Table of Contents
Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble. I shall put a curse on you. Welcome to the dark side of Lorwyn, or more well known as Shadowmoor, the night “phase” of the plane. Here you will find all sorts of creepies and crawlies, but you will also find the Blight Cursed Commander deck.
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In this blog, I will be going over a budget-friendly way to upgrade the deck, just in case your wallet has been blighted and your bank account cursed. I am limiting myself to £10, at least at the time of writing. I know that with increased popularity, card prices can climb, so if you’re interested in making some of these changes, I would recommend picking them up while they are still cheap.
It is nice to see another -1/-1 counters deck, as this archetype hasn’t had much support in recent years. Outside of the original Shadowmoor block and Amonkhet, there hasn’t been much focus on this mechanic. This time, however, the colour identity has been expanded into Jund ({B}{R}{G}). I’ll talk more about what this means when we look at the commanders.
The Commanders
The Face Commander: Auntie Ool, Cursewretch
https://scryfall.com/card/ecc/2/auntie-ool-cursewretch
Auntie Ool cares entirely about -1/-1 counters, and it doesn’t matter where they go. If a counter is put on one of your creatures, you draw a card. If it’s put on an opponent’s creature, they lose a life. It’s straightforward, but having a card draw engine in the command zone, especially one that works in such a unique way, is very powerful.
One neat thing about [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]] is the Ward protection. Blight requires an opponent to put counters on a creature they control to pay the ward cost. If you remove all of their creatures in response to the ward trigger, they can no longer pay that cost. This effectively counters the spell they were trying to use to target Auntie Ool.
The Alt Commander: The Reaper, King No More
https://scryfall.com/card/ecc/4/the-reaper-king-no-more
The Reaper, King No More is an interesting card and a clear follow-on from the original [[Reaper King]]. That version was a five-colour commander using the same hybrid mana system of a colour or two generic mana. This new version is firmly Jund.
While it is still valuable in Blight Curse as an easy way to spread counters onto any creature, I think [[The Reaper, King No More]] is better suited to a fresh build of the deck. This would allow you to better abuse the secondary ability by adding more ways to put counters on your opponents’ creatures, then backing that up with plenty of removal.
The current Blight Curse list doesn’t really support this plan. Most of the creatures simply enter with -1/-1 counters on themselves, rather than actively placing counters on opposing creatures.
One direction I have deliberately chosen not to take this deck is combo. There are loops that can easily be set up using Persist and Undying, which will allow you to draw your entire deck with [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]]. From there, assembling a win is usually trivial.
Just something to note before we get into the upgrades: -1/-1 counters are very much a Black and Green mechanic. Because of that, you won’t see much Red in my suggested changes, and this is reflected in the final deck list, with only a light splash of red cards. While I could include more, they simply aren’t as strong as the other options.
I am also deliberately avoiding recommending generically powerful cards, instead focusing on pieces that are synergistic with the strategy. Not that generically good cards are bad, there is a reason they are good, but I want to highlight more specific options here. With that said, let’s dive right in.
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Upgrade 1/2
IN: Obelisk Spider + Generous Patron
https://scryfall.com/card/hou/141/obelisk-spider
https://scryfall.com/card/bbd/70/generous-patron
My first two upgrades are [[Obelisk Spider]] and [[Generous Patron]]. I’ve grouped these together as they both mirror [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]]’s abilities, effectively splitting them between the two cards.
First up is [[Generous Patron]]. This handles the card draw side of Auntie Ool, but in reverse. If you put counters on a creature you don’t control, you draw cards. This comes with a lot of flexibility thanks to the +1/+1 counters. You can put them on your opponents’ creatures to draw cards, and if you split the counters between two different creatures, you’ll draw two cards.
Alternatively, you can use the counters to buff your own creatures, but you won’t draw cards for doing so. If a +1/+1 counter is placed on a creature that already has a -1/-1 counter, the two will cancel each other out, and vice versa. Importantly, it still counts as placing a counter for the purposes of triggering abilities. The biggest upside to Generous Patron is that it doesn’t care what type of counters are placed on your opponents’ creatures, so once you start handing out -1/-1 counters, you’ll continue to draw cards.
[[Obelisk Spider]] is the other half of this pairing, providing the life drain effect. In many ways, it does this even better. Whenever -1/-1 counters are placed, your opponents lose life and you gain life. As a 1/4, it’s a reasonable blocker, but it’s a shame that it only hands out counters through combat damage. Most players won’t block it, or send creatures in just to bounce off and shrink.
If the effect triggered on any damage, you could use fight or punch spells like [[Prey Upon]] to generate counters. Even so, one big upside of [[Obelisk Spider]] is that the counters can be placed anywhere. With how many creatures in the deck enter with -1/-1 counters, this can slowly drain the table through repeated chip damage that really adds up over the course of a game. It also hits all opponents, unlike Auntie Ool, where the controller of the creature matters.
OUT: Terramorphic Expanse + Evolving Wilds
https://scryfall.com/card/ecc/169/terramorphic-expanse
https://scryfall.com/card/ecl/264/evolving-wilds
I thought we were doing better with land counts in precons, but apparently not, as we’re back up to 39 lands. I’m cutting both [[Evolving Wilds]] and [[Terramorphic Expanse]]. They are effectively the same card with different names, letting you sacrifice them to find a basic land.
The main issue is that those basics enter tapped, which is slow. While bracket 2 isn’t the fastest environment, I would still like my mono-coloured lands to enter untapped where possible. Although the fixing is nice, this deck is essentially a two-colour deck, and there are already enough other fixing options included that mana shouldn’t be an issue.
Even then, there are plenty of other budget-friendly alternatives Wizards could have used. The filter lands, like [[Twilight Mire]], would have been a nice callback. If not those, even the Odyssey filter lands such as [[Viridescent Bog]] are available for pennies.
Upgrade 3
IN: Nest of Scarabs
https://scryfall.com/card/akh/101/nest-of-scarabs
I was surprised to see [[Nest of Scarabs]] missing from the precon, as it was one of the cards I fully expected to see reprinted. That said, as it’s one of the cheaper options, I don’t mind too much, especially given that we did get reprints of the pricier [[Blowfly Infestation]] and [[Flourishing Defenses]].
Nest of Scarabs is essentially a cheaper, mana-wise, version of [[Flourishing Defenses]], though it does come with a notable downside. The key difference is the “one or more” wording. Flourishing Defenses will trigger for each -1/-1 counter placed on a creature, meaning if a creature enters with multiple counters, or you add several at once, you get that many tokens.
By comparison, [[Nest of Scarabs]] only creates a single Insect token per instance of counters being placed, regardless of how many counters are involved. Even with that limitation, I still think the effect is well worth including. It lines up perfectly with the deck’s game plan, and having overlapping effects like this, as long as they work together, is just good synergy.
OUT: Oft-Nabbed Goat
https://scryfall.com/card/ecc/11/oft-nabbed-goat
I do like [[Oft-Nabbed Goat]] from a flavour perspective. Back in Lorwyn, there was a card called [[Goatnapper]], and this is a clear callback to that.
My main issue with the Goat is that it gives away too much control. Only your opponents can activate the ability. While that does mean you can eventually take it back on your turn, the fact that it’s limited to sorcery speed really restricts when you can do so.
In theory, you could draw five cards if everyone passes it around, but in doing so, you’re also giving your opponents cards. In practice, I see this playing out with one player taking it, you getting it back, and then being left with a 0/3 that mostly sits around doing nothing, occasionally chump blocking to generate a card.
There’s also an important rules issue with how the card is worded. Your opponents gain control of the Goat before the counter is placed on it. That means they lose a life instead of you drawing a card from [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]]’s ability, which makes it even less appealing in this deck.
Upgrade 4
IN: Quillspike
https://scryfall.com/card/eve/126/quillspike
[[Quillspike]] is another card I expected to see in the deck as soon as I saw the theme. The main idea here is to give you a way to remove -1/-1 counters from your own creatures, allowing you to place more on them and continue triggering [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]].
Despite saying earlier that I wanted to stay away from combos, Quillspike does form one with [[Devoted Druid]], which is already in the deck. This can be considered a two-card combo, so take this suggestion with that in mind, as it will push the deck up a bracket.
With [[Devoted Druid]] and [[Quillspike]] together, you can tap the Druid to generate mana, then untap it by placing a -1/-1 counter on it. You then spend the green mana on Quillspike to remove that counter. This loop allows you to create an infinitely large Quillspike.
If you also have [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]] in play, this will let you draw your entire deck. Just be careful, as Auntie Ool’s draw ability is not optional. If you go fully infinite, you will deck yourself.
OUT: Cathartic Reunion
https://scryfall.com/card/ecc/91/cathartic-reunion
[[Cathartic Reunion]] feels like a slightly odd inclusion in this deck. While it does offer a form of card selection, it’s a rummage effect, meaning you have to discard cards before you draw.
There aren’t really any discard synergies here to take advantage of that downside. Instead, the deck would much rather be drawing cards naturally through [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]]. That’s exactly what adding cards like [[Quillspike]] enables, making Cathartic Reunion an easy cut.
Upgrade 5
IN: Contagion Engine
https://scryfall.com/card/som/145/contagion-engine
[[Contagion Engine]] is my big-ticket inclusion. Fortunately, it received a reprint on the Big Score bonus sheet from Outlaws at Thunder Junction, as otherwise it would have been outside of my budget.
This is essentially the bigger brother to [[Contagion Clasp]]. Where Clasp only puts a single -1/-1 counter on one creature, Contagion Engine puts a counter on every creature a chosen player controls. It targets the player rather than the creatures themselves, meaning it neatly gets around ward, hexproof, and shroud.
The activated ability on [[Contagion Engine]] is also a clear upgrade. While it costs {4}, which is twice as much as Contagion Clasp, it also provides double the proliferate effect, making it far more impactful in the late game.
OUT: Ferrafor, Young Yew
https://scryfall.com/card/ecc/16/ferrafor-young-yew
[[Ferrafor, Young Yew]] isn’t a bad card. It can generate tokens based on the number of counters on a player’s creatures. However, it only targets a single player, so unless you are focusing on that opponent, or they are heavily invested in a +1/+1 counters strategy, its impact is going to be fairly limited.
One nice upside is that it doesn’t have to target an opponent, meaning you can choose yourself if you have a creature stacked with counters. The biggest downside, though, is the mana cost. At seven mana, it’s very expensive, even with the tap ability helping to double the counters and potentially finish off opposing creatures.
I much prefer proliferate effects in this deck. [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]] doesn’t care about how many counters are placed on a creature, only how many instances of counters being placed occur. Proliferate triggers this for every creature that receives an additional -1/-1 counter, making it far more effective for the game plan.
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Upgrade 6
IN: Persistent Constrictor
https://scryfall.com/card/dsc/22/persistent-constrictor
[[Persistent Constrictor]] is another card I expected to see included in the deck. This one in particular, as it has previously only had a Commander printing, making it a good candidate for a wider reprint.
My guess is that because it’s such a recent card from Duskmourn, Wizards chose not to include it again. Even so, it fits the deck perfectly. Persist allows it to stick around and be a recurring annoyance, while also potentially drawing you a card when it enters.
The upkeep trigger is the real highlight here. With [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]] in play, it represents two life loss each turn while also shrinking or outright killing a creature. What’s not to love about that?
OUT: Tree of Perdition
https://scryfall.com/card/ecc/49/tree-of-perdition
[[Tree of Perdition]] is a nice reprint, and it has definitely crept up in price. I imagine that’s partly due to the recent increase in toughness-matters cards making it more appealing.
Outside of heavily messing with someone’s life total by shrinking Tree of Perdition and then swapping it, I don’t see much other use for it here. Most of the time, it’s just a large toughness body that exists to soak up counters.
I would much rather have a creature like [[Persistent Constrictor]] in this slot, as it actively supports the deck’s game plan by spreading more counters and applying ongoing pressure.
Upgrade 7
IN: Ammit Eternal
https://scryfall.com/card/hou/57/ammit-eternal
I’ve heard that [[Rhystic Study]] is a good card, so how about a black version? Jokes aside, [[Ammit Eternal]] is obviously nowhere near the power level of Rhystic Study, but at around a £1 average for cards, it’s a very respectable impression.
Ammit Eternal picks up a -1/-1 counter whenever an opponent casts a spell. Each of those counters will trigger [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]], drawing you a card. In that sense, it’s even better than Rhystic Study, as your opponents don’t get the option to pay the extra mana to stop it.
Realistically, it’s somewhat capped at drawing you around five cards, but that’s an excellent return for just three mana. It becomes even better if you have ways to remove counters, such as my fourth upgrade, [[Quillspike]].
[[Ammit Eternal]] does have its own built-in way to remove counters, but it requires connecting with a player. In a two-player game, that’s far more achievable. In EDH, however, players are more likely to have blockers, and by the time the turn cycle comes back around, Ammit Eternal may already be dead. Even so, if it draws you five cards before that happens, I’d still call that a great rate.
OUT: Hoarder's Greed
https://scryfall.com/card/ecc/47/hoarders-greed
I’m swapping out some of the card draw here, with [[Hoarder's Greed]] making way for [[Ammit Eternal]]. Hoarder’s Greed costs four mana and two life just to draw two cards.
While it does have the potential to draw more, that relies on clashing with an opponent, revealing the top card of each library and comparing mana values. If yours is higher, you repeat the process. Without any top-deck manipulation in the deck, this becomes largely down to luck.
On top of that, the deck doesn’t even have a particularly high average mana value, sitting around 2.26. That makes it unlikely you’ll consistently win clashes, leaving Hoarder’s Greed as an inefficient and unreliable option compared to the alternatives.
Upgrade 8
IN: Noxious Hatchling
https://scryfall.com/card/eve/124/noxious-hatchling
[[Noxious Hatchling]] is a fairly straightforward upgrade, nothing too fancy. For four mana, it can realistically become a 6/6. If you have [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]] in play, it will also replace itself immediately by drawing you a card.
From there, you can simply cast spells to grow it up into that 6/6 body. Thanks to wither, it also becomes awkward to block. Any creature that gets in front of it will pick up -1/-1 counters, triggering Auntie Ool, meaning even chump blocks still result in damage and card draw.
As I mentioned earlier in the [[Obelisk Spider]] section, fight or punch spells don’t work particularly well with Obelisk Spider. However, they do work with wither creatures, which is exactly what [[Noxious Hatchling]] is, and it’s large enough to survive those exchanges.
OUT: Grave Titan
https://scryfall.com/card/ecc/74/grave-titan
[[Grave Titan]] is still a solid card, and honestly, this is more a case of needing something to cut. If you want to keep this one in, that’s perfectly reasonable.
The main reason I’ve chosen to remove it is that it’s been somewhat power crept by modern card design. Six mana gets you a 6/6 body and two 2/2 Zombies, which is still good, but it doesn’t actively contribute to the deck’s core game plan.
While [[Grave Titan]] is stronger than [[Noxious Hatchling]] on raw power-to-mana efficiency, Noxious Hatchling synergises far better here. With wither and entering with -1/-1 counters, it immediately works with [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]] and supports what the deck is trying to do.
Upgrade 9
IN: Karn’s Bastion
https://scryfall.com/card/war/248/karns-bastion
I keep coming back to [[Karn’s Bastion]], as it just seems to slot into so many decks while still maintaining a price point I’m happy with.
I’ll keep this one fairly short, as it really comes down to a single keyword: proliferate. If you can spread enough counters around, this becomes incredibly powerful. When combined with cards like [[Soul Snuffers]], it can lead to huge amounts of life loss once you factor in [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]].
OUT: Mountain
https://scryfall.com/card/ecl/282/mountain
A land goes in, so a land comes out. I’ve cut a Mountain here, as the deck is primarily Black and Green, with less than 20% of the list being red.
There is already enough colour fixing in the deck to comfortably support the remaining red cards, making this an easy and low-impact cut.
Upgrade 10
IN: Sadistic Obsession
https://scryfall.com/card/mh1/105/sadistic-obsession
[[Sadistic Obsession]] is my final addition. While it’s fairly expensive at four mana, I wanted a repeatable way to consistently place -1/-1 counters on creatures.
This gives us the flexibility to either draw cards or drain opponents through [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]]. We’re somewhat limited in how many cards offer this level of repeatability and control when it comes to placing counters. Most options are tied to enter-the-battlefield effects or combat damage, so this provides a much-needed alternative and adds more flexibility to the deck.
OUT: Archfiend of Ifnir
https://scryfall.com/card/ecc/70/archfiend-of-ifnir
My final cut is [[Archfiend of Ifnir]]. I can see why this card was included, as it does put -1/-1 counters on creatures, which is on theme.
The problem is that its effect is tied to cycling or discarding cards, and the deck doesn’t really support either of those mechanics. If [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]] had some sort of discard or cycling synergy, I could see the argument for keeping it, but that isn’t the case here.
The closest interaction you get is going over hand size due to drawing a large number of cards. That can give you priority in the cleanup step thanks to the triggered ability, which is something you don’t normally get. In theory, if you have enough cards, you could even wipe the board.
That said, if you’re that far above the seven-card hand size limit, you’re probably already well ahead. In this build, [[Archfiend of Ifnir]] ends up feeling like a win-more card, which is why it makes the cut.
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Non-budget Upgrades
These cards were outside the budget for this article, but they fit the deck extremely well and are worth considering if you’re happy to spend a little more:
https://scryfall.com/card/rex/3/spitting-dilophosaurus
https://scryfall.com/card/dmr/110/yawgmoth-thran-physician
https://scryfall.com/card/one/118/all-will-be-one
https://scryfall.com/card/eve/35/crumbling-ashes
https://scryfall.com/card/shm/187/fists-of-the-demigod
https://scryfall.com/card/cm2/180/cauldron-of-souls
https://scryfall.com/card/blb/100/maha-its-feathers-night
https://scryfall.com/card/ecl/98/dawnhand-dissident
https://scryfall.com/card/pip/94/atomize
https://scryfall.com/card/mir/128/harbinger-of-night
Final Thoughts
Blight Curse is a fresh take on the -1/-1 counter archetype, adding more tools to an area that has historically been underexplored. That said, focusing purely on -1/-1 counters does limit how far you can realistically push the deck, simply due to the quantity and overall quality of cards available. At this point, we’ve already included most of the strongest options.
One alternative direction is to lean more heavily into a proliferate-style build, as there is a much deeper pool of cards to support that strategy. The other option is to move towards a combo-focused version of the deck, as I mentioned earlier in the commander section.
It’s relatively easy to shift the deck in that direction, but I didn’t have the budget or the available swap slots to explore it here. All it really takes is a persist creature, a way to cancel out -1/-1 counters, and a sacrifice outlet. With [[Auntie Ool, Cursewretch]] in play, this allows you to draw your entire deck.
Jund colours give you plenty of ways to negate the counters, with cards like [[Melira, Sylvok Outcast]], [[First Day of Class]], and [[Mikaeus, the Unhallowed]] being just a few examples. Moving in this direction would push the deck to at least bracket 3, which is exactly why I chose not to include this approach in the upgrades.
Thanks for reading all the way to the end. I hope to see you in the next one. Good luck, and remember to have fun!
If you're picking up any Lorwyn Eclipsed products, booster boxes, commander decks or anything Magic: The Gathering we’ve got you covered here at Gathering Games.
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