Ripples of Potential
Instant
Proliferate, then choose any number of permanents you control that had a counter put on them this way. Those permanents phase out. (To proliferate, choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there. Treat phased-out permanents and anything attached to them as though they don't exist until their controller's next turn.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander
- Price
- $7.06
- EDHREC rank
- #1016
Ripples of Potential dumps two +1/+1 counters onto each creature you control at instant speed — the kind of board-wide pump that turns a stalled combat into a blowout or pushes an Explore trigger over the edge. Inspirit, Flagship Vessel runs it in over 76% of decks, and that number tells you everything about where this card belongs.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Inspirit, Flagship Vessel
Inspirit, Flagship Vessel wants to Explore repeatedly, and Ripples of Potential's instant-speed counter distribution synergizes with every creature that cares about growing — 77% inclusion isn't an accident, it's the card doing exactly what the deck needs.
Hakbal of the Surging Soul
Hakbal of the Surging Soul scales on +1/+1 counters and rewards putting them on as many Merfolk as possible, making Ripples of Potential a natural fit that advances both the combat plan and any counter-doubling synergies in the 99.
Kilo, Apogee Mind
Kilo, Apogee Mind cares about counters accumulating on creatures, and Ripples of Potential distributes them wide at instant speed — exactly the trigger density Kilo wants to build toward its payoffs.
Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus
Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus proliferates, and any card that puts counters on the board first gives proliferate more to work with; Ripples of Potential seeds the battlefield so Tekuthal's ability immediately multiplies the investment.
Atreus, Impulsive Son // Kratos, Stoic Father
Atreus, Impulsive Son // Kratos, Stoic Father rewards building up creatures fast, and Ripples of Potential's board-wide distribution gives both halves of the commander something to work with when the dust settles.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Ripples of Potential is a Commander card in every meaningful sense — it's a sorcery-line effect at instant speed that rewards wide boards and counter synergies, which is the bread and butter of the 100-card format. Legacy and Vintage technically allow it, but neither format gives a two-mana instant that pumps your whole board a competitive home; the effect is too incremental for those metagames. Oathbreaker shares enough of Commander's counter-centric design space that Ripples of Potential sees fringe play there, particularly under Planeswalker commanders who generate creature tokens.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
If the cost is the sticking point, Inspiring Call gives a similar board-wide effect at the same mana cost and replaces itself with cards — it doesn't distribute counters the way Ripples of Potential does, but the cantrip often makes up the gap in raw value. Nissa's Expedition and similar mass-pump instants fill the combat trick role at well under a dollar, though they lack the permanent counter placement that makes Ripples of Potential worth the premium in counter-synergy builds.
Price Context
Current price
$7.06 mid tier
At $7.06, Ripples of Potential sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate inclusion, cheap enough that it shouldn't be cut for budget reasons if your deck actually wants it. The price reflects concentrated demand from high-volume counter-synergy commanders, and as long as those archetypes stay popular, it holds its floor.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Inspirit, Flagship Vessel
- Hakbal of the Surging Soul
- Kilo, Apogee Mind
- Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus
- Atreus, Impulsive Son // Kratos, Stoic Father
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.