Ozolith, the Shattered Spire

{1}{G}
Legendary Artifact

If one or more +1/+1 counters would be put on an artifact or creature you control, that many plus one +1/+1 counters are put on it instead.

{1}{G}, {T}: Put a +1/+1 counter on target artifact or creature you control. Activate only as a sorcery.

Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

Set March of the Machine
Rarity Rare

Why Play Ozolith, the Shattered Spire

Counter-based strategies get a massive boost from this artifact's doubling effect, turning modest +1/+1 counter synergies into explosive threats. Deploy it early in games where you're building around creatures like Luminarch Aspirant, Conclave Mentor, or any deck running proliferate effects to immediately double your counter production. The activated ability provides a reliable mana sink in longer games, while the cycling option ensures you're never stuck with a dead card when facing aggressive strategies that don't give you time to set up.

Format Notes

Commander represents this card's strongest format, where longer games allow the doubling effect to compound dramatically and the singleton nature makes the consistency boost valuable. Pioneer and Modern hardened scales decks have experimented with it as additional copies of Hardened Scales, though the higher mana cost limits adoption in faster formats. Historic sees occasional play in +1/+1 counter tribal builds, particularly those leveraging Conclave Mentor or Luminarch Aspirant.

Combos & Synergies

Hardened Scales creates an incredible engine where a single +1/+1 counter becomes three counters total, enabling explosive turns with Walking Ballista or Hangarback Walker. Luminarch Aspirant and other consistent counter producers benefit enormously from the doubling effect, quickly growing threats out of removal range. Proliferate cards like Contentious Plan or Karn's Bastion become significantly more powerful when every counter they add gets doubled across your entire board.

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Artifact Cantrip