Whether you are looking to win with Poison counters, Planeswalker Ultimates, +1 counters, or some janky Darksteel Reactor deck, Proliferate has something to offer a variety of Commander players. There’s a small pool of strong Legendary Proliferate creature cards, but each reflects a different type of synergy, color pie, or win con you may be after.
Today we will take a look at a handful of different Proliferate Commanders that are worth considering for your Commander deck. Before we get started, let’s take a moment to revisit the Proliferate mechanic and what it does:
What is Proliferate?
701.27a To proliferate means to choose any number of permanents and/or players that have a counter, then give each one an additional counter of each kind that permanent or player already has.
Now that we have that out of the way, in no particular order, here are 10 Commanders for your Proliferate deck:
#1 Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice
Atraxa has all 4 Proliferate colors, can Proliferate every turn for free, has evasion, can block, can gain life, can trade with any creature in play, and has a reasonable 4/4 body.
It’s no surprise that Atraxa is the most-played Commander in the entire game. She ticks a lot of boxes and has plenty of synergy all around. If you are looking for the BEST proliferate Commander, there you have it. No need to continue down the list. If you are looking for some spicy alternatives, we do have more lined up to pique your interest.
#2 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
For our Mono Black players, we have Yawgmoth. Yawgmoth works well in an aristocrat type of deck that seeks to get value from Proliferate. You’ll be sacrificing to kill your opponent’s utility creatures and draw cards. Having a draw and removal engine built in is quite valuable and will make sure you have gas in the tank as you sacrifice your creatures.
Proliferate tends to be more of a minor synergy in Yawgmoth builds. Typically you’ll add counters to your K’rrik or kill creatures with Archfiend of Ifnir.
#3 Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres
Ezuri is a top alternative to Atraxa for Poison builds. It can Proliferate twice on ETB, which means as long as you get an initial Poison counter and can ramp, you can keep casting this spell to get your opponent’s to 10 Poison. Think of it like a Sorcery more than a creature late game.
Although it’s often used in Poison decks, it also takes advantage of the +1 counter strategy in Simic. Think of cards like Fathom Mage.
#4 Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus
Tekuthal is a bit of an odd one since it can’t Proliferate itself. Thankfully, blue has some of the most Proliferate cards in the game, and some of the best (Flux Channeler). Being indestructible isn’t what it used to be with cards like Farewell seeing main deck play these days. Nevertheless, if you’re a blue mage, Tekuthal may be your Proliferate Commander of choice.
#5 Lae’zel, Vlaakith’s Champion
Alright, Lae’zel doesn’t say Proliferate anywhere on the card, but if your plan is anything other than Poison counters, she is a solid choice for a go-wide or Planeswalker party deck. She also has a Background ability which lets you get a little more value beyond herself and you can pair it with any color of your choice.
#6 Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
Vorinclex is a card that will really mess with your opponents. Not only does it double up on Poison counters, +1 counters, and your own Planeswalker counters, it makes your opponent’s counter-based creature cards and Planeswalkers virtually useless. If they have a card that gets a counter each turn, it gets none.
#7 Vorel of the Hull Clade
If you’re in the narrower Proliferate strategy around counters on artifacts, creatures, or lands, Vorel is the best Commander to choose. Being able to power it out on turn 3, and often turn 2, means that you will be able to execute your proliferate strategy quite early. And each turn you get to double counters adds up significantly.
Vorel has amazing synergy with a plethora of +1 counter strategies. Some recent cards to consider in your Vorel deck include Court of Garenbrig and Ingenious Prodigy.
#8 Roalesk, Apex Hybrid
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You’ll often run all of the Simic Legendary Proliferate cards in any Proliferate Commander deck, and Roalesk is no exception. Roalesk performs better when you want a reliable source of counters in your Commander, vs Vorel to double counters or Ezuri to Proliferate and draw.
#9 Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos
For those looking for a rogue Proliferate strategy in Commander, look no further than Brimaz. He works quite well in an artifact shell that can keep incubating to trigger additional proliferates. There are also plenty of playable Phyrexians in Commander to trigger his ability. Consider cards like Massacre Wurm, Grafted Butcher, Progenitor Exarch, Phyrexian Censor, Elesh Norn, Filigree Vector, and more. Don’t forget to pair Brimaz with other Incubate cards like Sunfall.
#10 Venser, Corpse Puppet
Venser, Corpse Puppet has three things going for it. First, it can deal Poison counters. Second it only costs two mana. And third, it is in Simic colors, which have a variety of strong Proliferate cards.
A Venser Proliferate deck typically deals the initial Poison counters with the aforesaid legend and then controls the game with instant and or sorcery cards which Proliferate along the way.
You can also utilize the ability to make 3/3 artifact tokens with Throne of Geth’s sacrifice trigger to get an additional Proliferate each turn. Combine with Dross Scorpion to get infinite triggers.
New Proliferate Commander – Xavier Sal, Infested Captain
We can’t finish this list without giving a nod to the latest Proflierate Commander from Ixalan. Solidly in Proliferate and Poison colors is Xavier Sal, Invested Captain. Xavier gives you the ability to proliferate or populate once a turn, and more than that if you can find a way to untap him.
If you are looking for more epic Proliferate cards, you may also be interested in our 50 Best Proliferate Cards for Commander list, or our 10 Best Poison Cards For Commander that Aren’t Creatures list.
