Hello MTG fans! I hope that your day is going super mega well! Today I have something fun for you. Earlier this week I wrote a Commander build around taking the old Standard Tempest Block era deck in Golgari colors called Dark Spike Girls that ran that tribe from that block and would remove counters for effects and then bring them all back with four Living Deaths to sweep the board and attack for wins.

I included three great Spikes in my Standard winning Abe's Deck of Happiness and Joy built around the interaction of Sneak Attack, Lifeline and Living Death. I would drop Sneak Attack, attack with powered up stuff for one mana each, keep them for another run with Lifeline if another creature was controlled and then bring them back in a mass exodus from my graveyard with Living Death.

And I ran Spike Feeder in my nasty Standard Tradewind/'Geddon brew that we'll talk about later, but I've never run a Spike deck before until now. It was a fun way to finish the last of four decks built around upgrading Standard decks from that Era (Sliving Death) or two Theme Decks (Counterburn with "The Sparkler" and Pestilence in Orzhov with "The Plague")

Now we are ranking all 11 Spikes ever printed for casual play like Commander, Cube, Five Color, Highlander and multiplayer but not my normal list of Type Four since none of these are playable with infinite mana but one spell per turn.

Let's kick this thing off!

Honorable Mention #1 (#11 Overall). Spike Drone

Let's start with the sample of what this tribe would offer as a one of in Tempest as a common. This costs one, has one +1/+1 counter on arrival to the battlefield and then you can move those off for two colorless mana. As a 1/1 for one mana that's not too bad, although modern casual decks would want a bigger power from a one-drop to beat like 2/1 with a weakness for the same mana at common Jungle Lion or a 1/1 with a better ability like fellow common Llanowar Elves or Essence Warden.

You can move the counter off at instant speed like a combat trick, to kill a planeswalker that you attacked, or when targeted by removal like Lightning Bolt or Terror. Or you can attack with a few dorks, and then the ones not blocked you can hop off counters so that your smashed 1/1 blocked by a 3/3 Phantom Monster can still add damage to the unblocked 1/1 thing and keep up pressure and it's great in +1/+1 counter brews. Despite those tricks this adds in nothing else and is basically one of three "vanilla" Spikes that add nothing else to do with their counters. We'll be looking at the next two soon!

#10. Spike Worker

A Gray Ogre Spike. Most would prefer a Grizzly Bear Spike for two mana. You get double the counters for triple the price. Although its larger size does make its tricks for moving the +1/+1 counters better for stuff, it's still not modern-era strong. Note that both this and Drone can move all of their counters if they hit their land drops the turn after dropping them, making them safer swings in combat or to chump block and then move the counters to a bigger thing so you don't lose your size. It's still basically a vanilla Spike with nothing else, just like the next one...

#9. Spike Colony

Our final hitting "vanilla" Spike. This five-drop arrives with four +1/+1 counters and then will not have anything else. You get twice as many counters as the Worker above but just for two more mana. It's beefy and what for dinner. Sure, you'd prefer four mana in a modern context but then you still get a fine beater, swinging and with four counters to pop over!!! Now let's add another ability to use our counters for things other than moving them around...sorta...you'll see with the next card!

#8. Spike Rogue

Hello, uncommon Spike Rogue! You cost three for two +1/+1 counters, so a harder Spike Worker. But you have two abilities, not one. You can move counters from it to other places for two mana and then from other places to it for two mana, so for four you can redistribute a +1/+1 counter from one dork to another. Drop that to one mana each, two total with Heartstone or Training Grounds. That's very strong. Heartstone was in print in this block and then made the cut for this brew, but it helps your other stuff. This can make it a big beater from stealing from other dorks, I just wish it had trample or another evasive options like menace or flying. But in mono-green that's trample. Next is our most expensive Spike!

#7. Spike Hatcher

Hello Spike Hatcher fans! I got your big boy here, our first rare on today's countdown is hitting our #7 spot. It also costs an even seven mana and arrives as a 6/6. Not bad for the beef and it can swap counters to other things for two mana each. Then you can spend one mana to pull off a counter and regenerate it, so that's a nice way to save it a few times from combat and destruction-based removal like Murder and then mass removal that allows it like Day of Judgment. It's fun! Next is our only Black Spike just before hitting the Top Five.

#6. Spike Cannibal

You are getting all of the +1/+1 counters from everything when it enters the battlefield. Nasty, and this pulls them from foes and your stuff too, and in multiplayer that's where this shines. This could easily grow to a game winner in a 20-life format with the right brew or the right metagame to drop it. Unlike the other Spikes, this is the only one that won't move counters around for two mana each. Win that game with this Spike! Next is our lone Spike from outside of the Tempest Block. Ready for my Top Five?

#5. Spike Tiller

Ah yes...the Time Spiral Spike! Welcome to our Top Five! This five-drop gives you three counters and thus arrives as a fun 3/3. You can move counters around for two mana each, like normal. Or you can pull them off for two mana to make a land a 2/2 for the turn and then put a +1/+1 counter on it so it'll be a 3/3 this turn and then could grow in future turns as you do this again. Making a 3/3 blocker can kill a 2/3 attacker, and once you've done that once, no one will attack you again. Then you can pull them all off on one turn to make three 3/3s and attack and kill someone with nine or fewer life. Nice alpha strike there. It's good for defense or offense. And then there were four left, and the next four made my cut in my deck this week. Everything from here on out it all costs four or fewer mana!

#4. Spike Breeder

Since it's not one of the "Big Three" the Breeder of Spikes doesn't get the play it should, but I like it. You can pull them to other things fortwo each like normal, or you can pull them off for the same cost to make a permanent 1/1 Spike. I like this much to make three chumps while swinging at people, or to swap counters for dorks to protect from targeted removal or to turn other +1/+1 counters its way into bodies to matter. It was played during its era in the Standard-legal Dark Spike Girls with the next three dorks.

I love this synergy with Commander Classic Doubling Season. It arrives as a 6/6. Then you can pull off one counter to make two 1/1s. Nasty synergy there. Also note that the Season and other +1/+1 counter effects will really break this Tribe since you can spend two mana to pull off one counter and then put two counters on the dork you targeted, plus the doubling when they entered the battlefield. That means you can grow your Spikes over time instead of just moving the counters around. Now let's turn to the lowest ranked of the "Big Three."

#3. Spike Solider

The other win-con Spike! This four-mana 3/3 can move counters around like normal and then pull them off for free to pump it by +2/+2 that turn, so you can, in one turn, make this into a once of 6/6 for trading with a six-toughness dork that attacked you or hitting someone for the death dealing. I ran this in Abe's Deck of Happiness and Joy alongside Sneak Attack to punch as a 6/6 without evasion, just one fewer than Verdant Force but a cheaper drop if you have to hard cast it. I loved Sneaking out a Spike and then using the rest of your mana to hop counters to kill someone or something out of nowhere. And then you can bring it back with a Living Death effect or keep it out with a Lifeline that makes this a 6/6 every turn or hopping counters to make someone else bigger. It was very synergetic in my brew and was strong game winner in Dark Spike Girls where you could build this up over time by moving counters to it until it became a base 10/10 and then kill in one hit.

What classic heavily played and Modern-legal "Big Three" Spike s next?

#2. Spike Feeder

The classic Standard Spike! This arrives on turn three without mana dorks, and then has two +1/+1 counters. You can remove one, for free, to gain two life, so it acts like a free four life on the battlefield. It's modern legal since it was in Time Spiral. You can move counters here from other Spikes to gain two life too. It was heavily played in Standard and made the cut in Abe's Deck of Happiness and Joy to be Sneak Attack out to chump block and gain four life. And then recur with Living Death for more life or with four life every turn (not just yours )with Lifeline. Nasty synergy there.

It was played alongside Tradewind Rider in both of its Standard dominant decks. The first combined Blue and Green with White. You would ideally drop Wall of Blossoms on turn 2 for a card, Spike Feeder on turn 3, and then the Rider on turn 4. And then Armageddon on turn 5 and then tap your Rider, Wall and Feeder to bounce an opposing nonland permanent like their creature. Then in the future turn you bounce their land they play each turn until you drop a dork to swing and win with.

The other Standard dominant deck removed White for Armageddon effects and then added the enchantment of Awakening in Simic only. Here you would drop the creatures in the order mentioned and then cast Awakening instead of Armageddon. Then you would tap and bounce a foe's permanent, then everyone untaps and then you repeat once. Awakening has everyone untap, so it's great for a Group Hug brew in multiplayer. This is the strongest Spike for Standard and was heavily played. Next is the best multiplayer Spike.

#1. Spike Weaver

The Fog Machine itself! This 3/3 four-drop rare is the best Spike for multiplayer. You can spend one mana, pull off a counter, and then Fog for the turn. Unlike Fogs in your hand, people see this on the battlefield, so they'll often send key attacks elsewhere to keep you from Fogging. Unlike other Fogs, this is not a one of, so when one opponent attacks you and you cast Fog, you've used it up and now another opponent can swing your way, but not so here. And then you can move counters for two mana like normal. This is amazing in +1/+1 counter brews since you can get increases, and then move counters here for more Fogs with Spikes, or for things like Experiment Kraj in your Simic +1/+1 Commander brew. Love this thing loads!

And there you have it! I hope that you enjoyed my deep dive into the Spike Tribe! Are you going to make a Spike deck now? How about adding them to a Commander deck! Enjoy!