Lost Jitte + Karn's Bastion + Cryptic Trilobite + Benevolent Hydra

4-card combo · G

Verdict

Yes — this 4-card loop generates infinite proliferate triggers in a green counters shell with two of the three supporting pieces already pulling independent weight.

Cards required

Cheapest stack total

$25.71

Color identity

Popularity

9 decks

Format

Commander

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Karn's Bastion proliferates for 4 mana, but Lost Jitte untaps it for free after Cryptic Trilobite converts the new +1/+1 counters into the colorless mana to pay. Benevolent Hydra doubles every +1/+1 counter placed on Cryptic Trilobite, which is what keeps the Trilobite's fuel supply growing fast enough to sustain the loop. The table sees a counters deck doing counters things until the Jitte hits the board and suddenly everything with a counter on it is going infinite.

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

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

Inexorable Tide and Contagion Engine are slower proliferate engines if Karn's Bastion is Strip Mined out, but neither closes the loop — the four-card configuration is the specific line. Spike Weaver, Walking Ballista, or Hydra Omnivore are clean winners once proliferate goes infinite; Benevolent Hydra itself becomes the kill if the loop runs long enough to give it enough +1/+1 counters to swing lethal.

Lost Jitte + Karn's Bastion + Cryptic Trilobite + Benevolent Hydra

How it works

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

Other combos sharing these cards