The original Ravnica block, released across 2005 and 2006, was a watershed period for Magic. Not only did it introduce one of the game’s most beloved planes and the 10 iconic guilds, but it also brought a bunch of banger card designs, to boot. Experiment Kraj is one of the very best of these, and still stands as a unique and powerful MTG Commander even two decades after its release.
Experiment Kraj MTG
Experiment Kraj absorbs all the activated abilities of creatures in play, be they yours or your opponents’, provided they have a +1/+1 counter. This works really well alongside creatures that generate their own counters, such as Gyre Sage and Vigean Graftmage. You can also give Kraj access to a broader range of abilities by running +1/+1 counter placers like Agatha’s Soul Cauldron and Innkeeper’s Talent.
Once set up, Kraj is great for doubling down on everyday abilities, like ramp from cards like Gyre Engineer, or looting from Kitsa, Otterball Elite. Kraj can also make bigger moves, seizing control of opposing creatures with Cytoplast Manipulator, or getting extra use out of one-time effects like that of Immortus, Master of Eternity.
Thanks to Kraj’s natural affinity for them, including a +1/+1 counter sub-theme is a good move. Archetypal classics like Hardened Scales and Master Biomancer will do a ton of work here, letting your creatures beat down if Kraj can’t win through value.
To make the most out of Kraj’s ever-evolving arsenal, you’ll want to run some activated ability support pieces as well. Cards like Illusionist’s Bracers will let you double each ability, while Training Grounds will make them much more affordable. Since Kraj is a pricey Commander mana-wise, cards like Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu that let it get value right away are also worthy inclusions.
As many of the abilities Kraj acquires will require it to tap, cards that let you untap it repeatedly will do a lot of work here. Formidable Speaker and Thousand-Year Elixir are ideal options, with the former grabbing more ability creatures and the latter essentially giving Kraj Haste.
The Imitation Game
Experiment Kraj also enables a wide range of combos, such as making infinite mana when paired with Devoted Druid and Kami of Whispered Hopes. With counters on each creature, Kraj can use its own ability to tap to put two counters on itself, then use Devoted Druid’s to place a -1/-1 counter on itself and untap. Since this nets one counter each time, you can repeat it endlessly for infinite power, which also means infinite mana when using Kami’s ability.
Experiment Kraj also allows you to take infinite turns, alongside Sage of Hours and Pili-Pala. With access to Pili-Pala’s ability, Kraj can essentially put counters on itself for one mana. Repeat this five times, and Kraj can remove five to use Sage’s ability and take another turn.
For a funkier combo, Experiment Kraj lets you essentially Proliferate infinite times with Gilder Bairn and Incubation Druid. As long as all three creatures have a +1/+1 counter, you can tap Kraj for three mana, then pay three to untap it and ‘Proliferate’. By itself, this will get you three infinitely large creatures, and it also pairs well with cards like Fathom Mage to draw your whole deck.
Kraj also lets you untap any given legendary creature infinite times, with the help of combo classic Ioreth of the Healing House. If Ioreth has a counter, you can tap it to untap Kraj and the legend, tap the legend, then tap Kraj to untap both and repeat. This combo can dig through your entire deck with Arcanis the Omnipotent and much more besides.
An Oldie But A Goodie
While it’s not a card you can just slot into any MTG deck, Experiment Kraj is fantastic in the command zone. Its ability lets you play both a linear value game and a combo one, while also incidentally picking up abilities from opponents to expand your options. Despite this power and versatility, however, it’s fairly underplayed in Commander, only appearing at the helm of 1,415 decks according to EDHREC numbers.
On the bright side, this low play rate means Experiment Kraj is incredibly affordable right now. You can nab near-mint base copies on TCGplayer for as little as $0.19, or $2.83 if you want to get the fancy foil-etched version. At these prices, it’s a fantastic pick-up for those looking to try an offbeat Simic brew while still sticking to a budget.
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