Pinger

Permanents that can deal one or a few points of damage on demand, over and over, through an activated ability rather than a single spell. The classic "Tim" effect: Prodigal Sorcerer, Cunning Sparkmage, and Gelectrode tap to deal 1 damage to any target, while Walking Ballista spends counters and Pestilence and Pyrohemia rain damage on everything from an enchantment. They pick off small creatures, finish wounded ones, and grind out chip damage. Distinct from Burn, which covers one-shot direct-damage spells rather than a reusable on-board source, and unlike Spot Removal these need repetition or a counter sink to kill anything bigger than an X/1.