Whenever Baxter enters or attacks, each creature you control with a counter on it gains flying until end of turn.
Whenever you draw a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Baxter.
Baxter is a mono-blue counters-matter commander that snowballs through card draw: every card you draw grows Baxter, and you build a board of counter-bearing creatures that all gain evasion when Baxter enters or attacks. You want to flood the table with proliferate, +1/+1 counter payoffs, and wheels/draw engines, then crash in for lethal evasive damage or close with a counter-doubling combo.
Mono-blue gives flawless access to the best card draw, counterspells, and proliferate in the format.
Baxter turns any draw engine into a free, repeatable buff on himself, snowballing fast.
Built-in evasion makes a wide counter-based board hard to block profitably.
Cheap four-mana commander that contributes to the gameplan the turn he lands.
Mono-blue lacks targeted creature removal and struggles against go-wide token decks.
Heavily reliant on Baxter for evasion; frequent commander removal slows the clock badly.
Counters-matter shell can be fragile to board wipes that ignore toughness buffs.
Limited reach—without evasion or trample the board can be chump-blocked indefinitely.
Cheap, repeatable draw that triggers Baxter every upkeep your opponents cast spells.
Add fast mana (Sol Ring, mana rocks) and premium draw engines like Rhystic Study and The Reality Chip to fuel Baxter's growth faster. Tighten the counter package with Branching Evolution, Kindred Discovery, and proliferate sources, then lean into a backup wincon like Thassa's Oracle so you aren't solely dependent on combat. Round out with strong interaction—Cyclonic Rift, Counterspell, Swan Song—to protect your snowball in higher-power pods.
Legendary Creature — Insect Mutant Scientist
