<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Auntie Ool, Cursewretch" href="#" target="_blank">Auntie Ool, Cursewretch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/danielzrom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Zrom</a></em></p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Auntie Ool, Cursewretch" href="#" target="_blank">Auntie Ool, Cursewretch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is simultaneously incredibly exciting and incredibly disappointing to me. I've been waiting for a -1/-1 commander for years, in colors where I can play both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons" href="#" target="_blank">Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Scorpion God" href="#" target="_blank">The Scorpion God</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and now we've finally gotten that!</p>
<p>The main reason I'm so hyped about this commander is because it means I get to play the coolest cards I know all in one deck. I mean, I always could've played any ol' Jund commander, but this one's actually good. It draws a card for every -1/-1 counter we put on our own creatures? That's huge! I guess for an archetype where you're actually debuffing your own creatures, it oughta have a good payoff, but this might be too good, honestly.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Auntie Ool, Cursewretch"></div></div>
<p>But I'm also pretty disappointed about it, for a few reasons. The first is entirely selfish: Because Auntie Ool is the face card of a precon, this archetype is no longer hipster and I don't look as cool. Devastating, I know. The second reason is that there's no white in Auntie Ool's color identity. It's only a minor loss, but white has some really fun (and new) cards that fit great in a -1/-1 counter theme, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grind // Dust" href="#" target="_blank">Grind // Dust</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reaping Willow" href="#" target="_blank">Reaping Willow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Slumbering Walker" href="#" target="_blank">Slumbering Walker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's only a few cards, but I do miss them greatly.</p>
<p>Finally, the last reason is that the precon decklist is just ok. It includes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kulrath Knight" href="#" target="_blank">Kulrath Knight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana, Death Wielder" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana, Death Wielder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but not <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? That's quite the miss. Luckily, we can actually do something about this. Let me show you what I think the ideal <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Auntie Ool, Cursewretch" href="#" target="_blank">Auntie Ool, Cursewretch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck looks like.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reaping Willow"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slumbering Walker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Engine"></div></div>
<h2>Counting Down</h2>
<p>For starters, it has to be acknowledged that Auntie Ool incentivizes us to put counters on our own creatures way more than putting them on our opponents' creatures. Ninety percent of the time, I'd rather draw a card than have one opponent lose a life. Yes, putting a counter on an opponent's creature is beneficial while putting it on our own is detrimental, but the way we're building this deck, -1/-1 counters on our creatures are gonna be an upside.</p>
<p>Because of this, we're gonna focus almost exclusively on our own creatures. Plus, we dodge the incredible ire for toxic -1/-1 counter decks that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toxrill, the Corrosive" href="#" target="_blank">Toxrill, the Corrosive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> created a few years ago, which could genuinely get us targeted.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toxrill, the Corrosive"></div></div>
<p>Now let's get into the specifics. Generally in these decks, there are the cards that add counters, and then there are the payoffs. Let's focus on getting those counters first.</p>
<p>Many creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Channeler Initiate" href="#" target="_blank">Channeler Initiate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Devoted Druid" href="#" target="_blank">Devoted Druid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Witherscale Wurm" href="#" target="_blank">Witherscale Wurm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can add a ton of counters to themselves, at once or slowly.</p>
<p>Some others, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grim Poppet" href="#" target="_blank">Grim Poppet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or the very underrated <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serrated Biskelion" href="#" target="_blank">Serrated Biskelion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, spread -1/-1 counters around with ease. Then, we can proliferate the heck out of all that. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evolution Sage" href="#" target="_blank">Evolution Sage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thirsting Roots" href="#" target="_blank">Thirsting Roots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Planewide Celebration" href="#" target="_blank">Planewide Celebration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and of course, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Clasp" href="#" target="_blank">Contagion Clasp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Contagion Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, will multiply our counters by a lot.</p>
<p>Then, if we've got even a few creatures on the board, Auntie Ool's will draw us that many cards. We've got a very potent engine here with just the basics.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Channeler Initiate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serrated Biskelion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Contagion Clasp"></div></div>
<p>But there are even more payoffs than Auntie Ool. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nest of Scarabs" href="#" target="_blank">Nest of Scarabs</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons" href="#" target="_blank">Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flourishing Defenses" href="#" target="_blank">Flourishing Defenses</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have all shot up in price recently, entirely because of how good they are in this deck. Those two will produce a lot of tokens, and then we just have more bodies to put counters on.</p>
<p>The numbers would be exponential if it weren't for the fact that the counters immediately kill the tokens. But maybe we can do something about that...</p>
<p>Anyways, there's also <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Obelisk Spider" href="#" target="_blank">Obelisk Spider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which drains our opponents, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wickersmith&#039;s Tools" href="#" target="_blank">Wickersmith&#039;s Tools</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can quickly make an army, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wickerbough Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Wickerbough Elder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a thematic means of dealing with artifacts and enchantments.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Obelisk Spider"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wickerbough Elder"></div></div>
<h2>The Foil to the Plan</h2>
<p>That's the main idea of the deck, just a bunch of enablers and payoffs. But I've got a secret weapon up my sleeve - one that might seem counterintuitive. I honestly think that the biggest boon to -1/-1 counter decks are actually +1/+1 counters. But why would that be? Aren't they basically opposites? Yes, and that's exactly why they're helpful.</p>
<p>See, when a creature has both a -1/-1 counter and a +1/+1 counter on it, they counteract and vanish, leaving the creature with neither. I imagine that <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> implemented this rule to simplify the game a bit, but this mechanic can be abused pretty easily by any creature that checks if it has a -1/-1 counter on it.</p>
<p>Consider the interaction between <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murderous Redcap" href="#" target="_blank">Murderous Redcap</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. When <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murderous Redcap" href="#" target="_blank">Murderous Redcap</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> dies, it returns to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter, which would prevent it from coming back a second time. But if it enters with a +1/+1 counter from Grumgully, they'll cancel out, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murderous Redcap" href="#" target="_blank">Murderous Redcap</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can die again. And again. And again.</p>
<p>Now you've got an infinite blocker! Or with a sacrifice outlet, you can immediately win the game.</p>
<div id="1657-4381" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
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<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="." width="0" height="0"></iframe></p>
<p>But +1/+1 counters are useful for things other than infinite combos. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Devoted Druid" href="#" target="_blank">Devoted Druid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cinderhaze Wretch" href="#" target="_blank">Cinderhaze Wretch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for instance, can greatly benefit from untapping once, or many extra times. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Hydra" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Hydra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s whole gimmick is that it doesn't heal at the end of the turn. But we can "heal" it with some counters.</p>
<p>And if we're looking to win the game, proliferating +1/+1 counters is a whole lot better than proliferating their foil.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Devoted Druid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cinderhaze Wretch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Hydra"></div></div>
<p>To take advantage of this mechanic, we're gonna include a ton of cards that cause our creatures to enter with a +1/+1 counter. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grumgully, the Generous" href="#" target="_blank">Grumgully, the Generous</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhythm of the Wild" href="#" target="_blank">Rhythm of the Wild</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tribute to the World Tree" href="#" target="_blank">Tribute to the World Tree</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Master Chef" href="#" target="_blank">Master Chef</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and a few others all do the same trick. We don't always want this effect, and we'll have to be careful with it, because it does suck if we can never use our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wickerbough Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Wickerbough Elder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but the majority of the time they can give our deck a crazy boost.</p>
<p>Not to mention the fact that they make <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heartless Summoning" href="#" target="_blank">Heartless Summoning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> really good.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhythm of the Wild"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Master Chef"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heartless Summoning"></div></div>
<p>And while the idea of cancelling out our -1/-1 counters does seem strange, it doesn't really affect our payoffs at all. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Auntie Ool, Cursewretch" href="#" target="_blank">Auntie Ool, Cursewretch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons" href="#" target="_blank">Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flourishing Defenses" href="#" target="_blank">Flourishing Defenses</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and the others don't care that the -1/-1 counter goes away immediately, they'll just see that it was put on the creature, and trigger. Then, those tokens will enter with their own +1/+1 counters, and won't die immediately when we put -1/-1 counters on them.</p>
<p>Like I mentioned before, we can get exponential if we do that!</p>
<h2>Auntie Ool, Cursewretch Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Auntie Ool, Cursewretch" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Auntie Ool, Cursewretch
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Arwen, Weaver of Hope
*1 Channeler Initiate
*1 Cinderhaze Wretch
*1 Devoted Druid
*1 Dread Tiller
*1 Evolution Sage
*1 Ferrafor, Young Yew
*1 Grim Poppet
*1 Grumgully, the Generous
*1 Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
*1 Moonshadow
*1 Murderous Redcap
*1 Necroskitter
*1 Obelisk Spider
*1 Phyrexian Hydra
*1 Quillspike
*1 Renata, Called to the Hunt
*1 Serrated Biskelion
*1 Surrak and Goreclaw
*1 The Scorpion God
*1 Wickerbough Elder
*1 Witherscale Wurm
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Blowfly Infestation
*1 Consuming Fervor
*1 Flourishing Defenses
*1 Glistening Oil
*1 Heartless Summoning
*1 Master Chef
*1 Nest of Scarabs
*1 Retreat to Kazandu
*1 Rhythm of the Wild
*1 Tribute to the World Tree
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Assassin&#039;s Trophy
*1 Atomize
*1 Big Score
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Grim Affliction
*1 Hapatra&#039;s Mark
*1 Harrow
*1 Scar
*1 Terminate
*1 Tragic Slip
*1 Unexpected Windfall
*1 Whisper of the Dross
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Cauldron of Souls
*1 Contagion Clasp
*1 Contagion Engine
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Wickersmith&#039;s Tools
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Black Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Cultivate
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Painful Truths
*1 Persist
*1 Planewide Celebration
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Sign in Blood
*1 Smell Fear
*1 Thirsting Roots
*1 Unnatural Restoration
[/Sorceries]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Vraska, Betrayal&#039;s Sting
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*10 Forest
*1 Karplusan Forest
*1 Llanowar Wastes
*10 Mountain
*1 Sulfurous Springs
*9 Swamp
*1 Thriving Bluff
*1 Thriving Grove
*1 Thriving Moor
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<p>If you can't tell, I'm really really happy about this deck. It was something I'd put aside, assuming that the right commander was simply never going to be printed, but to my surprise, <em>Wizards</em> created (almost) exactly what I wanted.</p>
<p>As a bonus, I'll probably make a version of this deck that includes white, just to see what I'm missing out on. But as it is, I'm extremely satisfied with all the cool cards and neat interactions I get to mess with here. 2026 just started, but I think I already know what my favorite deck of the year is gonna be.</p>


jund 1 1 counters

Auntie Ool, Cursewretch Commander Deck Tech