Many Casual Magic players, myself included, really like playing with +1/+1 counters, and want nothing more than to shove as many of them onto our creatures as possible. Doubling Season is the great grandfather of counter doublers and has long been a staple, locking in many folks' love for +1/+1 counters at the kitchen table. Everyone adored this card and what it did for the game.

Of course, Doubling Season was only the beginning, and today we're going to unpack some of the best of what I'm calling "Counter Increasers." I'm using "increaser" rather than "multiplier" or "doubler" since not every card we're going to talk about doubles or multiplies the number of counters on our stuff. I want to make sure we include cards that add one or more additional counters too.

Seismic Tutelage AND Hydra's Growth

If you like counter doubler Auras, this pair has you covered. Seismic Tutelage has an enters trigger that places a +1/+1 counter on the enchanted creature, and then whenever it attacks it doubles the number of +1/+1 counters on it. Doubling your counters once for every one of your combat steps is good, but in combination with any Relentless Assault effect that gives you more attack steps? That's a lot of counters.

Hydra's Growth also place a counter on the creature it enchants and then those counters double during each of our upkeeps. So, you don't get to go wild with extra combat steps like Seismic Tutelage, but you also don't have to risk your creature dying early on by swinging to double the counters either.

I love both of these on Commanders for faster Commander Damage kills.

Plus One Counter Increasers

This trio of creatures all have one thing in common; they all grant an additional +1/+1 counter whenever any amount of them would be placed on your stuff.

Conclave Mentor grants an additional +1/+1 counter on creatures you control, and then when it dies will gain life equal to its power. Caradora, Heart of Alacria has an enters trigger to Tutor a Mount or Vehicle and extends the additional +1/+1 counter ability to vehicles as well as creatures. Then the infamous Kami of Whispered Hopes taps for mana equal to its power, and grants an additional +1/+1 counter to any permanent you control.

Court of Garenbrig

Court of Garenbrig makes you the Monarch upon arrival. Then during your upkeep, you get to divide two +1/+1 counters between up to two target creatures, and if you' re the Monarch then you double the +1/+1 counters on each creature you control. That's pretty strong if you can stay the Monarch, but that's a pretty big if.

High Score

High Score increases your counter count by one, which is good by itself, but then if you control the creature with the greatest power during your end step, you get to draw a card. Drawing cards is always a nice add-on.

Primal Vigor

Primal Vigor is a bit of a Group Hug take on Doubling Season since it doubles the +1/+1 counters and tokens for everyone, but it doesn't double other kinds of counters. Sorry planeswalker loyalty counters and artifacts with charge counters.

Benevolent Hydra

Benevolent Hydra starts with a 1/1 base body and arrives with X +1/+1 counters. It adds an additional counter whenever one of your creatures gets +1/+1 counters, and can tap to move a counter from itself to another creature you control. So, the name is pretty appropriate since this hydra will be giving out counters to your other creatures like candy.

Communal Brewing

When Communal Brewing arrives with an ingredient counter, and you can let any number of your opponents draw a card to put that many additional ingredient counters on Communal Brewing. Now, whenever you cast a creature spell, you get to put a number of +1/+1 counters on that creature equal to the number of ingredient counters on Communal Brewing. Trading some cards so every one of your creatures is that much bigger seems like a pretty good deal.

Also, I love how this reminds me of the Summer Luau event from the video game Stardew Valley where everyone in the village brings their best ingredients to make a stew, and the better you do, the happier people will be. Seems pretty spot on for this card, though you may be the only one happy about the huge number of counters on your creatures.

Ozolith, the Shattered Spire

Ozolith, the Shattered Spire ensures that all your artifacts and creatures will receive an additional +1/+1 counter. Then you can tap it for at sorcery speed to add one +1/+1 counter to a creature or artifact. And it has Cycling. It just does everything you want it to.

Corpsejack Menace

Corpsejack Menace is just a straight-up +1/+1 counter doubler on a 4/4 body for four mana. Hard to go wrong with that.

Branching Evolution

Speaking of straight-up +1/+1 counter doublers, here it is on a three-drop enchantment. Branching Evolution does exactly what it says on the tin, which is pretty good for three mana, but it's worth noting that it only doubles +1+1 counters, not any other kinds of counters (like Primal Vigor).

Loading Zone

Loading Zone doubles all counters that arrive to our creatures, Planets and Spacecraft, and it has Warp for . Note that is for all types of counters, not just +1/+1 counters. Planeswalkers and most Artifacts get left out again, though.

The Earth Crystal

The Earth Crystal reduces the cost of our green spells by . It also doubles +1/+1 counters on our creatures. But wait, there's more. You can spend and tap it to distribute two +1/+1 counters among one or two creatures you control (at instant speed).

Hardened Scales

Hardened Scales is a quintessential +1/+1 counter increaser that's been played in Casual and Constructed formats since it was printed. It deserves a place of honor because it is the cheapest possible version of this effect (unless they print a free one...). It's just one mana to add an additional +1/+1 counter on your creatures. That's nasty good.

Doubling Season

And we finally reach the single best counter increaser, Doubling Season. It's hard to beat the original, and it not only doubles all kinds of counters on all of our permanents, it also doubles all the tokens we make. There's a reason it's still one of the most beloved Casual cards of all time.

Wrapping Up

And there we go. If +1/+1 counters are your game, then this list of counter increasers are primed to take your game to the next level. Are there any I missed that are worth mentioning? What are your favorites?

Until next time!