoying.

1. Venture Into the Dungeon/ Take the Initiative

The problem with this mechanic is mainly that it's not that common; not everyone is playing dungeons or initiative. Maybe an Acererak the ArchlichAcererak the Archlich or a Sefris of the Hidden WaysSefris of the Hidden Ways is playing these cards, but most people don't have a copy of the Dungeon of the Mad MageDungeon of the Mad Mage, Tomb of AnnihilationTomb of Annihilation, or Lost Mine of PhandelverLost Mine of Phandelver.

If it was just a triggered ability and a token that people had, it wouldn't be so bad, but it's so much more. If you play the deck, you might have a copy of it, but you still have to track going through the dungeon whenever it triggers. Side note: Did you know that dungeons are in the command zone? "309.2a"If a player is instructed to venture into the dungeon while they don’t own a dungeon card in the command zone, they choose a dungeon card they own from outside the game and put it into the command zone. They put their venture marker on the topmost room." Anyway!

This is NOT to be mixed up with take the initiative. "725.2... The full text of these abilities are 'At the beginning of the upkeep of the player who has the initiative, that player ventures into Undercity,' 'Whenever one or more creatures a player controls deal combat damage to the player who has the initiative, the controller of those creatures takes the initiative,' and 'Whenever a player takes the initiative, that player ventures into Undercity.'" One is triggered on "venture into the dungeon," the other is triggered by combat damage and upkeep.

This is confusing all by itself. And the fact that anyone can take the initiative and tracks their Undercity separately, brings in a nightmare scenario for tracking. Everyone is scrambling for their dusty copy of a dungeon. Everyone is checking at upkeep, but still forgetting it.

Conclusion

Well, that's what my experience has been. Tell me yours! What kind of things are niche but annoying enough to have a reputation over these things? What are things that are annoying and common? Anything that I missed? I'm @strixhavendropout on Bluesky.