Lost Jitte + Karn's Bastion + Cryptic Trilobite + Hardened Scales

4-card combo · G

Verdict

Yes — this 4-card loop generates infinite proliferate triggers off a self-funding mana engine that requires only a single starting counter on each piece.

Cards required: 4
Cheapest stack total: $12.74
Color identity: G
Popularity: 25 decks
Format: Commander

Buy required cards on TCGplayer

Karn's Bastion proliferates to stack Lost Jitte and Cryptic Trilobite simultaneously; Hardened Scales turns the two +1/+1 counters from proliferate into three, giving Cryptic Trilobite enough colorless mana to untap the Bastion via Lost Jitte and repeat indefinitely. The combo lives in Atraxa, Praetors' Voice or any green counter shell that can assemble four permanents and seed the initial counters.

Recipe

How it works

Prerequisites

Lost Jitte has at least one charge counter on it. Cryptic Trilobite has at least one +1/+1 counter on it.

Steps

Activate Karn's Bastion by paying , putting a charge counter on Lost Jitte and two +1/+1 counters on Cryptic Trilobite.
Activate Cryptic Trilobite's first ability twice by removing two +1/+1 counters from it, adding that can only be spent to activate abilities.
Activate Lost Jitte by removing a charge counter from it, untapping Karn's Bastion.
Repeat.

Result

Infinite proliferate

Variations

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider doubles placed counters and can replace Hardened Scales if the math needs a backup doubler, though it adds a 6-mana creature to the pile. Infinite proliferate wins immediately with any poison counter on an opponent, Darksteel Reactor at ten counters, or a Walking Ballista already in play — the loop is the engine, but the table needs a counter that proliferating to infinity actually kills with.