Affordable Doubling Effects in Commander

If there’s one thing that Commander players love to see more than anything else in a Magic: The Gathering card, it’s a doubling effect. 

For example, the new Badgermole Cub from the Avatar: The Last Airbender set effectively doubles the amount of mana created by creatures on your side of the field. Look at how popular it is already, commanding a $55 price tag at the time of writing. Then there’s the classic Doubling Season, which, admittedly, has fallen significantly from its all time high of $100, but still commands a respectable $25 for a base version from Ravnica despite a slew of reprints. 

Then there’s Anointed Procession, Roaming Throne, Twinflame Tyrant… the list goes on, and Commander is pretty much exclusively responsible for giving these cards their inflated values; if it says “double” or “twice as many” in its rules text, then it’s almost a given that Commander players are going to go crazy for it.

But for each of these powerhouses, there are a few lesser-known, and lesser-utilized cards that are far cheaper, that, while maybe not as hyper-efficient as the ones listed above, still have their place in the right decks. I’ve gone ahead and broken down a few of my favorite picks from two choice categories of doubling effects below.

Counter Doublers

Cards like Doubling Season and Branching Evolution set the bar for counter doublers, but there are so many more that are worth exploring beyond the same few that always see play in Commander. Here are some that I find worthwhile, and absolutely worth considering for your build if you’re looking for something just a little bit different.

First up we have a card that is especially great for Voltron strategies based around +1+1 counter-centric commanders like Skullbriar, the Walking Grave, or Animar, Soul of Elements, and that’s Visions of Dominance. 

Visions of Dominance

This is one that gets shunned a bit unnecessarily, but for admittedly somewhat good reasons on the surface. It’s sorcery speed, and it only doubles the number of +1+1 counters specifically, but as mentioned, if you’re running someone like Skullbriar, this thing can really pack a wallop very early into the game. Pretty much any time you’re able to achieve around three or more +1+1 counters on your creature, Visions of Dominance throws that creature into overdrive and helps it get out of hand fast. 

Combine it with something like Hunter's Prowess for a very (monetarily) cheap one-two punch that draws you a ton of cards. Plus, it has flashback for when you really need to go overboard later in the game, adding for a bit of extra versatility. Don’t sleep on this one; in the right decks it can really do a lot of work, and for only $0.75.

Visions of Dominance	CardKingdom $0.99	TCGPlayer $0.75
Visions of Dominance (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $0.79	TCGPlayer $0.94

Aetheric Amplifier

Next up is Aetheric Amplifier, one of my personal favorite three-drop mana rocks that’s relatively new, from Commander: Aetherdrift, and as such, hasn’t been fully recognized among the onslaught of incoming product that’s occurred over the last year. While I am inclined to only really consider two-drop mana rocks in my Commander decks, this one is strong enough for consideration in the right build, as being able to double the number of each kind of counter you have can be insanely powerful, and it also provides you with some mana fixing along the way.

Throw this in your Atraxa build and watch your opponents panic as you start to double your way towards victory for the low price of sub-$3, where this card has pretty much stayed since its release. This artifact really has room to grow since it can fit in so many different builds, so it may not be a bad idea to pick one up while it’s as affordable as it is now. 

Aetheric Amplifier	CardKingdom $2.99	TCGPlayer $2.72
Aetheric Amplifier (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $3.49	TCGPlayer $2.40

Loading Zone

Lastly for this category, we have another newer pick with Loading Zone from Edge of Eternities. This is another underrated one that has likely fallen to the side in favor of splashier, more over-the-top cards, but in actuality this thing has the potential to do work for a relatively low amount of mana. 

While it does add counters to Spacecraft and Planets, the most relevant type it helps out is creatures, and being able to warp it in for a single green mana early on, leaving you with plenty of mana open to do all sorts of other shenanigans, is more than efficient. 

I adore the warp mechanic, and besides Exalted Sunborn (another doubler in a different sense) this might be my pick for most powerful warp ability for the cost. It affects all sorts of counters, not just +1+1, which can especially come in handy if you play around with stuff like shield counters, and it isn’t even that difficult to hard-cast, coming in at just four mana for the permanent effect. 

This one also goes for around $2, so if you think you might be able to make use of it, now might be as good a time as any to pick up a copy before we see any price movement.

Loading Zone	CardKingdom $1.99	TCGPlayer $1.85
Loading Zone (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $2.99	TCGPlayer $2.64

Mana Doublers

As an old-school green player, there is little I love more in Magic: The Gathering than copious amounts of mana. The more the better, which is why I have such a sweet spot for such classics as Doubling Cube and Mana Reflection. But in the time since these were initially printed, so many other interesting mana doublers have joined their ranks. There’s almost too many to know where to begin, but instead of focusing on well known stuff like Nyxbloom Ancient or Gauntlet of Power, I’ve decided to take a look at some other, more off-the-beaten-path picks.

Barbflare Germlin

First up on our list of mana doublers is a super unique effect that not only ramps, but acts as a group hug and group slug piece, and that card is Barbflare Gremlin. This Gremlin is surprisingly versatile in the right build, and combined with cards like Pemmin's Aura or Freed from the Real to tap and untap it at will, can make for an engaging game piece that not many people see coming. 

Heck, I didn’t even know this thing existed until recently, but being able to double your mana outside of traditional green or colorless effects like Caged Sun is actually pretty rare, so I think this one is more than worth mentioning. The one damage per tap can be negligible in the early game or extremely relevant in the late game, allowing you to either help your allies or even close the game out in the right circumstance. It also affects all lands, not just basics, so if you’re running a bunch of tap and untap synergy then this one is worth considering, especially for just $0.25 a pop.

Barbflare Germlin

CardKingdom $0.49

TCGPlayer $0.25

Dictate of Karametra

Coming up next is an innocuous pick with one relevant keyword that puts it over into playable territory, and that card is Dictate of Karametra. Look, no one really likes giving their opponents mana, unless you’re in full-on group hug mode, which is likely why Dictate of Karametra has seen so little play. That being said, the flash keyboard is highly relevant, allowing you to throw this in play at the last second before your turn begins, giving you the opportunity to overrun your opponents with mana and close the game out. 

I’m not going to suggest this is better than something like Mana Reflection, which does costs one mana more but is a true doubler and affects permanents beyond lands, but I will say that for budget builds in less competitive metas that Dictate of Karametra absolutely has a space at the table. This one is only around $1, so it’s much more affordable than the $6 Mana Reflection, and there’s only been one printing of it, meaning further price movement is always possible unless we see a reprint. So if you’re on a budget, give this one a shot.

Dictate of Karametra

CardKingdom $1.79

TCGPlayer $0.95

Ultima, Origin of Oblivion

Lastly, we have Ultima, Origin of Oblivion, a more restrictive mana doubler that can absolutely dominate the battlefield it’s playing on. Yes, this is more of an argument to run Ultima as a commander as opposed to including him in the 99 (though if you’re running a colorless Eldrazi titan deck without Ultima included, I have to wonder why not), but having been across the table from him many times I have to say he’s the strongest colorless commander by a good margin. 

First off, he is land denial on a creature, which, while taboo, can be highly effective at slowing problematic players down. Have a Gaea's Cradle? It would be a shame if someone were to blight that. On top of this, his final static ability that doubles the mana output from colorless land sources is just disgustingly strong when all your lands are Wastes or utility lands. 

The main issue that colorless decks had before Ultima (beyond limited interaction), was keeping up with ramp that other colors had access to… but now with Ultima at the helm this problem’s in the past. Seeing as it’s a recent printing from Universes Beyond: Final Fantasy and only costs $1 for the base version, Ultima really only has room to rise, and as more and more relevant colorless spells get printed to fill out decks, he’ll only grow stronger with time.

Ultima, Origin of Oblivion	CardKingdom $0.69	TCGPlayer $0.99
Ultima, Origin of Oblivion (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $1.29	TCGPlayer $2.31
Ultima, Origin of Oblivion (Borderless)	CardKingdom $1.99	TCGPlayer $2.60

In Conclusion

Counter doublers and mana doublers are just two of the many different ways effects can be doubled upon themselves in Magic: The Gathering, with damage, power, triggers, and more to be explored at another point. 

Until then, enjoy these picks, and I hope your games are twice as efficient moving forward with some of these suggestions. 

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