EDH Optimizer
Proliferate Commander decks
Proliferate adds one more of every counter you already have: +1/+1, loyalty, poison or charge. It scales by itself — the more counter types you run, the more each trigger is worth.
Cards that define the archetype
Ranked by how much MORE they are played inside the archetype than in the rest of Commander. Generic staples (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet…) fall out for exactly that reason: they are played everywhere equally.
| Card | Commanders | Avg. inclusion | Excess |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karn's Bastion | 19 | 61% | +85 pts |
| Flux Channeler | 12 | 68% | +54 pts |
| Inexorable Tide | 11 | 61% | +51 pts |
| Thrummingbird | 11 | 68% | +49 pts |
| Tezzeret's Gambit | 10 | 64% | +44 pts |
| Everflowing Chalice | 10 | 61% | +43 pts |
| Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus | 9 | 64% | +42 pts |
| Dreamtide Whale | 9 | 62% | +41 pts |
| Experimental Augury | 9 | 65% | +41 pts |
| Contentious Plan | 8 | 63% | +36 pts |
| Evolution Sage | 8 | 61% | +34 pts |
| Astral Cornucopia | 7 | 58% | +32 pts |
| Nesting Grounds | 7 | 60% | +32 pts |
| Ripples of Potential | 7 | 53% | +31 pts |
| Grateful Apparition | 6 | 58% | +28 pts |
| Deepglow Skate | 6 | 60% | +28 pts |
| Lulu, Stern Guardian | 6 | 58% | +28 pts |
| Contagion Clasp | 5 | 50% | +24 pts |
| Bloated Contaminator | 5 | 52% | +23 pts |
| Unnatural Restoration | 5 | 66% | +23 pts |
| Serum Snare | 5 | 58% | +23 pts |
| Cankerbloom | 5 | 67% | +23 pts |
| Prologue to Phyresis | 4 | 66% | +19 pts |
| Freeze in Place | 4 | 52% | +19 pts |
| Thirsting Roots | 4 | 56% | +19 pts |
| Reject Imperfection | 4 | 55% | +19 pts |
| Floodpits Drowner | 4 | 46% | +19 pts |
| Vraska, Betrayal's Sting | 4 | 57% | +19 pts |
| Lux Cannon | 4 | 48% | +19 pts |
| Ichormoon Gauntlet | 4 | 67% | +18 pts |
Commanders for Proliferate
Ranked by how central this archetype is to their decks and by how played each commander is.
By color identity
Blue Best cards by color →
Blue · Green Best cards by color →
White Best cards by color →
White · Blue · Red Best cards by color →
Green Best cards by color →
White · Blue · Green Best cards by color →
Paste your list and we tell you whether the deck actually does what it wants to do: curve, ramp, interaction and a 10,000-game simulation.
🛠️ Build a deck like this 📥 Analyze my deckFrequently asked questions
What is the best commander for a Proliferate deck?
The most-built commanders for this archetype are Lulu, Stern Guardian, Rikala, Homarid King, Tidus, Yuna's Guardian. EDH Optimizer has the full list of 115 commanders with their recommended cards, ranked by how central Proliferate is to their decks.
Which cards are must-haves in a Proliferate deck?
The three most characteristic are Karn's Bastion, Flux Channeler, Inexorable Tide. They are not the most-played cards in the format, but the ones that appear far more inside this archetype than in the rest of Commander — which is what actually makes them essential here.
What colors is Proliferate played in?
The most common color identities are Blue, Blue · Green, White. The "By color identity" section groups the commanders and links to the best cards for each combination.
How much does a Proliferate deck cost?
It depends on the price cap PER CARD you set. Each commander page lists the best cards in three tiers (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.