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Kicker might be the best template for so many abilities in Magic: The Gathering. I don't know for sure who was responsible for it, but I do know the designers of Invasion back in 2000 were Bill Rose, Mike Elliot, and Mark Rosewater, so it was likely one of them.
If kicker was never created, it makes me wonder if abilities like escalate, entwine, or spree would have been created. I'm sure they would have, since so much of designing Magic cards is finding ways to make cards good at different points in the game.
Well, that's exactly what overload attempts to accomplish, while doing its best kicker impression! Overload first debuted in Return to Ravnica back in 2012, which was over a decade ago now. The ability was also seen in Modern Horizons 1, 2, and 3, along with a handful of Commander sets since then, but it hasn't been included in any additional Standard expansions since Return to Ravnica.
Overload cards have their regular converted mana cost, then an alternate overload cost that you are able to pay instead for an enhanced ability. The overload ability reads as follows:
"You may cast this spell for its overload cost. If you do, change "target" in its text to "each."
One of the most famous - and dreaded - overload cards is easily Cyclonic Rift. If you've played a single game of Commander, I'm sure you've played with or against a Cyclonic Rift, assuming your playgroup didn't ban it. Depending on how much mana you spend on Cyclonic Rift, it's essentially two different cards.
- 1U: Return target nonland permanent you don't control to its owner's hand.
- 6U: Return each nonland permanent you don't control to its owner's hand.
Again...kicker!
I'm kidding, but only slightly. The truth is, having different mechanics that mimic the basic premise of kicker is a great thing for the game. Having one card that is good at two mana but great at seven mana is beneficial for both deckbuilding and game play. The more versatile your cards are at different points in the game, the less frequently you'll be drawing or holding dead cards in your hand.
All that said, Cyclonic Rift is one of the most overpowered cards with overload that has ever been printed. Some of the more balanced cards that have seen play over the years are cards like Mizzix's Mastery, Vandalblast, Winds of Abandon, Scale Up, Mizzium Mortars, and Break the Ice.
One interesting twist on cards with overload is the overload cost being a different mana color than the normal casting cost. Damn is currently the only example of this I can find, but it sets a great precedent for the mechanic. Damn costs Black, but has an overload cost of White. While this allows Damn to fit into any Orzhov deck, it also allows you to play it as a spot removal card in any Black deck without White mana, and a sweeper in any White deck without Black mana. This essentially makes Damn two different cards: one that can be played in a mono-Black deck and one that can be played in a mono-White deck. This also isn't too far off from just being a split card.
Damn debuted in Modern Horizons 2, back in 2021, and I'm not sure why the overload ability with two different mana colors hasn't made a return since. It's a great take on overload, and instead of solely allowing overload cards to play at two different points on the curve, it allows overload cards to play in multiple different decks as well.
All in all, I think overload was a great design. Based on the way the mechanic is worded, some care needs to be taken with overloaded cards since, by design, they end up dealing with "all" of whatever the card is trying to interact with when overloaded. Assuming that's taken into consideration, overload is another valuable take on kicker that I look forward to seeing whenever it shows up.
One more thing before I go. I, along with millions of other people, have joined Bluesky and have started using it as my primary social media site. Feel free to head over and check it out. You can give me a follow at the link below!
Frank Lepore
