Hardened Scales
Enchantment
If one or more +1/+1 counters would be placed on a creature you control, that many plus one +1/+1 counters are placed on it instead.
Trade
| Have (5) | CompleteWaste , Forkbeard , Azdranax , metalmagic , blyatifull |
| Want (5) | silversponge , domisadom , solitudinous , FefnieMKII , Soggywaffle63 |
Printings View all
| Set | Rarity |
| Commander Anthology 2018 (CM2) | Rare |
| Commander 2016 (C16) | Rare |
| Khans of Tarkir (KTK) | Rare |
Combos Browse all
Legality
| Format | Legality |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Unformat | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Leviathan | Legal |
| Custom | Legal |
| Highlander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| 1v1 Commander | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| 2019-10-04 | Legal |
| Tiny Leaders | Legal |
| Limited | Legal |
| Block Constructed | Legal |
| Canadian Highlander | Legal |
| Casual | Legal |
| Commander / EDH | Legal |
Hardened Scales occurrence in decks from the last year
Latest Decks
Hardened Scales Discussion
Elasar99 on
Cazur, Ruthless Puncher
13 hours ago
Why aren't you playing The Great Henge? It's a great card for this deck. Draw, +1+1 counters, life gain and acceleration, four effects in one card. Hydra's Growth in Mowu, Loyal Companion can be an overkill. Managorger Hydra can grow a lot in a 4 players game. Tuskguard Captain and Bramblewood Paragon can also be used as trample anthems for your creatures, and Longshot Squad to give them reach. The Ozolith can keep the counters of creatures that die so that you can pass them. Yorvo, Lord of Garenbrig can be another interesting addition to the deck. Heroic Intervention and Wrap in Vigor can save your creatures in case of a boardwipe.
If you don't mind spending a bit of money you can also try Hardened Scales, Doubling Season or Branching Evolution
plakjekaas on Staples?
1 day ago
An EDH staple is a card that will fit your deck without trying to. A card that you don't need to build around, that will perform well despite the plan of your deck.
Cultivate is considered a staple, since it provides a very efficient effect that will enhance any green deck, you don't need other cards for synergy. Ramping a land + ensuring your next land drop makes any deck more consistent and easier to play. You'd pretty much need a reason not to include it in a deck that's eligible to play it.
Hardened Scales is not really a staple, because it doesn't do anything on its own, you need other cards, a theme in your deck to make it work. There's plenty green decks that wouldn't want it, you'd need a reason to do include it into a deck that's eligible to play it.
That's how I'd define staples in magic, cards you'd need to defend not to include in your deck, if you're allowed to play them.
(Obviously, there's a lot of reasons not to include certain staples in your deck, inclusion of a card in a deck will always create a spectrum of opinions from all people you'd ask about it. But the less anyone would object to include the same card in multiple decks, the more that card could be considered a staple)
Last_Laugh on
Atraxa +1/+1 counters
4 days ago
Have you ever considered switching to Reyhan, Last of the Abzan/Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker as your commanders with Atraxa in the 98?
Atraxa is better built for harder to get counters like loyalty etc. A single proliferate per round is honestly really slow for +1+1 counters.
Reyhan/Ishai are easier on early mana, draw a LOT less hate, are far more explosive with +1+1 counters, and Reyhan's ability to save counters makes the deck more resilient and opens up several combos. Blade of Selves and/or Rite of Replication kicked targetting Reyhan adds up to an insane amount of counters. Copied/pasted from my own deck...
Note: Master Biomancer and Bramblewood Paragon need to be figured separately as they only add counters when Reyhans enter, not when she moves counters. Good-Fortune Unicorn doesn't work with the below combos.
Blade of Selves on Reyhan, Last of the Abzan - Two tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and six instances of placing counters are created.
6x3=18 counters in 6 increments of 3 counters.
Hardened Scales, Winding Constrictor, AND/OR Pir, Imaginative Rascal - Two tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and six instances of placing counters are created. One, Two, or Three counters are added (or more, respectively) both on creation and on trigger resolution.
With 1 = 30 counters in 6 increments of 5 counters.
With 2 = 42 counters in 6 increments of 7 counters.
With 3 = 54 counters in 6 increments of 9 counters.
+12 Counters for each additional counter.
Corpsejack Menace Only - Two tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and six instances of placing counters are created. Counters are doubled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
6(2(2(3)))=72 counters in 6 increments of 12 counters.
Doubling Season Only - Four tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and twenty instances of placing counters are created. Counters are doubled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
20(2(2(3)))=240 counters in 20 increments of 12 counters.
Corpsejack Menace AND Doubling Season - Four tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and twenty instances of placing counters are created. Counters are quadrupled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
20(4(4(3)))=960 counters in 20 increments of 48 counters.
Corpsejack Menace AND Doubling Season AND Pir, Imaginative Rascal, Hardened Scales, AND/OR Winding Constrictor (aka Magical Christmas Land) - Four tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and twenty instances of placing counters are created. One, Two, or Three counters (or more, respectively) are added and then counters are quadrupled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
With 1 - 20(4(4(3+1)+1))=1360 counters in 20 increments of 68 counters.
With 2 - 20(4(4(3+2)+2))=1760 counters in 20 increments of 88 counters.
With 3 - 20(4(4(3+3)+3))=2160 counters in 20 increments of 108 counters.
+400 counters for each additional counter.
Rite of Replication kicked copying Reyhan, Last of the Abzan - 5 tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and 30 instances of placing counters are created.
3x30=90 counters in 30 increments of 3.
Hardened Scales, Winding Constrictor, AND/OR Pir, Imaginative Rascal - 5 tokens with counters are created. They leave the battlefield and 30 instances of placing counters are created. One, Two, or Three counters are added (or more, respectively) both on creation and on trigger resolution. 30((3+X)+X)
With 1 - 150 in 30 increments of 5 counters.
With 2 - 210 in 30 increments of 7.
With 3 - 270 in 30 increments of 9.
+60 counters for each additional counter.
Corpsejack Menace only - 5 tokens with counters are created. They leave the battlefield and thirty instances of placing counters are created. Counters are doubled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
30(2(2(3)))=360 in 30 increments of 12 counters.
Doubling Season - 10 tokens with counters are created. They leave the battlefield and 110 instances of placing counters are created. Counters are doubled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
110(2(2(3)))=1320 in 110 increments of 12 counters.
Doubling Season AND Corpsejack Menace - 10 tokens with counters. They leave the battlefield and 110 instances of placing counters are created. Counters are quadrupled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
110(4(4(3)))=5,280 in 110 increments of 48 counters.
Doubling Season AND Corpsejack Menace AND Pir, Imaginative Rascal, Hardened Scales, AND/OR Winding Constrictor (aka 'Shoulda spent that luck on the lotto') - 10 tokens with counters are created. They leave the battlefield and 110 instances of placing counters are created. One, Two, or Three counters (or more, respectively) are added and then counters are quadrupled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
110(4(4(3+X)+X))=
With 1 - 7,480 counters in 110 increments of 68.
With 2 - 9,680 counters in 110 increments of 88.
With 3 - 11,880 counters in 110 increments of 108.
+2200 counters for each additional counter.
AngusTheChap on
That Just Sounds Like Animar But With More Steps
1 week ago
Thanks for the comment and the feedback! These are all great ideas. This deck's plan is more based around maximising the cost reduction and storming off playing creatures. For that reason it's more important to the strategy to get one counter on as many creatures as possible, and the second counter is generally not important or necessary. Hence no Hardened Scales.
As mentioned in the description, my play group has some restrictions on our casual decks, and that means that Sol Ring is banned. I suspect you're right that Selesnya Signet is probably worth it. I was loathe to include noncreatures since they can slow you down while storming through your deck.
Finally, Emrakul, the Promised End and the other Eldrazi are all super sweet inclusions here. This current build is optimised to basically deck yourself because it's the most fun to goldfish (So maybe Kozilek, Butcher of Truth deserves a slot? So expensive though.), but if you plan to build something with Hamza to play against actual opponents I agree having some pieces like Emrakul would be really strong.
meME12 on
That Just Sounds Like Animar But With More Steps
1 week ago
I recommend Hardened Scales, it does great with the style you're going for, another suggestion is maybe try to take in slightly less creatures and put in more mana rocks like Sol Ring or Selesnya Signet. even with Hamza this will help your deck a lot along with Emrakul, the Promised End who is a great game ender with a lot of potential because of your cost reduction, seriously try it.
philosopher on
basri's fun counters
1 week ago
Hardened Scales would work well in this deck, as it's the enchantment version of Conclave Mentor and, as a result, is harder to destroy and costs 1 less mana to cast.
The Ozolith would help you keep your counters safe against board wipes, such as Supreme Verdict, which are common in Pioneer azorius control decks.
Last_Laugh on Sakashima, of a thousand faces …
2 weeks ago
Blade of Selves copies Reyhan, Last of the Abzan for 18x +1+1 counters either immediately w/o Saka or end of turn with Sakashima out. I'm pasting this from my Reyhan/Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker deck just to give you an idea of how broken this card can get... then picture Rite of Replication kicked.
Note: Master Biomancer and Bramblewood Paragon need to be figured separately as they only add counters when Reyhans enter, not when she moves counters. Good-Fortune Unicorn doesn't work with the below combos.
Blade of Selves on Reyhan, Last of the Abzan - Two tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and six instances of placing counters are created.
6x3=18 counters in 6 increments of 3 counters.
Hardened Scales, Winding Constrictor, AND/OR Pir, Imaginative Rascal - Two tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and six instances of placing counters are created. One, Two, or Three counters are added (or more, respectively) both on creation and on trigger resolution.
With 1 = 30 counters in 6 increments of 5 counters.
With 2 = 42 counters in 6 increments of 7 counters.
With 3 = 54 counters in 6 increments of 9 counters.
+12 Counters for each additional counter.
Corpsejack Menace Only - Two tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and six instances of placing counters are created. Counters are doubled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
6(2(2(3)))=72 counters in 6 increments of 12 counters.
Doubling Season Only - Four tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and twenty instances of placing counters are created. Counters are doubled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
20(2(2(3)))=240 counters in 20 increments of 12 counters.
Corpsejack Menace AND Doubling Season - Four tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and twenty instances of placing counters are created. Counters are quadrupled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
20(4(4(3)))=960 counters in 20 increments of 48 counters.
Corpsejack Menace AND Doubling Season AND Pir, Imaginative Rascal, Hardened Scales, AND/OR Winding Constrictor (aka Magical Christmas Land) - Four tokens are created with counters. They leave the battlefield and twenty instances of placing counters are created. One, Two, or Three counters (or more, respectively) are added and then counters are quadrupled both on creation and on trigger resolution.
With 1 - 20(4(4(3+1)+1))=1360 counters in 20 increments of 68 counters.
With 2 - 20(4(4(3+2)+2))=1760 counters in 20 increments of 88 counters.
With 3 - 20(4(4(3+3)+3))=2160 counters in 20 increments of 108 counters.
+400 counters for each additional counter.
TheVectornaut on
Plenty of Death to Go Around!
3 weeks ago
I have a lot of experience with mono-green Assault Formation in modern and legacy casual, so I'll toss in some of my thoughts.
Perfect curves certainly aren't necessary, but you should be able to accomplish something on each of the early turns of the game. More than just playing any old card, it should be something that fits in with your overarching gameplan. I agree with cutting Adventurous Impulse as a 1-drop for this reason. It can't get you Formation, Bow, or any other noncreature combo piece you happen to be running. I'd usually run a Llanowar Elves style dork instead in a ramp list. Still, in walls, I think there are even better options than that. My personal favorite is Traproot Kami since it adds an early defender to the pool and can become a serious threat with Formation if the game goes long. Plus, it works well with the lands-matter strategy that Oran-Rief Hydra is also part of. Other options I've had less success with are Jaddi Offshoot for life, Portcullis Vine for cards, and Saruli Caretaker for slow mana. On 2, Sylvan Caryatid, Gatecreeper Vine, and Wall of Roots are all ramp options, but you're probably fine with just Battlement and Vine Trellis. Wall of Blossoms, however, I view as a must-have if you want to maximize your mana without running out of gas. The ability to up the defender count while replacing itself is so good that I even run a playset of the slower Carven Caryatid too, but this could be excessive depending on the deck. The last defender I'll mention is Tree of Redemption. It's more expensive, both in CMC and in dollars, but it is an undeniable threat with Formation. Higher toughness also makes better use of tricks like Sheltering Word and Feed the Pack.
For the top end of the curve, you might actually be underestimating how much mana the ramp walls can net. With your current setup, you only need 2 of either Guardian or Battlement and 1 other wall to have 9-11 mana on T4. Removal is obviously the biggest obstacle to this being a reality but it seems like you're preparing for a counterspell-heavy meta in a big way. Either you use your protection on the walls and win with Formation when they stop your bombs, or they wait to remove the bombs and you have protection saved up to stop them. Honestly, it feels like you might have too much defense in the mainboard but I'll touch on that later. My point here is that you are likely to have more than enough mana to cast threats much more substantial than the Hydra, and that's without modifications to your suite of defenders. In the current version of my deck, it isn't strange to have a game like: T1-Forest+Traproot Kami, T2-Forest+Overgrown Battlement, T3-Forest+Wall of Blossoms+Axebane Guardian, T4-Forest+Genesis Wave for x=9. Oran-Rief Hydra is a totally fine card to top off at if you build around it, but right now I don't even see it being better than Terra Stomper in a lot of games (and Stomper even has built-in counter protection now that I think about it XD). To get more value out of the Hydra, I'd swap the cycling lands for cheap fetches like Evolving Wilds to double up on landfall triggers, and I might also consider some +1/+1 synergy cards in the vein of Hardened Scales or Hydra's Growth. On the subject of landfall, Vinelasher Kudzu is an interesting option that fits with the plant/wall cards, at least thematically. Mechanically, Undergrowth Champion, Rampaging Baloths, and Avenger of Zendikar are all probably better. I've already mentioned Genesis Wave, but some other options for finishers that I've seen are Archetype of Endurance, Hydra Broodmaster, Primordial Hydra, Vigor, End-Raze Forerunners, Colossus of Akros, pretty much any eldrazi, and any red x-spell that can target players. If you choose something with x in the cost, having Umbral Mantle or Freed from the Real to generate infinite mana is beneficial.
The last thing I'd like to talk about are your noncreatures. As I mentioned before, 4 countermagic blockers seems a little excessive in the main 60. I personally struggle much more with Path to Exiles, Fatal Pushes, and Searing Bloods than Counterspells on most days, so I'd usually prefer the Vines of Vastwood or the flexible Veil of Summer. However, I don't know what your meta looks like. If countermagic is a big problem, another way to get around it is to add in plenty of redundancy. Instead of running only 4 bombs, run 8 so 1 is more likely to slip through. Savage Summoning and Insist are fine answers, yet they run the serious risk of becoming dead cards if your opponent isn't playing blue. Of your instants though, Subdue seems to be the weakest to me. It looks like it will usually be a bad Awe Strike or an inverted Berserk that can't contribute to damaging the opponent. If you had cards to benefit from toughness outside of combat like Kin-Tree Invocation, it could at least serve a similar role to Glyph of Destruction in Wall of Blood/Rite of Consumption decks. The final card I might reexamine is Bow of Nylea. generally, mass deathtouch is at its best when you either have a way to force damage (like Lure or Thornbite Staff) or when you want to create a disincentive for your opponent to block (like when running a Curiosity deck. The thing about a high power is that it already allows you to kill multiple blockers and the thing about trample is that it already discourages single blocking. Deathtouch on such a creature is therefore a little redundant. Sure, it's better to have it than not have it, but it might not be worthwhile if it comes at the cost of 3 mana and a card. I'd want some concrete way to take advantage of the Bow's activated ability to justify running it. For example, my G/W enchantment lifegain deck from Theros standard used the gain 3 life ability to buff Ajani's Pridemate. In your case, the +1/+1 might be the best choice to build around since it can overlap with the Hydra's trigger.