+1/+1 Counters

+1/+1 counters are a mechanic in Magic that have enough cards that synergize with each other to be used an an Archetype. Each counter increases both the power and toughness of a creature they are on, and therefore in enough numbers can turn any creature into a major threat.

Cards that focus on +1/+1 counters are primary in green and secondary in blue, black and white.

## **Popular Cards & Commanders**

**Examples of +1/+1 Counter cards include:**

* Corpsejack Menace
* Fathom Mage
* Simic Ascendancy
* Master Biomancer
* Inspiring Call
* Herald of Secret Streams
* Abzan Falconer
* Cathars' Crusade

**Popular +1/+1 Counter commanders include:**

* Atraxa, Praetors' Voice
* Skullbriar, the Walking Grave
* Pir, Imaginative Rascal // Toothy, Imaginary Friend
* Vorel of the Hull Clade

## **Strategy**

### Go Tall

Decks of this kind want to put as many counters on a single creature as possible for a single massive threat which it is easy to double the power of.
**Example Cards:** Vorel of the Hull Clade, Reyhan, Last of the Abzan, The Ozolith, Deepglow Skate, Gilder Bairn
### Go Wide

Decks of this kind want a large number of creatures with counters on them, using effects that add counters to all of their creatures to maximize the number of counters gained from each effect.
**Example Cards:** Ezuri, Claw of Progress, Cathars' Crusade, Felidar Retreat, Thrummingbird, Avenger of Zendikar
### Caring About Counters

Often interspersed with the above two types are cards that care about counters, often granting evasion, ramp or card draw
**Example Cards:** Fathom Mage, Abzan Falconer, Gyre Sage, Simic Ascendancy
## **Common Deck Categories**

* +1/+1 Counter Adders / Proliferate
* +1/+1 Counter Matters
* Power Matters / Creatures Matter
* Protection / Mass Protection
* Creatures / Token Makers
* Card Draw
* Ramp
* Removal
* Board Wipe Cards

**10 cards** will probably give you **2 cards in a given game** from that category, and a good chance to **start with 1** in your opening hand. Critical categories for your deck may require a similar or larger number than this, depending on expected levels of Counterspells or Removal.
**5 cards** will probably give you **1 card per game** of that category. Cards you don't want to overload on but still want access to (*board wipes in a tokens deck for instance*) may want a similar figure to this... Going smaller than this number makes receiving a card of this category very unlikely without Tutors or some other Toolbox approach.

## **Strengths and Weaknesses**

### **Strengths**

**Go Tall**

* Many +1/+1 counter decks have the capability to put a large number of counters on their commander and attack using commander damage. Because commander damage allows a player to deal only 21 damage instead of a full 40, they can reduce the amount to time that is traditionally required to defeat an opponent.

**Go Wide**

* +1/+1 counters on a mass of creatures can act as a permanent overrun style effect, granting a much wider window for lethal attacks (i.e. not just one turn) while many cards that care about those counters can grant evasion and may be more permanent or recurable than other sources of evasion

### **Weaknesses**

**Go Tall**

* Go Tall +1/+1 counters decks are often vulnerable to removal spells, generally putting all of their eggs into one basket, rather than spreading their +1/+1 counters across multiple creatures, meaning a single pinpoint removal spell not only removes the creature, but may drastically weaken many cards on the deck whose effectiveness is based on the power of their strongest creature. Rebuilding from that point can sometimes be very difficult.

* Like most aggressive strategies, +1/+1 counters decks rely almost entirely upon the combat step. This means their play patterns tend to be predictable, which allows other players to predict their actions more easily and take steps to prepare for them ahead of time. A single large creature may be restricted to focusing on one player at a time, and therefore not able to eliminate multiple enemies at once. Reliance upon combat can also make it difficult to circumvent hyper-defensive decks such as Pillowfort strategies, especially those that use Fog effects.

* Many +1/+1 counters decks create an intentionally large threat on the battlefield, which can have the unintended consequence of turning that creature's controller into the 'archenemy', or Public Enemy Number 1. Other players, even those that the +1/+1 counters player does not intend to attack, may strongly fear that player and decide to eliminate the threat before it becomes impossible to deal with. The general lack of hidden information, combined with the large threat they put onto the battlefield, can invite removal from all other players at the table, and removal from multiple players can be particularly tough to overcome.

**Go Wide**

* Like most aggressive strategies, +1/+1 counters decks rely almost entirely upon the combat step. This means their play patterns tend to be predictable, which allows other players to predict their actions more easily and take steps to prepare for them ahead of time and can make it difficult to circumvent hyper-defensive decks such as Pillowfort strategies, especially those that use Fog effects.

* Decks that use a large number of creatures with +1/+1 counters decks are often vulnerable to board wipes. Needing to commit a large number of creatures to the board to help ensure victory, they risk overcommiting and having no backup plan if they lose all their creatures in a single board wipe, which may also drastically reduce the effectiveness of certain effects such as proliferate, which are predicated on already having creatures with counters. Rebuilding from that point can sometimes be very difficult.

## *+1/+1 Counters in various colors*

EDH is known for unusual deckbrewing, and since +1/+1 counters are a mechanic that has existed since Alpha, all colors have worked with them before, although some colors care more about them than others and each color utilizes them slightly differently.

See below for a brief primer and some Scryfall searches indicating what that color can do with +1/+1 counters:

 Mono-Green has at least 365 cards that deal with +1/+1 counters and ~63 cards that care about +1/+1 counters.
 Mono-White has at least 179 cards that mention +1/+1 counters and ~18 cards that care about +1/+1 counters.
 Mono-Black has at least 167 cards that mention +1/+1 counters and ~23 cards that care about +1/+1 counters.
 Mono-Red has at least 96 cards that mention +1/+1 counters and ~20 cards that care about +1/+1 counters.
 Mono-Blue has at least 69 cards that mention +1/+1 counters and ~11 cards that care about +1/+1 counters.
 Colorless has at least 95 cards that mention +1/+1 counters and ~28 cards that care about +1/+1 counters.
**Multicolor Cards**
 Azorius has at least 7 unique cards with 179 White cards, 69 Blue cards and 95 colorless cards as further options.
 Dimir has at least 3 unique cards with 69 Blue cards, 167 Black cards and 95 colorless cards as further options.
 Rakdos has at least 21 unique cards with 167 Black, 96 Red cards and 95 colorless cards as further options.
 Gruul has at least 23 unique cards with 96 Red cards, 365 Green cards and 95 colorless cards as further options.
 Selesnya has at least 34 unique cards with 365 Green cards, 179 White cards and 95 colorless cards as further options.
 Orzhov has at least 13 unique cards with 179 White cards, 167 Black cards and 95 colorless cards as further options.
 Golgari has at least 29 unique cards with 167 Black cards, 365 Green cards and 95 colorless cards as further options.
 Simic has at least 51 unique cards with 365 Green cards, 69 Blue cards and 95 colorless cards as further options.
 Izzet has at least 3 unique cards with 69 Blue cards, 0 Black cards and 95 colorless cards as further options.
 Boros has at least 10 unique cards with 96 Red cards, 179 White cards and 95 colorless cards as further options.

### Voltron

Since effects that add +1/+1 counters increase power, and many cards that care about counters grant evasion, Voltron may be a natural fit since your Commander only needs to deal 21 damage rather than 40.
### Infect & Persist

While it seems counter-intuitive, Poison and -1/-1 counters have a small overlap with +1/+1 counters in the Proliferate mechanic which can power up your creatures (*by adding +1/+1 counters to creatures that already have them*) while weakening your opponents creatures or dealing further poison damage. Another mechanic that synergizes with +1/+1 counters in the opposite direction is Persist... Creatures with persist reanimate themselves, but normally only once... Adding a +1/+1 counter on the other hand negates the -1/-1 counter and allows them to continue to save themselves.
### Enchantress

+1/+1 counters raise our power, and so do Auras and Anthems. There are also Enchantments and even some enchantment creatures that provide +1/+1 counters, so by leaning into that overlap we can gain additional card draw through enchantress effect
### Combo

There are a number of triggered effects that add +1/+1 counters, and some that trigger off (or use) +1/+1 counters, potentially allowing a repeatable loop. If one or both of these are effects you would consider running anyway then the opportunity cost of including the combo may be low.
**Examples:**
* Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista
* Scurry Oak + Ivy Lane Denizen
* Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Spike Feeder

**References:**

* EDHREC +1/+1 Counter theme
* +1/+1 Counter tagged articles on EDHRec