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Branching Evolution

Enchantment

If one or more +1/+1 counters would be put on a creature you control, twice that many +1/+1 counters are put on that creature instead.

CMC
3
Mana cost
{2}{G}
Color identity
G
Rarity
rare
Set
Modern Horizons 3
Price
$6.02
EDHREC rank
#378
Buy on TCGplayer
Branching Evolution card art
Branching Evolution doubles every +1/+1 counter placed on your creatures — a permanent, unconditional doubler that warps board states in a single attack step. At three mana, it costs less than most comparable effects, and pairing it with Vigor or slotting it into a Hakbal of the Surging Soul list turns modest counter generation into a lethal snowball almost immediately.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

02
Bristly Bill, Spine Sower

Bristly Bill, Spine Sower

68.0% of decks · synergy 0.56

Bristly Bill, Spine Sower proliferates whenever you tap a land for mana, creating a constant stream of counters that Branching Evolution immediately doubles — the two together can grow a board from negligible to game-ending in a single turn cycle.

03
Venom, Deadly Devourer

Venom, Deadly Devourer

60.4% of decks · synergy 0.54

Venom, Deadly Devourer stacks counters as creatures die, and Branching Evolution ensures each death drops twice the payload onto the battlefield, accelerating the path to a lethal swing by several turns.

04
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

58.3% of decks · synergy 0.52

Skullbriar, the Walking Grave accumulates counters through combat damage, and Branching Evolution means every hit that would add two counters adds four instead — Skullbriar reaches one-shot range before opponents can answer.

05
Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes

Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes

60.4% of decks · synergy 0.52

Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes places +1/+1 counters on Boo and kicks those counters around the board as a resource, and Branching Evolution doubles the initial placement so every activation stretches further.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Branching Evolution is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but in practice it belongs almost exclusively in Commander. Modern and Legacy have the card pool to close games before a three-mana enchantment that doesn't immediately affect the board pays off, and Vintage is too fast and interaction-dense for a build-around that does nothing the turn it enters. Commander is where Branching Evolution thrives — longer games, more counter-synergy commanders, and a singleton environment where the effect is hard to replicate at the same mana cost.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Hardened Scales does similar work for one mana — it adds one counter wherever you'd add one or more, which isn't doubling but is close enough at a fraction of the price, and it comes down a full two turns earlier. Branching Evolution strictly outperforms it at scale since doubling surpasses adding one as counter totals grow, but if budget is the constraint, Scales is the first replacement to reach for.

Price Context

Current price

$6.02 mid tier

At $6.02, Branching Evolution sits in the mid tier — affordable enough that there's no reason to cut it from a counter-focused build, and the price reflects consistent demand rather than a spike. It has stayed in this range because the effect is genuinely powerful and not easily replicated, so don't expect a meaningful discount.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.