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InMagic: The Gathering, green is the color of nature, of unchecked growth, and of life itself. So it’s no surprise that in a format like Commander, mono-green can be an extremely potent strategy. Green can help ramp out the scariest monsters while drawing tons of cards to eventually overwhelm your opponents under a tsunami of green power.
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Green also happens to be the easiest color to splash into other decks, but for this guide, we’ll discuss the staple cards that you should include in a mono-green commander deck. This is hardly an exhaustive list, but we’ll give you a good idea of the cards you should be looking at before embarking on your green commander journey.
Ramp
If there’sone thing Green knows how to do, it’s ramp. There are so many green cards that help make extra mana, find lands from your deck to put them into play, or turn your creatures into lands, or do something else that somehow produces mana, that it’s simply impossible to list them all.
To highlight a few,Cultivate,Kodama’s Reach, andSakura-Tribe Elderprovide potential card advantage, whileExplorationandAzusalet you play those extra lands you’ve drawn.Omnathdoubles as both a mana ramp and a giant threat, while the twoNissasboth ramp and attack later on.
Despite being a mono-green list,Delighted HalflingandBirds of Paradiseare still making the cut simply on the off-chance that your opponent’s cast a spell that requires you to have differently-colored mana, and they’re both at least as good as theLlanowar/Fyndhorn/Elvish Mystictrio.
Card Draw
Outside of blue, green is perhaps the next-best color for drawing a ton of cards. Usually, green’s card draw is tied to its creatures somehow, likeGarruk, Primal HunterorBeast Whisperer, but occasionally you’ll find a card likeHarmonizeor Sylvan Library that just draws more cards.
Throw in a few of these cards, and you’ll likely never have to worry about your hand running dry.
Removal
Green generally prefers to keep things alive rather than kill them, but it can still get rid of problematic cards when it needs to.
For creatures, that means having your larger creatures fight theirs through something likeRam ThroughorKogla, the Titan Ape, or the best green creature removal spell,Beast Within.
Green is especially great at destroying things that aren’t creatures.Nature’s Claim,Krosan Grip, andAcidic Slimeall get rid of artifacts and enchantments, whileForce of Vigordestroys up to two at a time. And never forget the best removal spell in the game ofDesert Twister.
Special mention goes to Scavenging Ooze which can shut down graveyard strategies single-handedly.
Board Wipes
As a color that prefers unchecked growth,green struggles to wipe the boardwhen it becomes problematic. Still, there are a few ways green can achieve mass removal in its own special ways.
The first is green’s utter contempt for creatures with flying.Hurricane,Whirwind,Squall Line, andWindstormeither kill all flying creatures outright or deals enough damage to put them down.Silklask SpiderandWhiptongue Hydraare especially great at keeping flying critters down.
The second is green’s hatred for artifacts and enchantments.Bane of ProgressandBack to Naturedestroy all artifacts and/or enchantments, which can be a powerful way to shut down decks that rely on either.
Special note goes toSetessan Tacticswhich can result in a beneficial board wipe in the right circumstances.
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Enchantments
Green can be a bit hypocritical with its hatred for enchantments when it has several extremely powerful ones.Doubling SeasonandParallel Livesoften cause token-based strategies to go completely wild (a common theme for green), whileUnnatural Growthmerely causes your creatures to double in size. Considering how big green creatures often start, that’s a significant problem for your opponents.
The newElven Chorusgets a special nod here for being both card draw and mana ramp at the same time.
Artifacts
Green gets as much utility out ofLightning GreavesandSol Ringas everyone else, but there are a few tangentially green artifacts that deserve a mention.
The Great Hengeis one of them. It’s both card draw and mana ramp, but it also gives a +1/+1 token to every creature, which can pair well with Doubling Season.Lifecrafter’s Bestiaryis also good card draw, andStaff of Titaniaprovides a massive power bonus for mono-green decks.
Lands
Most of your lands should be forests, but besidesRogue’s Passage, there are a few other lands that we should look at.
Castle Garenbrigcan help ramp out big creatures extremely early on and is an easy pick for green decks.Boseiju, Who Enduresmight be too expensive for casual Commander players, but it’s a great way to add a bit more flexibility to your deck.
Blighted WoodlandandMyriad Landscapearen’t necessarily green lands, but they help get lands from your deck into play, which is always a good thing.Tranquil Thicketwill eventually be either played or cycled as needed.
Tutors, Overruns, and Other Utility Spells
Green has a few more tricks worthy of consideration.Worldly Tutorsets the bar for green’s ability to find creatures it needs when it needs them, whileChord of Calling,Green Sun’s Zenith, andFinale of Devastationputs them into play.
Cards such asOverwhelming StampedeandOverruncan give your army the extra power it needs to eliminate a player, whileHeroic InterventionandTamiyo’s Safekeepingkeep your key critters safe.
Green is also occasionally good at grabbing cards from its graveyard to use again.Regrowthis the gold standard here, but don’t forgetEternal Witness.
Big Creatures
Green loves its big creatures, and a comprehensive look at green’s biggest and brightest would be an article unto itself. But for Commander, you’ll want big creatures that are hard to kill.Woodfall Primusis perhaps the best of them as it also eliminates any non-creature permanent on arrival.
Otherwise, you want your opponent to die before they can play an answer.Cratehoof BehemothandVorniclex, Monstrous Raidercome out with haste, allowing them to swing immediately and with great effect.
Multanimight be old, but he’s still a great mono-green option that can prove problematic thanks to shroud.
Small Creatures With Big Effects
Finally, not every green critter is about smashing faces with huge numbers.Some of them are just here to help.
Seedborn Museis better than giving your creatures vigilance as it lets them tap for mana or use abilities on every opponent’s turn.Sarythmakes every attack a potentially deadly combat round, andDosangreatly simplifies your combat strategies by shutting down instant-speed responses.
Quirion Rangermight not look like much, but it can help ramp and protect your life total at the same time. And of course, no green deck should go without anEternal Witnessto help bring back vanquished threats from the graveyard.
