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Evolution Witness

Creature — Elf Shaman Mutant

{1}{G}: Adapt 2. (If this creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, put two +1/+1 counters on it.)
Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on this creature, return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.

CMC
3
Mana cost
{2}{G}
Color identity
G
Rarity
common
Set
Modern Horizons 3
Price
$0.61
EDHREC rank
#917
Buy on TCGplayer
Evolution Witness card art
Evolution Witness turns proliferate into a repeating recursion engine — every counter added via Inexorable Tide or similar effects lets you rebuy any permanent from your graveyard, which is a massive rate for a two-mana creature. Jenova, Ancient Calamity decks in particular abuse this loop to keep key pieces cycling back every single turn.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Jenova, Ancient Calamity

Jenova, Ancient Calamity

68.2% of decks · synergy 0.65

Jenova, Ancient Calamity's proliferate triggers fire constantly, meaning Evolution Witness returns a permanent from the graveyard on virtually every turn cycle — it's one of the core engines of the archetype and appears in over 68% of Jenova lists.

02
Dionus, Elvish Archdruid

Dionus, Elvish Archdruid

51.9% of decks · synergy 0.48

Dionus, Elvish Archdruid generates +1/+1 counters on elves at scale, and Evolution Witness sits right in that counter ecosystem — every counter placed by Dionus's ability is a free permanent recovery waiting to happen.

03
Felothar, Dawn of the Abzan

Felothar, Dawn of the Abzan

50.2% of decks · synergy 0.47

Felothar, Dawn of the Abzan cares deeply about creatures leaving and entering the battlefield with counters, and Evolution Witness fuels both sides of that loop by returning permanents whenever it gets a counter placed on it.

05
Marath, Will of the Wild

Marath, Will of the Wild

44.4% of decks · synergy 0.40

Marath, Will of the Wild distributes counters as a core function, and Evolution Witness converts every counter Marath places into a rebuy on any permanent — a clean, low-cost value engine that over 44% of Marath decks already run.

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 legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Evolution Witness earns its keep — proliferate commanders turn it into a permanent recursion loop that compounds every turn, and the density of counter-based synergies in the format makes its ability reliably active. In Pauper it's legal and technically playable, but the format lacks the proliferate density needed to make the recursion trigger consistently, so it sees minimal competitive play there. Legacy and Vintage are legal but uninterested — graveyard recursion at that power level requires either immediate impact or a cheaper cost, and Evolution Witness offers neither by those standards. It's a Commander card through and through.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

1,084 decks
Reyhan, Last of the AbzanEvolution WitnessAshnod's Altar

Reyhan, Last of the AbzanEvolution WitnessAshnod's Altar

Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature; Infinite colorless mana; Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite storm count

View on Commander Spellbook ↗
501 decks
Reyhan, Last of the AbzanEvolution WitnessPhyrexian Altar

Reyhan, Last of the AbzanEvolution WitnessPhyrexian Altar

Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature; Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite storm count

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

$0.61 bulk tier

At $0.61, Evolution Witness is firmly bulk — cheap enough to grab a playset without thinking. Given its near-70% inclusion rate in the most popular commander that wants it, the price is unlikely to move much in either direction; it's just a staple that hasn't broken through to broader recognition yet.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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