-1/-1 Counters

-1/-1 Counters are a mechanic in Magic with enough cards that care about them to function as an archetype

-1/-1 Counter decks generally include black and often include red, green and very occasionally blue.

## **Popular Cards & Commanders**

**Common -1/-1 Counter cards include:**

* Nest of Scarabs
* Obelisk Spider
* Kulrath Knight
* Blowfly Infestation
* Generous Patron
* Necroskitter

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

* Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
* The Scorpion God
* Volrath, the Shapestealer

## **Strategy**

-1/-1 counter decks have a mix of cards that add -1/-1 counters and cards that reward you for placing -1/-1 counters, but can vary in whether they want to add -1/-1 counters to their own creatures or to their opponents' creatures.

### Add Counters on your creatures

Cards like Dusk Urchins and Leech Bonder want counters on your own creatures, while Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons and Flourishing Defenses don't care who is receiving the counters. Decks of this type find adding counters to their own creatures a more reliable way to trigger effects and often do it through cards like Channeler Initiate or Ammit Eternal

* **ETB effects** - Channeler Initiate
* **Upkeep/attack effects** - Dusk Urchins, Glistening Oil
* **Triggers** - Ammit Eternal
* **Activated Abilities** - Devoted Druid

### Add Counters on opponents creatures

Cards like Generous Patron, Kulrath Knight and Necroskitter want counters only on your opponents creatures. This opens up new options of play including cards using the mechanics Wither and Infect

* **ETB effects** - Decimator Beetle
* **Upkeep effects** - Midnight Banshee
* **Wither** - Everlasting Torment
* **Infect** - Phyresis, Grafted Exoskeleton, Glistening Oil

### Add Counters anywhere

The following are cards that may be used by either deck type

* **Activated Abilities** - Fallen Ferromancer, The Scorpion God, Sadistic Obsession
* **Proliferate** - Contagion Clasp, Evolution Sage, Thrummingbird

### Rewards

* **Drawing Cards:** The Scorpion God, Generous Patron, Dusk Urchins
* **Tokens:** Nest of Scarabs, Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons, Flourishing Defenses

Other Rewards:

* Obelisk Spider
* Kulrath Knight
* Blowfly Infestation
* Necroskitter

## **Common Deck Categories**

* -1/-1 Counter Adders / Proliferate
* -1/-1 Counter Matters / Counter Matters
* Wither Creatures / Infect Creatures
* Death Matters / Creatures Matter
* Mass Protection
* Additional Combat Cards / Damage Doubling Cards
* 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**

* The damage dealt by creatures with Wither and Infect can be very intimidating, often discouraging attacks or blocks against your creatures

### **Weaknesses**

* -1/-1 counter decks are normally an aggressive deck that relies on a combination of enablers and payoffs... without getting both they risk falling behind and being unable to assemble a meaningful board state with which they may have trouble defeating any opponents.

### **Aristocrats**

-1/-1 counters normally kill a creature when too many are added, but most Aristocrats decks WANT creatures to die anyway
**Example Cards:**Dusk Urchins, Proliferate cards, Cauldron of Souls, Necroskitter, Cauldron Haze, Ogre Slumlord, Blowfly Infestation, The Scorpion God, Dark Prophecy
### **Control**

Control decks often aim to destroy their opponent's creatures. Certain spells and activated abilities can be used to destroy creatures using -1/-1 counters, allowing commanders such as The Scorpion God and Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons to generate additional value to reduce the downside of 1 for 1 effects in a multi-player format
**Example Cards:**Contagion Engine, Banewhip Punisher, Black Sun's Zenith, Incremental Blight, Puncture Blast, Glistening Oil, Torment of Venom, Fallen Ferromancer, Grim Affliction
### **Infect**

Infect creatures automatically add -1/-1 counters to creatures when they do combat damage to them, but in addition they do damage as poison counters which only takes 10 instead of the normal 40 damage in commander (which can be increased by Proliferate and isn't undone by lifegain). This can make commanders like The Scorpion God and Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons put your opponents in a tough situation where either they don't block and take poison damage, or blocking often gives you further benefit
**Example Cards:**53 Infect creatures, {{card|Phyresis, Grafted Exoskeleton, Glistening Oil, 36 proliferate cards