MTG Top 10 Proliferate Cards In Commander

Proliferate is a mechanic which debuted in Scars of Mirrodin block. It recently returned in War of the Spark and has now come back again for Phyrexia: All Will Be One. The reminder text for proliferate states: “Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there”. In other words, Proliferate lets you put more good counters on your cards which already have good counters on them, and put more bad counters on your opponent’s stuff with bad counters.

There are many different kinds of decks that want to run cards with proliferate. Planeswalker focussed “Superfriends” Commanders like Carth the Lion Carth the Lion Whenever Carth enters or a planeswalker you control dies, look at the top seven cards of your library. You may reveal a planeswalker card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Planeswalkers' loyalty abilities you activate cost an additional [+1] to activate. will want them to give their walkers more loyalty counters. +1/+1 counter Commanders, for example Hamza, Guardian of Arashin Hamza, Guardian of Arashin This spell costs {1} less to cast for each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it.
Creature spells you cast cost {1} less to cast for each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it. , use proliferate cards to buff their creatures. Poison counter Commanders like Fynn the Fangbearer Fynn the Fangbearer Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
Whenever a creature you control with deathtouch deals combat damage to a player, that player gets two poison counters. (A player with ten or more poison counters loses the game.) want proliferate cards to help them get their opponents up to 10 poison counters to close out the game.

Whatever sort of counter-based Commander you’re building around, the cards on this list should be helpful.

10. Cankerbloom

Cankerbloom Cankerbloom {1}, Sacrifice this creature: Choose one —
• Destroy target artifact.
• Destroy target enchantment.
• Proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) is an unassuming, but useful, utility card. Reclamation Sage Reclamation Sage When this creature enters, you may destroy target artifact or enchantment. is a very popular way of getting rid of artifacts and enchantments, and Cankerbloom presents an appealing alternative for counter-based decks. Cankerbloom has to sacrifice itself to use its ability, unlike Reclamation Sage Reclamation Sage When this creature enters, you may destroy target artifact or enchantment. , but it has superior stats and can choose to proliferate instead of destroying an artifact or enchantment. Whether you’re using your Cankerbloom to smash a Sol Ring Sol Ring {T}: Add {C}{C}. , remove a Rhystic Study Rhystic Study Whenever an opponent casts a spell, you may draw a card unless that player pays {1}. , or proliferate some poison counters, it’s always a useful card to have around.

9. Norn’s Choirmaster

A new card from the Corrupting Influence preconstructed deck. Norn’s Choirmaster Norn’s Choirmaster Flying, first strike
Whenever a commander you control enters or attacks, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) is both a relevant threat, as a five mana 5/4 flyer with first strike, and has a repeatable proliferate effect. Norn’s Choirmaster Norn’s Choirmaster Flying, first strike
Whenever a commander you control enters or attacks, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) lets you proliferate whenever your Commander enters play or attacks. Remember the Choirmaster doesn’t need to attack itself for its ability to activate, so you can hold this card back to ward off your opponents’ attackers with 5 or fewer toughness, whilst still proliferating away.

8. Evolution Sage

Chances are you’re going to be playing a land on most of your turns, potentially multiple lands if you’re in Green. Evolution Sage Evolution Sage Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) allows you to proliferate whenever you play a land, rewarding you for an action you would be undertaking anyway. This card has been reprinted in three different preconstructed decks, once in Zendikar Rising, once in New Capenna, and again in Phyrexia: All Will Be One. It’s easy to see why any counter-focused deck that’s in Green would benefit from the presence of an Evolution Sage.

7. Staff of Compleation

Staff of Domination’s Phyrexian counterpart. This card offers a wide variety of useful effects, at the cost of life. It can be a mana rock, draw you cards and help you proliferate. This is a risky card to run, but remember that life is a resource, and Staff of Compleation Staff of Compleation {T}, Pay 1 life: Destroy target permanent you own.
{T}, Pay 2 life: Add one mana of any color.
{T}, Pay 3 life: Proliferate.
{T}, Pay 4 life: Draw a card.
{5}: Untap this artifact. allows you to spend it for some very useful effects.

6. Vraska, Betrayal’s Sting

One of the new compleated Planeswalkers from Phyrexia: All Will Be One. Vraska, Betrayal’s Sting Vraska, Betrayal’s Sting Compleated ({B/P} can be paid with {B} or 2 life. If life was paid, this planeswalker enters with two fewer loyalty counters.)
0: You draw a card and lose 1 life. Proliferate.
−2: Target creature becomes a Treasure artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color" and loses all other card types and abilities.
−9: If target player has fewer than nine poison counters, they get a number of poison counters equal to the difference. has a selection of powerful abilities. She can proliferate, whilst drawing you cards and use her -2 to remove threats.

This card forms a powerful combo with Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider Trample, haste
If you would put one or more counters on a permanent or player, put twice that many of each of those kinds of counters on that permanent or player instead.
If an opponent would put one or more counters on a permanent or player, they put half that many of each of those kinds of counters on that permanent or player instead, rounded down. . If you play Vraska whilst Vorinclex is already in play, then she enters with twice as many loyalty counters and can immediately use her ultimate. This will actually finish off an opponent immediately as Vorinclex will cause Vraska to generate twice as many poison counters, giving an opponent with none 18, rather than nine.

5. Sword of Truth and Justice

Part of the iconic sword cycle which began in 2004 with the cards Sword of Fire and Ice Sword of Fire and Ice Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from red and from blue.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, this Equipment deals 2 damage to any target and you draw a card.
Equip {2} and Sword of Light and Shadow Sword of Light and Shadow Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from white and from black.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, you gain 3 life and you may return up to one target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Equip {2} in Darksteel. Sword of Truth and Justice Sword of Truth and Justice Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from white and from blue.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control, then proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
Equip {2} keeps the equipped card protected from White and Blue. These are useful colors to have protection from, White especially because the creature won’t be targetable by removal effects like Swords to Plowshares Swords to Plowshares Exile target creature. Its controller gains life equal to its power. or Path to Exile Path to Exile Exile target creature. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. . This card both gives you a +1/+1 counter and then allows you to proliferate, functionally giving you +2/+2 and ensuring that you will always have at least one counter to proliferate.

4. Inexorable Tide

Earlier on this list we discussed Evolution Sage Evolution Sage Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) a card that lets you proliferate every time you play a land. Inexorable Tide Inexorable Tide Whenever you cast a spell, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) gives you even more opportunities to proliferate, activating every time you cast a spell. You can proliferate an absolutely absurd number of times every turn by playing this card alongside Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus Flying
If you would proliferate, proliferate twice instead.
{1}{U/P}{U/P}, Remove three counters from among other artifacts, creatures, and planeswalkers you control: Put an indestructible counter on Tekuthal. ({U/P} can be paid with either {U} or 2 life.) (a card which was sadly ineligible for this list, as it only doubles proliferate effects on other cards and doesn’t actually proliferate itself). Counter-based Commander decks in Blue should definitely consider this card.

3. Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

The father of machines and the founder of Phyrexia, Yawgmoth, Thran Physician Yawgmoth, Thran Physician Protection from Humans
Pay 1 life, Sacrifice another creature: Put a -1/-1 counter on up to one target creature and draw a card.
{B}{B}, Discard a card: Proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) is a great sacrifice Commander with a useful Proliferate effect. Yawgmoth, Thran Physician Yawgmoth, Thran Physician Protection from Humans
Pay 1 life, Sacrifice another creature: Put a -1/-1 counter on up to one target creature and draw a card.
{B}{B}, Discard a card: Proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) allows you to pay life and sacrifice creatures to spread -1/-1 counters around and draw cards. This card also lets you proliferate at the cost of two black mana and discarding a card. Using a few reanimation effects also enables you to get back either the creatures sacrificed to Yawgmoth’s first abilities or discarded to activate his second.

2. Contagion Engine

Proliferating once is good, but proliferating twice is even better. Contagion Engine Contagion Engine When this artifact enters, put a -1/-1 counter on each creature target player controls.
{4}, {T}: Proliferate twice. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there. Then do it again.) gives every creature controlled by one opponent a -1/-1 counter and allows you to proliferate twice at the cost of four mana. This card is useful because it enables itself. Even if you have no other counters in play when you bring out your Contagion Engine, it provides a large amount of -1/-1 counters which you can then multiply using its proliferate effect. Use flicker effects to bring the engine in and out of play, to give multiple opponents boards full of -1/-1 counters and reuse its proliferate effect.

1. Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice

The most popular Commander of all time according to EDHREC data. More than 17’000 Atraxa decks have been logged online, despite the card’s $40+ dollar price tag. Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice Flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink
At the beginning of your end step, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) has a huge host of impactful keyword abilities and allows you to proliferate at the end of every turn. At the start of this article, we talked about the wide variety of different decks that want Proliferate effects. The secret to Atraxa’s popularity is that this card is a fantastic Commander for any kind of counter-based deck. There are Atraxa Superfriends builds, Atraxa poison decks, and Atraxa +1/+1 and -1/-1 counter builds. You can even attempt to mash all of these different strategies together into one powerful Phyrexian proliferating counter deck.

Read more: Top 10 MTG Best Commander Cards in Phyrexia: All Will Be One