Salt Score

How It Works

Salt scores operate on a simple 0-5 scale where higher numbers indicate more frustrating gameplay experiences. Cards receive their ratings through community polling and data analysis from EDHRec, which tracks millions of deck submissions and player feedback. A salt score of 0-1 represents cards that rarely cause frustration, 2-3 indicates moderate annoyance potential, and 4-5 marks cards that consistently generate negative reactions from opponents.

The scoring system considers multiple factors when evaluating cards. Primary considerations include how much a card slows down games, whether it prevents opponents from playing their spells or creatures, and how difficult it is to remove once in play. Cards that create repetitive gameplay loops, force opponents to discard their hands, or completely shut down certain strategies tend to score higher. The system also weighs how accessible counterplay options are—cards with few answers or expensive removal requirements typically receive elevated scores.

Salt scores reflect the casual multiplayer experience rather than competitive formats like cEDH. A card might be perfectly acceptable in high-power games but frustrating in casual pods where players want to execute their game plans without excessive interference. The scoring helps bridge the gap between different playgroups by providing objective data about subjective experiences.

Key Cards

Several cards have become notorious for their high salt scores across different categories:

• Armageddon (Salt Score: 4.5) — Mass land destruction that can end games prematurely or create lengthy stalemates where nobody can cast spells
• Stasis (Salt Score: 4.8) — Prevents all players from untapping their permanents, creating oppressive lockouts that can drag games indefinitely
• Iona, Shield of Emeria (Salt Score: 4.2) — Completely shuts down entire colors, making some players unable to participate meaningfully
• Worldfire (Salt Score: 3.9) — Resets the entire game state to nearly nothing, invalidating all previous plays and strategies
• Sensei’s Divining Top (Salt Score: 3.1) — While powerful, it significantly slows down games through repeated deck manipulation
• Rhystic Study (Salt Score: 2.8) — Creates constant decision points for opponents and massive card advantage disparities
• Cyclonic Rift (Salt Score: 2.7) — Bounces all non-land permanents opponents control while leaving the caster untouched
• Sol Ring (Salt Score: 1.8) — Despite being ubiquitous, early Sol Rings create significant advantage gaps that some players find frustrating

Strategy

Understanding salt scores helps players navigate the social aspects of casual Magic more effectively. When building decks for unknown playgroups, consider the salt scores of your key pieces and have alternatives ready. High-salt cards aren’t automatically bad choices, but they require careful consideration of your local meta and playgroup preferences.

Communication proves essential when including high-salt cards in your decks. Discuss power levels and card preferences with your playgroup before games begin. Many players appreciate knowing when opponents are running cards like Winter Orb or Smokestack so they can adjust their expectations and strategies accordingly. This transparency helps prevent feel-bad moments and maintains positive group dynamics.

Consider the timing and context when deploying high-salt effects. Playing Armageddon when you have no follow-up creates frustration without advancing your game plan. However, casting it while ahead on board presence can lead to quick victories that minimize overall game time. Similarly, combo pieces that end games immediately often generate less salt than soft locks that prolong suffering.

Building balanced removal suites becomes crucial when high-salt cards are common in your meta. Include answers for different permanent types and consider instant-speed options that can respond to game-ending threats. Cards like Krosan Grip and Anguished Unmaking provide reliable ways to interact with problematic permanents before they take over games.

In Commander

Salt scores were originally developed for and remain most relevant in Commander, where multiplayer dynamics and longer games amplify frustrating effects. The format’s singleton nature means players can’t easily build around specific hate pieces, making oppressive cards more problematic than in constructed formats where consistency allows for dedicated answers.

Commander’s social contract heavily influences how salt scores apply to deck building. Different playgroups have varying tolerances for high-salt effects, with some embracing competitive interaction while others prefer battlecruiser-style games. Regular playgroups often develop house rules or gentleman’s agreements about which cards are acceptable, using salt scores as objective starting points for these discussions.

The multiplayer nature of Commander amplifies both positive and negative aspects of high-salt cards. Stax pieces like Sphere of Resistance affect three opponents simultaneously, creating more overall frustration than in one-on-one games. Conversely, the multiple opponents provide more opportunities to find answers and apply political pressure to problematic permanents.

Commander’s longer average game length makes salt-inducing effects more problematic than in faster formats. A Winter Orb in a 20-minute game might be annoying but tolerable, while the same card in a 90-minute multiplayer game can ruin the entire experience. This temporal factor heavily influences salt score calculations and explains why some cards score higher than their raw power level might suggest.

Notable Interactions

Salt scores create interesting dynamics when combined with political elements of multiplayer Magic. Cards like Rhystic Study and Mystic Remora generate salt not just from their card advantage but from the constant decision-making burden they place on opponents. Every spell cast becomes a choice between efficiency and feeding the card draw engine, creating mental taxation beyond the mechanical effects.

Timing and board presence significantly impact how salty specific effects feel to opponents. Cyclonic Rift overloaded when you have no board presence feels like resetting to a neutral position, but the same spell with creatures in play feels like a devastating blowout. This context-dependency means salt scores represent averages rather than absolute measurements.

Some cards develop reputation-based salt that exceeds their actual impact. Teferi’s Protection creates dramatic moments where one player phases out entirely, but the effect typically lasts only one turn cycle. However, the memorable nature of completely avoiding a board wipe or massive attack can make the card feel more oppressive than its numerical impact suggests.

Group slug effects present interesting salt score paradoxes. Cards like Painful Quandary affect all opponents equally, which some players find more acceptable than targeted disruption. Others argue that symmetric effects that slow down games for everyone are more frustrating than targeted removal that at least advances the game state. These philosophical differences contribute to the variation in individual salt tolerance despite objective scoring systems.