Atraxa +1/+1 counters

Commander / EDH Counters GWUB

d_greene

Lands (31)

• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Bayou
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Bountiful Promenade
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 4x Forest
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Rejuvenating Springs
• 1x Savannah
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Scrubland
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Tropical Island
• 1x Tundra
• 1x Underground Sea
• 1x Undergrowth Stadium
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Watery Grave
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Multi-Function (4)

• 1x Dromoka's Command
• 1x Inspiring Call
• 1x Spike Weaver
• 1x The Great Henge

Lands - Utility (3)

• 1x Gavony Township
• 1x Karn's Bastion
• 1x Llanowar Reborn

Tutor (2)

• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Vampiric Tutor

Ramp (18)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Astral Cornucopia
• 1x Avacyn's Pilgrim
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Crystalline Crawler
• 1x Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1x Elvish Mystic
• 1x Everflowing Chalice
• 1x Farseek
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Fyndhorn Elves
• 1x Gyre Sage
• 1x Incubation Druid
• 1x Llanowar Elves
• 1x Nature's Lore
• 1x Noble Hierarch
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Three Visits

Removal (8)

• 1x Abrupt Decay
• 1x Anguished Unmaking
• 1x Assassin's Trophy
• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Black Sun's Zenith
• 1x Retribution of the Ancients
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Walking Ballista

Counters Multi. (6)

• 1x Branching Evolution
• 1x Conclave Mentor
• 1x Corpsejack Menace
• 1x Hardened Scales
• 1x Kalonian Hydra
• 1x Winding Constrictor

Counter Saving (2)

• 1x Reyhan, Last of the Abzan
• 1x The Ozolith

Grave Hate (1)

• 1x Scavenging Ooze

Commander (1)

Card Draw (10)

• 1x Benefactor's Draught
• 1x Dig Through Time
• 1x Etched Oracle
• 1x Fathom Mage
• 1x Generous Patron
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Return of the Wildspeaker
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Sphinx's Revelation
• 1x Tezzeret's Gambit

Counter Additi. (6)

• 1x Felidar Retreat
• 1x Forgotten Ancient
• 1x Heliod, Sun-Crowned
• 1x Master Biomancer
• 1x Mikaeus, the Lunarch
• 1x Shalai, Voice of Plenty

Protection (6)

• 1x Fierce Guardianship
• 1x Flawless Maneuver
• 1x Glen Elendra Archmage
• 1x Heroic Intervention
• 1x Swan Song
• 1x Teferi's Protection

Evasion (2)

• 1x Champion of Lambholt
• 1x Herald of Secret Streams

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I’ve wanted to play Atraxa ever since it came out in 2016, and just settling on a archetype took over a week of deep pondering. This is what I picked, an efficient +1/+1 counters deck, intended to be played live in paper for the purpose of having fun, not to win tournaments.

Worth noting, when constructing the deck cards like Counterspell or Despark were not automatically included because of the cost. Mana costs like or are not easy to have in a four color deck even with all the color fixing this deck has, or difficult to use in conjunction with one other spell of the same color in a turn. This didn't affect every decision I made, but it was always present in the back of my mind during deck construction. Costs with and are essentially the same in this deck.

20201121:

Just testing +1 Generous Patron and -1 Fact or Fiction. Went back and forth on if I should cut Rhystic or FoF, but the general consensus is Rhystic is fine locally. And -1 Bloodspore Thrinax because I've never been happy to draw it, and +1 Etched Oracle because I want to try more card draw options. This ain't great but at minimum it's a 4/4 body that draws me 3, and might draw me more.

The true average CMC is 2.33

Recently Removed

• Brainstorm - It's decent in this deck with 10 fetch lands, but ultimately a cantrip in a non-cEDH deck that has the possibility to lock me more than help me.

• Cyclonic Rift - This is a good card, but it's not the kind of card I like to play. Honestly Rhystic Study might be the next out because it's in this category.

• Deathrite Shaman - Last minute cut. I've been thinking about it. It's in the same category as Brainstorm, good with fetches, but I can't rely on them to play this card. And I can't rely on my opponents playing fetches either to make this card function.

• Despark - This has been in and out of the deck a few times. Currently out.

• Duneblast - Last minute cut, I want to try Black Sun's Zenith instead.

• Negate - Cut this for either Glen Elendra Archmage or Fierce Guardianship.

• Nissa, Voice of Zendikar - I've been eyeing this card for a while, it can do a lot, but honestly it'll use the +1/+1 once and then flounder.

• Pir, Imaginative Rascal - This was kind of a kneejerk cut. Good idea? Bad idea? This is the only one I don't feel confident about.

• Sylvan Library - After some thought I decided this is overrated. Not bad, but not good enough for this deck.

• Treasure Cruise - Decided to cut this after some thought, it's a very good card, might even be good enough for this deck, but I'm worried about getting this early and not being able to cast it.

Recent Additions

• Black Sun's Zenith - Last minute upgrade. I want to try this over Duneblast.

• Dromoka's Command - This was a fun suggestion, every mode is relevant, I like it. Enchantment Removal which honestly there often isn't enough. Creature removal the only way green knows how, FIGHT! Random gotcha effect for blow out red spells. And finally, a +1/+1 counter, which is actually decent in my deck. I'd guess it'll be a 2 mana +1/+1 counter and fight removal spell 90% of the time, but I look forward to savoring the gotcha.

• Felidar Retreat - I love everything this does in my deck, I can control when it triggers, I can make bodies when I need the help, I can get several triggers off of fetch lands, and the vigilance is actually decent. The only thing I hate is the mana cost.

• Fierce Guardianship - I missed this one. Very good protection.

• Glen Elendra Archmage - After talking it over with friends the pros and even neutral aspects of this card outweigh the cons.

• Heliod, Sun-Crowned - Irrespective of Walking Ballista, everything about this is good for my deck. Going more and more casual with this deck gave me the confidence to add this infinite combo.

• Incubation Druid - Last minute addition. Just filling the shoes of Deathrite Shaman as a mana dork.

• Llanowar Reborn - Initially I was going to ignore this, until a friend mentioned I can just proliferate this with my commander! Totally worth the ETB Tapped effect. This also bumped me up to 34 lands, which is something I wanted to do earlier.

• Mystic Remora - I needed more draw after cutting Brainstorm, Treasure Cruise, and Sylvan Library. This is the less annoying, and more likely to draw than Rhystic Study. The only reason Rhystic Study isn't cut yet is because of how I've removed card draw.

• Walking Ballista - I've gone back and forth on adding this or not, and finally decided to add it. It combos with Heliod, Sun-Crowned, but that's not the goal, just something I can do if the cards align.

Cards to Consider

• Keep Watch - Another draw spell under consideration. Three mana instant that draws at least 2 cards is not bad, especially when it'll probably draw between 4 and 10 cards. Keep in mind that I don't have to wait for someone else to attack to use this, and can play it on my own sideways swing. However I'll likely only do that if everyone else is staunchly defending.

• Spike Feeder - Is this worth adding to the deck? There's an infinite combo in the deck at the moment with Walking Ballista and Heliod, Sun-Crowned which also goes infinite with Spike Feeder. However, the two Walking and Heliod are good in the deck on their own, and my focus isn't infinite combos (I just happen to have one in here). Spike Feeder does give +1/+1 counters to creatures which is a very helpful ability in a pinch to start proliferating.

• Steelbane Hydra - Overlooked this one initially. Seems great with modular deployment and removal. It's not a snap include, and most people I've talked to say not to run it, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to.

• Tezzeret's Gambit - A little different, we're instead asking "do we cut this?" Essentially a three mana sorcery draw spell that proliferates. Is that one keyword tacked on worth playing what would otherwise be a bad draw spell? I've shied away from all proliferate other than the commander because proliferating +1/+1 counters is generally bad unless you know you can get the proliferation in your opening hand (or command zone).

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20200812: This is a list of cards cut from the deck in the initial build. Cards evaluated and failed afterwards graduate to this list. Show

• Archangel of Thune - slower combo with Spike Feeder, less impact, high mana cost.

• Armorcraft Judge – FRIEND SUGGESTION - not terribly expensive card draw, but bad enough to not make it.

• As Foretold - curve got lower and lower, seemed less impactful.

• Avenger of Zendikar - seems lack luster, kind of slow.

• Boreal Druid - colorless mana mana-dork.

• Chromatic Lantern - cut for more efficient ramp

• City of Brass - FRIEND SUGGESTION - didn’t want to pay life every time I added mana.

• Coalition Relic - cut for more efficient ramp.

• Contagion Clasp - too slow, low impact.

• Contagion Engine - too slow, low impact.

• Counterspell - is actually difficult.

• Deadly Rollick - not versatile enough.

• Despark - cut some weaker removal. Worth noting, this has gone back in and out a few times.

• Doubling Season - branching evolution better. No tokens, no planeswalkers, cost too much mana.

• Dovin's Veto - FRIEND SUGGESTION - too many colors outside of or , weak compared to others.

• Evolution Sage - This is great with the fetch lands, but even then that's overestimating the impact this will have mid to late game on an underdeveloped board. Better off in a deck not focused on +1/+1 counters.

• Expropriate - FRIEND SUGGESTION - this is akin to Cyclonic Rift in terms of power level.

• Fertilid – FRIEND SUGGESTION - limited Basics

• Finale of Devastation - this is decent, and a finisher, but a little too strong now that I have an infinite combo, and aside from that only 13 targets I'd want to get.

• Generous Gift - on the cusp of being played.

• Geralf's Messenger - FRIEND SUGGESTION - so many reasons this is bad in my deck

• Ghave, Guru of Spores - doesn't seem great in this deck.

• Grateful Apparition - proliferate got cut hard during a wave of cuts.

• Guardian Project - too slow. Worth noting, this was back when there were 25ish creatures in the deck. What's a good threashold to consider adding this back?

• Hadana's Climb   - Cut after the initial build, probably shouldn't have even made it into initial build.

• Hangarback Walker - a VERY late cut.

• Juniper Order Ranger - too slow, not enough creatures.

• Lighthouse Chronologist - extra turns too gimmicky??? Also very forecasted to opponents.

• Lux Cannon - I hated cutting this, but it was probably correct.

• Maelstrom Pulse - sorcery, slow.

• Magistrate's Scepter - was cut when Lux Cannon support was being cut.

• Mana Confluence - FRIEND SUGGESTION - didn’t want to pay life every time I added mana.

• Merfolk Skydiver - proliferate wave of cut.

• Mycoloth - seemed not impactful enough.

• Path to Exile - a late cut, very close to being in.

• Ponder - early cut, brainstorm is much better with fetches.

• Preordain - early cut, brainstorm is much better with fetches.

• Prime Speaker Zegana - FRIEND SUGGESTION - very expensive

• Primordial Hydra - seemed too slow.

• Rampant Growth - cut after the initial build.

• Ridgescale Tusker – FRIEND SUGGESTION - very expensive, very weak.

• Rishkar's Expertise - Garruk spell way better.

• Rishkar, Peema Renegade - FRIEND SUGGESTION - if Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter didn’t make the cut, this won’t either. Too many mana dorks as it is.

• Sage of Hours - I really like it, but extra turns might be too powerful AND kind of slow and forecasted.

• Sakura-Tribe Elder - cut after the initial build.

• Selfless Spirit - in the final rounds of cuts.

• Simic Ascendancy - A finisher, and I don't underestimate the value of spot +1/+1 adding, but makes a huge target and it's slow and costly.

• Simic Manipulator - feels too slow.

• Skyshroud Claim - felt kind of slow, not what I wanted to be playing on turn 3 or 4.

• Smothering Tithe - too powerful, decided to cut it with cards like cyclonic rift

• Spark Double - feels too low impact.

• Swiftfoot Boots - early cut, the deck likes the commander, but doesn't NEED the commander to win.

• Sword of Truth and Justice - cut around same time as the clap/engine.

• Tamiyo, Field Researcher - fun planeswalker, but not super important.

• Thrummingbird - proliferate wave of cuts.

• Together Forever - in the final round of cuts

• Toothy, Imaginary Friend - With Pir cut, this is currently relegated from considered to passed-up.

• Volrath, the Shapestealer - seemed like not much I'd want to copy.

• Vorel of the Hull Clade - Seemed slow, and dependent.

• Wargate - added it for a second tutor, ended up just going vampiric.

• Yawgmoth, Thran Physician - does everything we want, but that BB cost(s) is just too difficult.

Date added	3 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	8 - 0 Mythic Rares 66 - 0 Rares 12 - 0 Uncommons 10 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.55
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Bird 2/2 U, Cat Beast 2/2 W
Folders	EDH Inspiration, commander