Low-Cost Buffs for Ajani, Wise Counselor: Tiny Synergies, Big Power

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Ajani, Wise Counselor card art from Magic: The Gathering Core Set 2019

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Tiny Buffs, Big Payoff: Exploring Ajani's Low-Cost Synergies

Ajani, Wise Counselor is a planeswalker that invites you to think in terms of momentum rather than brute force. With a mana cost of {3}{W}{W} and a starting loyalty of 5, this white powerhouse rewards patient planning and small, incremental advantages. The art by Eric Deschamps captures a poised, regal figure whose calm presence can be felt in every thumbnail of your board. As a mythic rarity from Core Set 2019, Ajani isn’t just a stat stick—it’s a thematic beacon for lifegain, board presence, and meaningful endgame planning. 🧙‍♂️🔥

What makes Ajani particularly exciting in multiplayer formats and casual Commander games is how approachable the +2, -3, and -9 abilities feel when you build around them with low-cost synergies. The +2 lets you stack life for each creature you control, turning a modest swarm into a durable lifegain engine. The -3 pumps your entire army for a single turn, which can swing combat in your favor or clear a stale board with a well-timed boost. And the -9 isn’t something you sneak into play every game, but when life totals are high and your board is teeming with bodies, you can drop a game-changing number of +1/+1 counters on a single threat. The result is a controller who rewards incremental building blocks rather than one-shot blowouts. 💎⚔️

Strategic premise: building a deck around tiny buffs

Ajani’s chamber of counters and lifegain hinges on a simple premise: every creature you add to the battlefield increases both your life total and your potential for Ajani’s loyalty-driven power spike. The best low-cost synergies lean into three ideas: cheap creatures, universal buffs, and steady life gain. By stocking the board with low-mana acquisitions—think 1- or 2-mana creatures that either provide a body or a lifegain trigger—you create a reliable platform for Ajani to shine without needing a heavy mana curve. In a lot of games, you’ll find that a handful of sturdy, budget-friendly creatures combined with a handful of efficient buff effects can produce long-term value that outpaces flashier, high-cost plays. 🧙‍♂️🎲

One practical route is to pair Ajani with a chorus of modest creatures that contribute to your life total as a group. Each creature you control becomes more valuable as your life climbs, and Ajani’s +2 can quickly transform a dozen dorks into a formidable frontline. In parallel, you can weave in low-cost buff spells or anthem effects that raise the floor of your entire team. The key is consistency: if you can reliably generate at least a few life-for-creature conditions each turn, Ajani’s abilities begin to feel like a scheduled, automatic boost rather than a desperate hail mary. 🔥

Token engines, lifegain, and the ultimate payoff

Tokens and lifegain are a natural mate for Ajani’s toolkit. A small cadre of white token producers, paired with life-gain enablers, can push your board to a critical mass where Ajani’s +2 becomes a permanent booster for your entire squad. The lifegain sources don’t have to be flashy; even simple creatures that heal you over time can accumulate a powerful life total with Ajani on the battlefield. When life total starts climbing, Ajani’s -9 becomes a potent “win-more” option, capable of slamming a single creature with enough +1/+1 counters to swing through stubborn stalls or race to a lethal commander damage moment. 💎🎨

There’s also a design lesson to appreciate: Ajani’s safety margin comes from white’s inherent resilience. You’re not chasing a single big spell so much as assembling a durable web of interlocking pieces. A couple of humble auras or equipment pieces, when attached to your weenies, can turn ordinary turns into near-miss wins. And if you’re the kind of player who enjoys the theatre of timing, Ajani’s -3 can be the catalyst that makes your combat step feel like a meticulously choreographed scene from a story arc. ⚔️

Rarity and collectibility add another layer of flavor. Ajani, Wise Counselor is a foil-ready centerpiece for many players—its mythic status and lore-friendly design give it a place of honor on a display shelf or a gaming table. The card art, the sense of a wise guardian leading a loyal cadre, and the elegant mechanical suite all contribute to why this planeswalker remains a beloved pick for those who enjoy clean white-stone strategies with a lifegain heartbeat. For the purists, the card’s presence in Core Set 2019 denotes a moment when white’s midrange tempo and life-first mindset got a chance to shine. 🧙‍♂️💎

As you plan a Commander night or a casual duel, you might even consider a tactile nod to your hobby beyond the cards themselves. A stylish desk setup—like a Customizable Desk Mouse Pad (One-Sided Print, 3mm Thick, Rubber Base)—can make long sequences of play feel a touch more personal and immersive. A reliable mouse pad is the unsung hero of many long-session evenings, and who knows? The art you choose might mirror your Ajani-centered strategy or serve as a daily reminder to stay patient, protect your lifegain, and plan your board presence with a calm, white-hot focus. 🧙‍♂️🎲

Whether you’re chasing a few incremental wins or aiming for a dramatic late-game swing, Ajani’s toolkit rewards patient building and thoughtful synergy with small, affordable pieces. The joy of this approach lies in realizing that you don’t need a single, explosive payoff to feel the thrill of shaping the battlefield. Small buffs, stacked wisely, become a chorus of momentum that carries you toward victory with a smile and a hint of strategic swagger. 🔥

Customizable Desk Mouse Pad (One-Sided Print, 3mm Thick, Rubber Base)

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Ajani, Wise Counselor

Ajani, Wise Counselor

{3}{W}{W}
Legendary Planeswalker — Ajani

+2: You gain 1 life for each creature you control.

−3: Creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn.

−9: Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is your life total.

ID: b4a22ecc-3a5c-44a1-bb52-bbeffa2dbf17

Oracle ID: 341f198b-beb6-4a44-af91-a64a5989c865

Multiverse IDs: 450228

TCGPlayer ID: 168623

Cardmarket ID: 359833

Colors: W

Color Identity: W

Keywords:

Rarity: Mythic

Released: 2018-07-13

Artist: Eric Deschamps

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 13840

Set: Core Set 2019 (m19)

Collector #: 281

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — legal
  • Timeless — legal
  • Gladiator — legal
  • Pioneer — legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — not_legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — not_legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — not_legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — not_legal

Prices

  • USD_FOIL: 7.95
  • EUR_FOIL: 3.50
Last updated: 2025-11-14