Highlights

  • Selesnya has a wide variety of commanders that excel in different areas, including tribal strategies and token utilization.
  • Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar is a powerful value creature that prevents opponents from casting spells on your turn.
  • Gluntch, The Bestower is a politically-driven commander that offers resources to opponents, serving as a bargaining tool.

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.

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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 December 13, 2023, by Ryan Hay: Every few sets Magic: The Gathering releases a new wave of commanders that shake up the game and push out older legendary creatures. This time around we trimmed the list a bit and added a few from some of the more recent sets. Powerful silencing effects, +1/+1 synergies, and just pure value over the course of the game are all things that Selesnya is good at and the Commanders Kutzil, Malament Exemplar, Sovereign Okinec Ahau, and Leinore, Autumn Sovereign all have secured a place on this list.

20 Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar

A Command Zone Silence Is Pretty Good

MTG Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar card and art background

One of the best value creatures released in quite some time, Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar is a fantastic pick for a unique commander for players looking for something a little different. One of only a few legendary creatures that prevent your opponents from casting spells, Kutzil ensures that your opponents can't interrupt your plans while you set up your board on your turn by preventing them from casting any sort of spell during your turn. They can still activate abilities of their cards to respond in other ways, but so long as that spell needs to be cast, they can't interact with you on your turn.

This effect, combined with his second ability to draw you a card when you deal combat damage to a player with a creature with a higher power than its base power, Kutzil makes for a solid creature-based commander that gives you some breathing room during your game.

19 Gluntch, The Bestower

Gluntch The Diplomat

Image of the Gluntch, the Bestower card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Olivier Bernard

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.

18 Satsuki, The Living Lore

It's Story Time!

Image of the Satsuki, The Living Lore card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Ryan Pancoast

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.

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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.

17 Leinore, Autumn Sovereign

Lead Your Coven To Victory

Leinore, Autumn Sovereign by Fariba Khamseh

A strong Command that provides consistent value turn after turn, Leinore, Autumn Sovereign takes a somewhat overlooked ability and lets you use it to great effect. Leinore comes with coven, an ability that requires you to have three or more creatures with different power to get its effects.

Leinore helps guarantee you almost always hit your coven trigger by putting a +1/+1 counter on any creature you control, then, if you control three or more creatures with different powers, you draw a card. This way you can keep providing a steady stream of slowly growing creatures while keeping your hand full of cards.

16 Katilda, Dawnheart Prime

Ramp Like Never Before

Image of the Katilda, Dawnhart Prime card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Bryan Sola

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.

15 Trelasarra, Moon Dancer

The Life Gain Champ

Image of the Trelasarra, Moon Dancer card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Kieran Yanner

Printed in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Trelasarra, Moon Dancer is an efficient commander that can provide additional value for you whenever you gain life. A 2/2 Elf Cleric for two mana, whenever you gain life, you also get to scry one card and then put a +1/+1 counter on Trelasarra.

When paired with repeatable effects that can repeatedly cause you to gain life each turn, this creature can become quite an imposing offensive threat whilst helping to smooth out your draws, ensuring you have just what you need on your next turn.

14 Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist

1v1 Her, I Dare You

Image of the mirri, weatherlight duelist card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Magali Villeneuve

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.

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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.

13 Arahbo, Roar Of The World

The King Of Cats

Image of the Arahbo, Roar of the World card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Jesper Eising

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.

12 Rhys, The Redeemed

Show Them The Power Of Tokens

Image of the Rhys the Redeemed card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Steve Prescott

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.

11 Sovereign Okinec Ahau

Watch It Spiral Out Of Control

MTG Sovereign Okinec Ahau card and art background

It can take a turn or two for Sovereign Okinec Ahau to build up, but once it does there's very little your opponents can do to stop you from taking over the battlefield. Any time Okinec Ahau attacks, you get to put +1/+1 counters on each creature that has a higher power than its base power, with the number of counters on each creature being equal to the difference. For example, if you have a 1/1 creature that's getting +2/+2 for whatever reason, you get to add two +1/+1 counters to that creature, making it a 5/5.

On your next turn, that 1/1 creature now gets four +1/+1 counters, and so on for every attack after the first. You'll want to make sure to stock up on plenty of dice, especially if you have a lot of Anthem effects and plenty of creatures and tokens out.s

10 Emmara, Soul Of The Accord

Vehicles Love Her

Image of the Emmara Soul of the Accord card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Mark Winters

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.

9 Lathiel, The Bounteous Dawn

I Gain Life, You Get Stronger

Image of the Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Lucas Graciano

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.

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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.

8 Trostani, Selesnya's Voice

Populate Your Own Battlefield

Image of the Trostani Selesnyas Voice card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Sidharth Chaturvedi

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.

7 Kyler, Sigardian Emissary

Humans Have Found Their Champion

Image of the Kyler, Sigardian Emissary card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Dmitry Burmak

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

Instant Speed Shenanigans

Image of the Emiel the Blessed  card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Antonio Jose Manzanedo

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.

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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 Selvala, Explorer Returned

Bring Everyone With You On Your Adventures

Image of the Selvala, Returned Explorer  card in Magic: The Gathering, with artby Tyler Jacobson

At only three mana, Selvala, Explorer Returned comes down quickly and starts producing tons of value not only for you but for all your opponents if it can hang around for a turn or two. You can tap Selvala to activate her parley ability, having each player reveal the top card of their library. Each nonland card revealed this way adds one green mana and gains you one life, and then everyone gets to draw that card.

Even though all players are drawing a card, you can make the parley effect better for yourself by repeating this effect with cards like Umbral Mantle and Thousand-Year Elixir. The odds are pretty good that you'll hit some number of nonland cards, seeing as most commander decks run more spells than lands, giving you tons of mana and cards to dig for whatever answer you need.

4 Captain Sisay

She's The Best Captain Ever

 Image of the Captain Sisay card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Ray Lago

A legend among legends, Captain Sisay is a commander capable of adapting to nearly any situation by calling on the power of other legendary cards. By tapping Captain Sisay, you can search your library for any legendary card, and put it into your hand.

This allows you to reliably tutor for cards each turn Sisay is in play, as long as those cards are legendary. Sisay decks are often constructed as highly adaptable toolboxes that can reliably search for the answers that they need in any scenario. Since Sisay only cares that the card you get is a legendary one, you can get legendary sorceries, artifacts, lands, and more.

3 Karametra, God Of Harvests

The God Of Ramp

Image of the Karametra, God of Harvests card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Eric Deschamps

Karametra, God of Harvest is an excellent option for a Selesnya commander, supplying notable rewarding you for performing basic actions you would be performing, regardless of if Karametra was in play.

Whenever you cast a creature spell, you can search your library for a Forest or Plains, putting it directly into play. Karamatra is capable of greatly accelerating any Selesnya deck, turning any creature into a potent mana ramp spell. This ability can reliably allow you to put two or more additional lands into play, leading to quite explosive plays that can make great use of this impressive sum of potential mana.

2 Calix, Guided By Fate

Guided By Enchantments More Like

Image of the Calix, Guided by Fate card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by PINDURSKI

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.

1 Sythis, Harvest's Hand

Pure Value For Just Two Mana

Image of the sythis, harvest's hand card in Magic: The Gathering, with art by Ryan Yee

Sythis, Havest's Hand is easily one of the most powerful commanders printed within the past few years. An absolutely stellar commander for an enchantment-based deck, Sythis offers incredible value for a negligible mana cost.

For a mere two mana, this 1/2 enchantment creature states that whenever you cast an enchantment spell, you gain one life and draw a card. This means that you will never have a lack of cards, as each of your enchantment spells will be able to replace themselves upon being cast, with this potent value engine reliably coming online as early as turn two!

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