What it does
Amass means you create or grow an Army token. The first time you amass, you make a 0/0 black Zombie Army token (or Orc Army, depending on the card), then put that many +1/+1 counters on it. If you already have an Army, you don't make a new one—you just add counters to your existing Army.
The big rule people miss: you only ever have one Army to grow (per player), so all your amass effects pile counters onto the same token. That makes it a single, snowballing threat rather than a wide board. Amass X means add X counters. Also, the Army keeps its other types—"Amass Orcs" makes it an Orc Army, which can matter for tribal synergies.
In Commander, Amass is fine but vulnerable: pouring counters into one creature means a single removal spell or board wipe erases all your investment. It rewards protection and counter-doubling effects.
Iconic cards with Amass
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