Sharing a great deal of overlap in regard to abilities and mechanics, it’s no surprise that the green and white color pairing of Selesnya is brimming with power commanders in Magic: The Gathering’s Commander Format. Honing in on the strengths of both green and white, Selesnya has a wide variety of commanders that each excel in different areas befitting of the color pairing.
Whether the commanders assist tribal strategies or those that utilize tokens, Selesnya has a significant amount of viable options when figuring out which commander should lead a deck. So today we’re going to talk about the best the green and white pairing has to offer in the Commander format.
Updated May 30, 2022, by Ryan Hay: Several new and exciting Magic: The Gathering sets have been released since we last visited this consistent color combination. With an emphasis on creatures, life gain, counters, ramp, and taxing effect, there are plenty of ways to design your Selesnya to make it unique from the rest. Selvala, Explorer Returned is a powerful creature that often appears to be something of a group hug commander, until it generates tons of resources for yourself to put you far ahead your opponents. Following Selvala is Calix, Guided by Fate, an enchantment-based creature that turns all your enchantment spells into bonus +1/+1 counters to keep your team growing long into the late game.
24 Jasmine Boreal Of The Seven
Printed as a boxtopper in Dominaria United, Jasmine Boreal of the Seven is a unique commander option that incentivizes the use of vanilla creatures, helping to make otherwise overlooked creatures more useful. For three mana, this commander serves as a mana dork that if tapped, produces two mana with the stipulation that said mana may only be spent to cast creature spells with no abilities. While this narrow mana ramp can be nice, Jasmine Boreal’s more notable ability states that creatures you control without abilities can’t be blocked by creatures with abilities.
As the vast majority of creatures in the Commander format tend to have abilities, this can make your ability-less creatures incredibly difficult to block. When paired with the fact that most creature tokens tend to lack abilities, Jasmine Boreal can make for a solid token-based commander that aims to win through the use of an unblockable army of efficient tokens.
23 Siona, Captain Of The Pyleas
Siona, Captain of the Pyleas is an efficient and potent option for those looking to play a Selesnya deck that is able to make great use of enchantments. Upon entering the battlefield, Siona can search the top seven cards of your library for an Aura, putting that card in your hand.
Additionally, whenever an Aura you control becomes attached to a creature, its controller creates a 1/1 Soldier token, bolstering their numbers and board state. This allows a player to utilize a sizable number of auras to convert Siona into a deadly threat, whilst producing additional resources in the form of tokens.
22 Gluntch, The Bestower
Printed in Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, Gluntch, The Bestower is a politically-driven commander that allows you to offer opponents resources, serving as potential bargaining chips and driving negotiations. For the low cost of three mana, this legendary Jellyfish allows you to provide three different benefits to different players at the table. While one player puts two +1/+1 counters on a creature they control, another player draws a card, while the third chosen player creates two Treasure tokens. Reliable card draw and treasure generation are not benefits that should be taken lightly, proving key resources to those who may need them.
What’s important to note about Gluntch is that due to the fact that you control which players gain these benefits and who is left out, you can always provide yourself with the most advantageous option while potentially persuading an in-need opponent with resources that can be used to help take down a common enemy.
21 Satsuki, The Living Lore
Within the past few years, one of the most notable card design developments in Magic was the introduction of Sagas, enchantments that offer different benefits based on how many turns they’ve been in play. Satsuki, the Living Lore is the first-ever commander option designed specifically to synergize with this dynamic card type.
For the low cost of two mana, Satsuki may be tapped to put a lore counter on each Saga you control. While Sagas may traditionally be a rather slow card type due to their requirement to last several turn rotations to provide their full value, Satsuki allows you to speed up this clock significantly. While this value is already quite strong, when Satsuki dies, you can choose to either return a Saga from the battlefield or your graveyard, allowing you to gain that card’s full value all over again.
20 Calix, Guided By Fate
There are plenty of enchantment-based commanders in Magic but with Calix, Guided by Fate, you finally have a way to punch your opponents just a little bit harder with each enchantment you play.
An enchantment creature from the plane of Theros, Calix has a special constellation ability that triggers when he or another enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, putting a +1/+1 counter on any target creature.
Calix then encourages you to start swinging in with creatures you’ve enchanted, creating copies of a nonlegendary enchantment you control once a turn when your enchanted creature deals combat damage to a player. Thrown on a Spirit Mantle or an Unquestioned Authority to make it unblockable, and you’ll quickly start doubling up on your enchantments.
19 Torens, Fist Of The Angels
Torens, Fist of the Angels is a potent commander option for those looking to construct a creature-heavy Selesnya deck capable of amassing many substantial tokens. A 2/2 with training for three mana, Whenever Torens attacks alongside a creature with a greater power, a +1/+1 counter is put on Torens.
This means that as long as a Torens player is consistently casting progressively larger creatures and using them aggressively, Torens will grow more threatening. Additionally, whenever you cast a creature spell, you get to createa 1/1 Human Soldier token with training. As these tokens can reliably grow alongside Torens, a Torens deck is capable of reliably snowballing in power over the course of a game.
18 Katilda, Dawnheart Prime
Though Selesnya players have numerous options when selecting a Human-themed commander, many of these options impact the combat abilities or survivability of Humans, Katilda, Dawnheart Prime allows each Human under your control to function as mana ramp. A 1/1 Human with protection from Werewolves for the low cost of two mana, Katilda allows any Human under your control to be tapped in order to generate one green or white mana.
When paired with a sizable army of Humans, this ability can provide substantial sums of mana, even early into a game. Though mana ramp is impressive, Katilda even provides an outlet for this mana. For the cost of six mana, Katilda can be tapped to put a +1/+1 counter on each Human its owner controls, allowing even the least substantial of tokens to pose more of a threat.
17 Trelasarra, Moon Dancer
Printed in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Trelasarra, Moon Dancer is an efficient commander that can provide additional value for its controller whenever they gain life. A 2/2 Elf Cleric for two mana, whenever Trelasarra’s controller gains life, that player scries one card and puts a +1/+1 counter on Trelasarra.
When paired with repeatable effects that can potentially cause Trelasarra’s owner to gain life each turn, this creature can become quite an imposing offensive threat whilst helping its controller smooth out their draws through scrying.
16 Sigarda, Heron’s Grace
Though Sigarda, Heron’s Grace is not a Human herself, it is an excellent choice for a general of a Human-themed Commander deck. As an Angel seeking to protect the populace of Innistrad, Sigarda provides hexproof to both you and all Humans under your control. Hexproof is not an ability to be taken lightly, as it greatly hinders an opponent’s removal, allowing you to carry out your plans uninterrupted.
As if this weren’t enough, Sigarda is also capable of creating Human tokens by exiling cards from your graveyard, turning formerly removed and useless cards in your graveyard into another resource.
15 Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist
A frequent problem found within “Voltron” strategies in Commander is that due to the nature of Voltron decks focusing on a singular creature, a deck of this archetype can often be overwhelmed by large quantities of attacking creatures. Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist is the Selesnya answer to this conundrum.
Upon attacking, Mirri only allows opponents to block with a solitary creature, meaning that a buffed-up and equipped Mirri will most often come out on top. Mirri also helps cover you in the aftermath of an attack, allowing opponents to only attack with a single creature as long as Mirri is tapped, mitigating the damage the Mirri player would likely sustain in a potential counterattack.
14 Arahbo, Roar Of The World
Selesnya has many options at its disposal when it comes to themed commanders. If you happen to be interested in a deck of the feline variety, Arahbo, Roar of the World may be the commander you’ve been looking for. Possessing the incredibly powerful eminence ability that can be triggered with Arahbo still within the Command Zone, Arahbo can provide any of your Cats with +3/+3 each turn, allowing for a lot of extra early damage to be dealt by any smaller Cats you might have on board.
Furthermore, once Arahbo is in play, at the cost of three mana, Arahbo can provide a Cat with trample, doubling that Cat’s power as well. Paired with the +3/+3 Arahbo is already supplying, the extra damage Arahbo can supply can get out of hand quite quickly, allowing opponents to be taken out of the game seemingly out of nowhere.
13 Rhys, The Redeemed
There is an inherent strength that comes with a commander possessing a mana value of one. Through being castable within the first turn of each game, one-mana commanders like Rhys, the Redeemed are extremely reliable and can often result in games feeling like an uphill battle for one’s opponents.
A token-based commander, Rhys ensures that no matter the current board state, you will always be able to produce tokens. At the cost of three mana, Rhys can create a 1/1 Elf token. However, Rhys’ more potent ability comes in the form of his capability of creating a copy of each token you possess at the cost of six mana. This means that whether you’re trying to establish a board state early within a game, or overwhelm your opponents by doubling the number of tokens you control, Rhys is capable of remaining relevant for a game’s duration.
12 Emmara, Soul Of The Accord
Another commander with a token theme, for the low price of two mana, Emmara, Soul of the Accord is an Elf capable of creating a 1/1 Soldier token with lifelink every time it becomes tapped. This triggered ability is uniquely flexible, as the means by which Emmara could become tapped is left open-ended. This means that while Emmara can create a token through attacking, it also would create a token through a tap-based action such as crewing a vehicle.
Pairing perfectly with cards capable of repeatedly tapping or untapping creatures, Emmara is truly the token commander for the brewers and Johnny’s among us. Make sure you utilize plenty of cards that allow you to tap Emmara at instant speed, like vehicles and any enchantments to be able to produce tokens whenever you like.
11 Hamza, Guardian Of Arashin
Hamza, Guardian of Arashin is a great commander option for those looking to build a Selesnya Commander deck with a +1/+1 counter theme. A 5/5 for six mana, Hamza can actually be quite affordable to cast as its mana cost is reduced by one for each creature under your control with a +1/+1 counter on it.
Once in play, Hamza provides this cost reduction to each creature you would cast, with those spells costing one less for each creature they control with a +1/+1 counter on it. This allows for distinct builds that allow your counter-based creatures to serve as a form of mana ramp while incentivizing spreading one’s counters across your creatures rather than stacking them all on one large threat.
10 Lathiel, The Bounteous Dawn
A 2/2 Unicorn with lifelink for four mana, like Hamza, Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn was printed as part of Commander Legends. One of the new premier options for those looking to build a life gain deck, Lathiel is able to convert your life gain into an impressive offense.
This is because, at the end of your turn, you can distribute a number of +1/+1 counters among creatures they control equal to the amount of life you have gained this turn. This synergizes incredibly well with creatures with lifelink, as they can essentially provide a number of counters equal to the damage they deal each turn.
9 Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice
Yet another token-based commander, when it comes to token commanders within the format, Trostani is often considered to be the measuring stick. Toting an ability that allows you to gain life equal to a given creature’s toughness whenever that creature enters the battlefield, the process of creating numerous tokens in a Trostani deck often reaps excessive amounts of life as a byproduct of creating an army.
While this ability is solid in its own right, at the cost of three mana, Trostani can be tapped to populate, creating a copy of a token under your control. Even in an instance that your hand has run dry, you can always continue to grow your army through the power of populate.
8 Dhalsim, Pliable Pacifist
Appearing as part of the Street Fighter crossover Secret Lair, Dhalsim, Pliable Pacifist is an incredibly underrated commander option that aims to repurpose the defensive keyword of reach into card-drawing value engines. For the cost of four mana, this 1/3 with reach uniquely has access to hexproof for as long as it isn’t attacking. Most notably, Dhalsim not only states that when one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, you draw a card, but it also states that creatures with reach you control untap upon attacking and can’t be blocked by creatures with greater power.
There is a wide range of low-powered creatures with reach from throughout Magic’s history that in most cases, do little more than deter flying attackers. Dhalsim serves a distinct commander option that gives such creatures a new purpose, allowing them to gain a pseudo form of vigilance whilst consistently refilling your hand in the process.
7 Kyler, Sigardian Emissary
While there had previously been options for Selesnya Human-Tribal Commanders such as the previously mentioned Sigarda, since its printing in the Coven Counters preconstructed deck, Kyler, Sigardian Emissary is now among the strongest commander options for such a deck.
A 2/2 Human Cleric for five mana, whenever a Human enters the battlefield under its owner’s control, a +1/+1 counter is put on Kyler. While being able to reliably grow one’s commander would be a solid ability, this actually grows the size of each Human under its owner’s control, as Kyler’s second ability states that each other human under its owner’s control gets +1/+1 for each +1/+1 counter on Kyler. This means that when paired with a massive number of Human tokens, a Kyler deck can be a devastating force to be reckoned with!
6 Emiel The Blessed
A highly underrated commander that was printed in Jumpstart, while Emiel the Blessed may appear Mono-White at first glance, the Selesnya nature of its triggered ability allows it to be used as a Selesnya commander. A great option for a blink deck, Emiel’s activated ability can be used for three mana, exiling another target creature, then immediately returning it to the battlefield under your control.
This can allow you to repeatedly reap the benefits of powerful enter the battlefield triggers such as those found on cards like Wood Elves and even Terastodon, all of which can be done at instant speed!
5 Gaddock Teeg
Gaddock Teeg is a card with a reputation as one of the most salt-inducing commanders in the entire format. For only two mana, Gaddock Teeg immediately becomes the fun police of your commander table. As long as he’s in play, Gaddock Teeg prevents non-creature spells with a converted mana cost of four or greater from being cast, whilst also preventing all non-creature spells with X in their mana cost from being cast entirely.
In most circumstances, this will hinder each other player at a table as Gaddock Teeg prevents players from utilizing their most potent spells. Meanwhile, Gaddock Teeg players are able to get around these hindrances by not including any cards Teeg shuts down in their decks at all. For those looking to play a Selesnya Stax deck, Gaddock Teeg is likely an option worth considering.
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