Chronomaton
Artifact Creature — Golem
, 
: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska
- Price
- $0.12
- EDHREC rank
- #16100
Chronomaton is a one-mana artifact creature that accumulates +1/+1 counters on its own at the cost of a tap and a colorless mana — slow by most standards, but purpose-built for counter-hungry commanders. In Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate decks it's not just filler; it's a self-contained counter engine that fuels Omarthis's proliferate-and-exile gameplan from turn one.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate
Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate wants every cheap, repeatable counter source it can find, and Chronomaton delivers one each turn cycle without needing spells or additional creatures to fire — just mana and a tap.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Chronomaton is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but its competitive ceiling across non-Commander formats is essentially zero — a 1/1 that grows one counter at a time can't keep pace with the threats those formats demand. In Commander it finds a genuine home, specifically in +1/+1 counter and proliferate strategies where the slow drip of counters compounds through synergy rather than raw speed. Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate decks include Chronomaton at a 43% rate for exactly that reason — it's a colorless, budget-proof engine piece that works on curve and keeps working every turn after.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.12 bulk tier
At $0.12, Chronomaton is deep bulk — you're picking this out of a common box, not a singles order. That price is stable; there's no casual demand spike coming for a card this narrow, but there's also no reason it costs more than it does.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.