The 30 Best Modified Cards in Magic Ranked

Arna Kennerüd, Skycaptain | Illustration by Cristi Balanescu

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty brought a mechanic to Magic that completely reshaped how we look at classic strategies built around equipment, auras, and +1/+1 counters. The modified mechanic rewards you for upgrading your creatures in any of these ways, which breathed new life into Voltron builds, counter-focused decks, and even go-wide token strategies.

From powerhouse creatures to support cards that make the theme shine, I’ve rounded up the best of the best.

Intrigued? Let’s find out what made the cut!

What Are Modified Cards in MTG?

Thundering Raiju | Illustration by Xavier Ribeiro

In Magic: The Gathering, a creature is considered modified if it has an equipment attached to it, is enchanted by an aura you control, or has one or more counters on it. This definition was introduced in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, and has been revisited multiple times since. Think of “modified” as a shorthand that ties together three common ways to upgrade your creatures—buffs from auras, equipment, and counters. If a creature meets any of those conditions, it counts as modified, and many cards reward you for stacking these upgrades.

Note that auras controlled by another player don’t modify your creatures.

#30. Orochi Merge-Keeper

Orochi Merge-Keeper starts as a simple mana dork, but once it’s modified, it doubles its output by tapping for 2 green. It’s an excellent ramp piece in any modified deck, especially when you back it up with early counters from Jugan Defends the Temple or Bristly Bill, Spine Sower. It’s a smooth bridge into your bigger threats and synergies.

#29. Temperamental Oozewagg

Temperamental Oozewagg may look unassuming, but adapt makes it easy to keep it modified and its static ability gives all your modified creatures trample. Even small creatures with counters or auras can punch through blockers. Combine it with Aeve, Progenitor Ooze or Loading Zone to overwhelm opponents with unstoppable, trampling damage.

#28. Towashi Guide-Bot

Towashi Guide-Bot enters by handing out a +1/+1 counter and then it becomes a steady draw engine, with its ability that costs less the more modified creatures you control. It’s a natural fit with Iron Spider, Stark Upgrade, which spreads counters across artifact creatures, and Agatha of the Vile Cauldron, who reduces activated ability costs. Together, they turn Towashi into both a counter source and a repeatable card advantage machine.

#27. Silver Sable, Mercenary Leader

When Silver Sable, Mercenary Leader enters, it spreads a +1/+1 counter to another creature, and every attack hands out lifelink to a modified ally. That combination keeps you aggressive while it pads your life total. Pair it with Araña, Heart of the Spider or Costume Closet to get both combat power and sustain, which ensures your creatures hit hard and stick around longer.

#26. SP//dr, Piloted by Peni

SP//dr, Piloted by Peni is all about card advantage. It adds a counter when it enters and then draws you cards whenever a modified creature connects. That makes every equipment or counter you place feel even better. It works especially well with Lyla, Holographic Assistant or Herald of Secret Streams to fuel a strategy that doesn’t just attack but keeps your hand stocked.

#25. Lion Umbra

Lion Umbra is a sturdy aura built for modified decks. It gives +3/+3, vigilance, and reach while also offering umbra armor, which lets it save the creature from destruction once. It’s a natural partner for aura-focused commanders like Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief, who copies your buffs, or Uril, the Miststalker, who loves to pile on enchantments. Together, they turn any body into an unstoppable threat.

#24. Invigorating Hot Spring

One of the best haste enablers, Invigorating Hot Spring enters with four counters to spread across your team and gives every modified creature haste. Each new threat can attack immediately, which keeps pressure constant. Its counter-moving ability adds flexibility, too. Pair it with Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider or Doubling Season to build a board that grows quickly.

#23. Flame Discharge

A modest but flexible removal spell, Flame Discharge scales with your mana and gets a built-in bonus if you control a modified creature—something that’s almost always true in these decks. That extra 2 damage makes it a clean answer to midrange threats. It pairs well with setup pieces like Lavaspur Boots or Flayer Husk, which ensures your creatures stay modified while this clears blockers out of the way.

#22. Lethal Throwdown

Lethal Throwdown is a removal spell that gets stronger with modified creatures. Sacrificing any creature kills an opposing creature or planeswalker, but if the sacrificed one was modified, you even draw a card. This turns auras, counters, and equipment into extra value. It pairs smoothly with One with the Kami or Guardian of the Forgotten to turn sacrifices into both answers and resources.

#21. Golden-Tail Trainer

What makes Golden-Tail Trainer shine is how its cost reduction scales with its power to let you drop auras and equipment more and more cheaply. On top of that, it pumps all your other modified creatures when it attacks. Combine it with Lion Umbra or even pump spells like Giant Growth to boost its power, and suddenly you’re flooding the field with discounted upgrades and huge swings.

#20. Guardian of the Forgotten

Guardian of the Forgotten offers vigilance and maintains board presence by manifesting the top card of your library whenever a modified creature dies. That steady stream of creatures means your losses turn into fresh threats. Even better, with Demonmail Hauberk, you can set up an infinite loop by sacrificing manifested creatures to re-equip, which continually replaces them. It’s a sneaky way to turn death into endless advantage.

#19. Envoy of the Ancestors

With outlast to build itself up and a payoff that grants lifelink to all your modified creatures, Envoy of the Ancestors thrives in grindy matches. Even a modest board suddenly swings for huge chunks of lifegain. It pairs beautifully with counter engines like Terrasymbiosis or protection tools like Swiftfoot Boots to keep your team both sturdy and rewarding in long games.

#18. Ian the Reckless

When Ian the Reckless attacks while modified, it can hurl its power at an opponent or a creature, though it also hits you in the process. That double-edged trigger makes it both risky and powerful, and it serves as removal and direct damage in one. With Furor of the Bitten or Sticky Fingers, it becomes a fast pressure piece. The damage from Ian's trigger won't count as commander damage, but if you give it lifelink with something like Shadowspear, you can effectively cancel out the self-damage while you keep the burn.

#17. Ondu Knotmaster

Ondu Knotmaster grows stronger each time another modified creature you control dies, piling on counters and turning into a real mid-game threat. Its adventure half, Throw a Line, spreads counters before it brings the Knotmaster in as a lifelinker. It plays especially well with Felisa, Fang of Silverquill, who rewards death and counters, and Nalia de'Arnise, who thrives in party and modified shells, to keep the board full and dangerous.

#16. Akki Battle Squad

Akki Battle Squad makes modified decks terrifying by granting extra combat steps whenever your army swings. That's explosive on its own, but when you bring in Sword of Hearth and Home, the ceiling shoots way higher. By equipping another creature with the Sword, you can chain the exile-and-return trigger to reset Akki Battle Squad, untapping your team each time and creating infinite combat damage. With pieces like Kodama of the West Tree or Chishiro, the Shattered Blade, that loop snowballs into a guaranteed win.

#15. Araña, Heart of the Spider

Araña, Heart of the Spider is perfect to keep pressure on your opponents. Every attack grows one of your attackers with a counter, and modified creatures that connect let you exile the top card of your library to play that turn. With equipment like Sword of Truth and Justice or cheap auras like Ethereal Armor, Araña keeps your hand and board full of options.

#14. Biorganic Carapace

Slap Biorganic Carapace on any creature and suddenly combat damage becomes a major payoff. It boosts stats while also rewarding you with card draw for each modified creature you control that connects. That means a swarm of counter-loaded tokens or aura-stacked threats can refill your hand in one swing, especially with support from Chishiro, the Shattered Blade.

#13. Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei

Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei does two things extremely well: It gives your whole team haste for a single red mana, and if you have a modified attacker, it spits out a 5/5 flying Dragon Spirit token. Pair it with counters from Invigorating Hot Spring or equipment like Bonesplitter, and suddenly you’ve got an army of hasty, flying finishers that takes over games.

#12. Jugan Defends the Temple / Remnant of the Rising Star

One of the best Limited bombs in Neon Dynasty, Jugan Defends the Temple ramps with a monk, sprinkles counters, then flips into Remnant of the Rising Star, a dragon spirit that piles even more counters onto your creatures. Hitting five modified bodies gives it +5/+5 and trample and turns it into a finisher. Token-makers like Esika's Chariot or counter synergies from Hardened Scales make it snowball out of control.

#11. Kami of Celebration

Every time a modified creature attacks, Kami of Celebration lets you exile the top card of your library and play it, which keeps your momentum rolling. Plus, whenever you cast from exile, one of your creatures picks up a +1/+1 counter. This card shines with Light Up the Stage or Reckless Impulse to fuel a steady stream of plays while building a wider, stronger board.

#10. Mirror-Style Master

With backup to spread counters and a wild attack trigger, Mirror-Style Master spits out token copies of your modified creatures whenever it swings. Even a modest board can suddenly double in size for one turn, overwhelming blockers and opponents alike. Pair it with Kodama of the West Tree or Thundering Raiju for devastating chains of value, and remember: If everything is modified, you basically duplicate your whole army.

#9. One with the Kami

One with the Kami is a sneaky aura that transforms any modified creature into a token factory. When that creature or another modified one dies, you create spirit tokens equal to its power, which turns big losses into big upgrades. It’s excellent with Greater Good to let you draw cards and then refill the board with tokens. Pair it with Lethal Throwdown or Viscera Seer to turn sacrifice into overwhelming advantage.

#8. Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor

Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor makes aura-heavy builds run smoother by giving your enchantments affinity for auras, so they’re cheaper the more you cast them. On top of that, casting an aura that targets a modified permanent draws you a card. Combined with Ethereal Armor or All That Glitters, Pearl-Ear not only keeps costs down but also makes sure your hand never runs dry.

#7. Red XIII, Proud Warrior

With vigilance and trample built in, Red XIII, Proud Warrior shares both abilities across your modified army to make every creature tougher to block and harder to race. It also recovers auras or equipment from the graveyard, which keeps your tools in play. It’s fantastic with Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER for full Final Fantasy flavor: It lets Cloud suit up, draw cards, and generate Treasures while Red XIII ensures the whole squad hits like heroes.

#6. Sephiroth, Fallen Hero

Sephiroth, Fallen Hero is all about raw power. When it attacks, you can put a cell counter on a creature, and suddenly all your modified creatures become massive 7/5s for the turn. That kind of burst can end games quickly. Plus, if and opponent takes it out, you can sacrifice a modified creature to bring it back. Pair with Akki Battle Squad for devastating repeat swings.

#5. Silkguard

Silkguard is both protection and growth rolled into one. By spending X, you distribute +1/+1 counters and give all your modified creatures, auras, and equipment hexproof until end of turn. It’s an amazing response to board wipes or targeted removal.

#4. Thundering Raiju

Thundering Raiju crashes in with haste and spreads damage every combat by stacking counters and pinging opponents for each modified creature. It's both an enabler for other modified cards and a huge payoff for already having modifications on your creatures.

#3. Chishiro, the Shattered Blade

Chishiro, the Shattered Blade doesn’t just lean into a Voltron strategy—it also goes wide by giving you a 2/2 spirit with menace when your auras and equipment enter. At the end of each turn, it piles counters onto all your modified creatures, which turns small tokens into real threats. You can pair it with Skullclamp or Rancor to grow one creature tall while you flood the board wide.

#2. Kodama of the West Tree

For any modified deck, Kodama of the West Tree is the ramp engine you dream of. It gives all your modified creatures trample and fetches basics whenever they connect with an opponent. Every counter, aura, or piece of equipment not only makes creatures scarier but also keeps your mana flowing. It’s absurdly good alongside Innkeeper's Talent or Basri's Solidarity.

#1. Arna Kennerüd, Skycaptain

Arna Kennerüd, Skycaptain is a powerhouse for modified decks that rewards you every time a modified creature attacks. It doubles counters and even copies attached permanents, which turns a simple equipment or aura into extra value. Pair it with Sword of Fire and Ice or All That Glitters to snowball advantages quickly while gaining protection through ward and lifelink.

Is it just me, or does the name read like “Anna Kendrick” the first time you see it?

Wrap Up

Golden-Tail Trainer | Illustration by Nino Vecia

There are plenty of modified support cards spread across different sets, with modified being a central mechanic in sets like Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, Modern Horizons 3, and Marvel's Spider-Man. What do you think—do you enjoy the mechanic, and would you like to see it come back more often in the future?

Let us know in the comments or on the Draftsim Discord! Thanks for reading, and if you found this guide helpful, remember to follow us on social media so you never miss a thing.

Take care, and see you next time!