There’s a delicate balance to placing counters on your creatures in Magic: the Gathering. Of course, you want to modify and power them up, but all your efforts are in vain when your opponent
Murder
Murder
Destroy target creature.
s your buffed-up creature. That’s why you need a counters insurance policy, such as The Ozolith or Resourceful Defense from New Capenna, to protect your investments.
The Ozolith
Since its release in Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, we’ve seen The Ozolith used across Magic formats. It is a staple in any deck focused on putting counters on its creatures, such as
Hardened Scales
Hardened Scales
If one or more +1/+1 counters would be put on a creature you control, that many plus one +1/+1 counters are put on it instead.
decks in Modern.
A large variety of Commander decks also play The Ozolith, such as
Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice
Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice
Flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink
At the beginning of your end step, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
,
Zaxara, the Exemplary
Zaxara, the Exemplary
Deathtouch
{T}: Add two mana of any one color.
Whenever you cast a spell with {X} in its mana cost, create a 0/0 green Hydra creature token, then put X +1/+1 counters on it.
, and the new commanders
Falco Spara, Pactweaver
Falco Spara, Pactweaver
Flying, trample
Falco Spara enters with a shield counter on it.
You may look at the top card of your library any time.
You may cast spells from the top of your library by removing a counter from a creature you control in addition to paying their other costs.
, and
Giada, Font of Hope
Giada, Font of Hope
Flying, vigilance
Each other Angel you control enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it for each Angel you already control.
{T}: Add {W}. Spend this mana only to cast an Angel spell.
.
The widespread success of The Ozolith bodes well for the future of Resourceful Defense, a new enchantment from New Capenna‘s Bedecked Brokers Commander deck, which has similar but, in some ways, improved applications.
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Resourceful Defense
Whereas the Ozolith can only save counters from your creatures that leave the battlefield, Resourceful Defense can save your counters from any of your permanents that leave the battlefield. This alone actually makes Resourceful Defense better than The Ozolith in many ways. It can save loyalty counters from your planeswalkers, charge counters from your artifacts, specific counters from your lands, and various other applications.
Resourceful Defense also differs from The Ozolith in that it doesn’t store counters on itself. If your opponent destroys The Ozolith while it has a bunch of counters on it, the counters are gone for good. But Resourceful Defense works differently.
For example, if your opponent plays a
Soul Transfer
Soul Transfer
Choose one. If you control an artifact and an enchantment as you cast this spell, you may choose both instead.
• Exile target creature or planeswalker.
• Return target creature or planeswalker card from your graveyard to your hand.
on one of your planeswalkers, Resourceful Defense can move those counters directly to another of your planeswalkers. And if you don’t have another planeswalker, you can move your loyalty counters to a land, and when you later play a planeswalker, Resourceful Defense can move the stored loyalty counters to it.
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What Commander Decks Will Play Resourceful Defense?
Basically, any deck Commander deck that already plays The Ozolith will want to play Resourceful Defense too. Of course, Resourceful Defense is more restricted in what decks can play it compared to The Ozolith because it is white and not colorless. But there are still plenty of counters-themed decks that will gladly play Resourceful Defense:
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New Capenna Commanders
The Broker family from New Capenna is all about putting counters on your creatures. They even introduced shield counters to the game, a new type of counter that essentially gives your creatures one instance of indestructibility. The family has several new commanders, all of which would benefit from playing Resourceful Defense.
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