Tainted Observer

one generic mana one green mana one blue mana Creature — Phyrexian BirdPower and toughness2/3

Flying

Toxic 1 (Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get a poison counter.)

Whenever another creature you control enters, you may pay two generic mana . If you do, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)

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Showing Phyrexia: All Will Be One#217

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8 printings

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Tainted Observer rulings

2023-02-04
A player with ten or more poison counters loses the game. This is a state-based action and doesn't use the stack. In other words, it happens immediately and players can't respond to it, just like a player losing the game due to having 0 or less life.
2023-02-04
Toxic doesn't change the amount of combat damage a creature deals. For example, if a 2/2 creature with toxic 1 deals combat damage to a player, that creature will deal 2 damage. The results of that damage are the player loses 2 life and gets a poison counter.
2023-02-04
Any other effects of that damage, such as life gain from lifelink, still apply.
2023-02-04
If a creature with toxic deals combat damage to a creature or planeswalker, or if it deals noncombat damage, toxic has no effect and no player gets poison counters.
2023-02-04
Damage dealt by a creature with toxic grants the same number of counters regardless of how much damage is dealt. Notably, if a replacement effect modifies the damage in some way (such as that of Gratuitous Violence), the number of counters given remains unchanged.
2023-02-04
Conversely, replacement effects that apply to the number of counters put on a player can modify the counters placed this way. For example, Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider's last two abilities can apply to counters placed this way.
2023-02-04
Multiple instances of toxic are cumulative. For example, if a creature has toxic 2 and gains toxic 1 due to another effect, combat damage that creature deals to a player will cause that player to get 3 poison counters.
2023-02-04
To proliferate, you can choose any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled by opponents. You can choose any player who has a counter, including opponents. You can't choose cards in any zone other than the battlefield, even if they have counters on them.
2023-02-04
You don't have to choose every permanent or player that has a counter, only the ones you want to add another counter to. Since "any number" includes zero, you don't have to choose any permanents at all, and you don't have to choose any players at all.
2023-02-04
If a player or permanent has more than one kind of counter on it, and you choose for it to get additional counters, it must get one of each kind of counter it already has. You can't have it get just one kind of counter it already has and not the others.
2023-02-04
An ability that triggers "Whenever you proliferate" triggers even if you chose no permanents or players while doing so.
2023-02-04
Players can respond to a spell or ability whose effect includes proliferating. Once that spell or ability starts to resolve, however, and its controller chooses which permanents and players will get new counters, it's too late for anyone to respond.
2023-02-04
If a permanent ever has both +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters on it at the same time, they're removed in pairs as a state-based action so that the permanent has only one of those kinds of counters on it.

Tainted Observer keyword rules

Flying Rule 702.9

Flying is an evasion ability.

A creature with flying can’t be blocked except by creatures with flying and/or reach. A creature with flying can block a creature with or without flying. (See rule , “Declare Blockers Step,” and rule , “Reach.”)

Multiple instances of flying on the same creature are redundant.

Toxic Rule 702.164

Toxic is a static ability. It is written “toxic N,” where N is a number.

Some rules and effects refer to a creature’s “total toxic value.” A creature’s total toxic value is the sum of all N values of toxic abilities that creature has.

Combat damage dealt to a player by a creature with toxic causes that creature’s controller to give the player a number of poison counters equal to that creature’s total toxic value, in addition to the damage’s other results. See rule .

Proliferate Rule 701.27

To proliferate means to choose any number of permanents and/or players that have a counter, then give each one additional counter of each kind that permanent or player already has.

In a Two-Headed Giant game, poison counters are shared by the team. If more than one player on a team is chosen this way, only one of those players can be given an additional poison counter. The player who proliferates chooses which player that is. See rule , “Two-Headed Giant Variant.”