Kodama of the East Tree

Legendary Creature — Spirit

Reach

Whenever another permanent enters the battlefield under your control, if it wasn't put onto the battlefield with this ability, you may put a permanent card with equal or lesser converted mana cost from your hand onto the battlefield.

Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)

Discussion (48)

QuirkyQU33FER on Ashaya, Soul of the NONSENSE

1 week ago

check out some of these biznitches

Kodama of the East Tree , Staff of Domination , Zendikar Resurgent , Karametra's Acolyte , Argothian Elder , Tireless Provisioner , Timber Protector , Sylvan Advocate , Embodiment of Insight , Kalonian Twingrove

Mana_Mythic_Legendary on Pursuing Perfection, Part 5: Mono-Green …

3 weeks ago

Ah, my favorite color. Not coincidentally, my wife hates it. I love ramp, I love the utility, the pervasive value, and I even like the shortcomings because I feel they're sporting. I have three mono-Green decks. My oldest deck is a Green deck. I have been watching Green so closely as each set comes out that I didn't even need to research the legends available in order to write this.

But enough squeeing about my preferences (for now). Let's talk turkey. Picking a best color is highly subjective: while I'd like to say that all five colors are equal in strength, it can't be said honestly. Black has the tutors and thematic viciousness to fight for the top. Blue's strength in control and draw make its long-debated position as most competitive highly secure. White and Red are solidly trailing the others. Where does this leave Green?

Green has a unique capacity to destroy (or fight) anything, but not all the thing: Beast Within and Acidic Slime are great, but unless you're an enchantment, artifact, or bird, then you don't need to concern yourself with Green boardwipes. The utterly absurd advantage that comes of Green's affinity for ramp is often shattering. However, all arguments for Green's strength are undercut by an unfortunate fact: if you can't smash face in the combat phase, you can't usually win. Helix Pinnacle . Epic Struggle . Against these two cards and the odd sorcery referencing some sort of windy calamity, the other colors have actual themes: Black has vampirism, Blue has milling, and Red has burn. Even White has a small but potent spread of alternate wins, generally tied to life totals.

However: a jack of all trades is a master of none, but ofttimes better than a master of one. Let's consider whether Green is a specialist or a generalist: Blue has control and draw, but Green has a fine well of draw effects to pull from, a true wealth of hexproof and... and whatever keyword they'll eventually assign to "can't be countered." The sheer scope of creatures with game-changing effects that Green can tutor, while comprehensive, isn't quite the same as tutoring anything (shut up, Black). That said, a well-placed Tooth and Nail can win the game just as readily. Green can't burn players but can fight any creature and Terastodon any party of super-friends. No, Green isn't a powerhouse on the stack or outside the combat phase, but the raw versatility of Green isn't something the other colors can readily match.

Personally, I can't comfortably argue that Green is the most competitive mono-color in commander. However, I will argue that it's the most generally capable, and like all the colors a powerhouse in the right hands. Whether my hands are the right ones isn't the question: Green is the color I'm most comfortable with, the color I feel most capable with, and my answer to the most important question in any game: "What are you happiest playing?"

Today, we discuss three most prevalent trends in Green. Chonks: the biggest beasts on the battlefield. Ramp: mana for days. Land: all the land (bear with me, I know those last two are rather close). As always, please bear in mind that our focus here is not necessarily competitive but rather on thematic, archetypical commanders.

Chonks

There are a lot of ways to make creatures threatening. Artifacts like Coat of Arms or Argentum Armor , auras like Green's own Blanchwood Armor , and everything in between. Green has another approach as well, tending toward, rather than making creatures threatening, instead making threatening creatures. Just look at the Primordial Hydra (or pretty much any hydra). Other colors have their own fatties, to be sure, but until the Eldrazi came Green's only real rival for the Bigger-is-Better Belt was Blue's theme of large, typically overpriced fish (Colossi also bear mentioning). Colored kaiju tend to come with additional costs beyond mana once they reach a certain size, examples being Death's Shadow or Jokulmorder . The only cost Green generally asks is mana, and frequently at a discount. Hehehehe...

Sometimes you just need a hulk, and at a trampling 12/12 Ghatla is the hulkest legend there is, provided you don’t go poking around the Blind Eternities for plane-eating spaghetti monsters. Like a certain strange woman lying in a pond, you might never have to pay full price for this general. That is a great, beautiful, thundering apex predator of a wonderful thing.

I love Selvala, but do her grievous wrong: I rarely remember the card draw because of all that sweet, sweet mana. In justice, this magnificent beast would be cozy in the ramp section, but filling your hand by dropping one chungus after another, then getting what’s likely a full refund on the mana? That’s what I call incentive! I'd consider her for a commander any day, except... well, we're coming to that.

The original mama-bear brings a fine pair of goodies to the table: a discount for your hefties and overrun-lite on the charge for such big boys, ensuring they heft even more heftily. Arm & Hammer owe her an endorsement deal. Hefty!

Ramp

Anyone with a pile of rocks can manage fast mana. Black and Red both have decent options. Green, though, has been the ramp champ for time immemorial. Since mana burn is a thankfully dusty memory, you can flood that pool to your heart's content without the risk of accidentally frying yourself. Whether your taste runs toward slamming lands down with Cultivate effects, boosting the output of those lands with Mana Reflection , or tapping dorks like Priest of Titania , glorious excesses of mana can be yours!

Readers may recall I mentioned an Ashling deck with 99 mountains in the red article. Sometime after seeing it, I noticed a copy of Sasaya in my collection. 64 lands and a handful of mana dumps later, I had a deck that either died quietly or detonated into splendid, jaw-achingly excessive victory (seriously, it’s always one or the other). Wakeroot Elemental , Helix Pinnacle , and Sprouting Vines are just a few of the fabulously facetious options available to this, my favorite kamigawan commander. Nothing will be the same after your first opponent gets smacked in the face with Killer Bees for absurdly lethal damage. I have this deck built, and adore it. However, my favorite, to which we are by degrees coming, is not Sasaya.

I miss Rofellos, but since he’s banned we might as well talk elves somewhere in here. Boy howdy are there a lot of good elves: the tribal synergy in ramp alone is good enough that they get played where other decks would play rocks, and there’s more than that up their pointy-eared sleeves. Rewarding oneself for playing elf-ball with the mana to make said ball bigger is just good sense. However, slapping something like Strata Scythe on her will get some fine results too. Enjoy that general damage, or the effects of Umbral Mantle . And, if general damage isn't your thing but elfball is, pour all that mana into Ezuri, Renegade Leader .

It's the simple things in life you treasure, and Azusa is nothing if not simple. There many ways to ramp, but doing so in the true green style means dropping lands faster than your opponents. Fill your hand, empty your hand, repeat. The raw advantage that Azusa represents is incredibly intimidating. Just be sure to bring a Horn of Greed so you don't run out of steam.

Land

I acknowledge that this is somewhat under the "Ramp" umbrella. Again, bear with me. If you check the phrase "Search your Library" on Gatherer, Green has more cards than any two other colors combined, the catch being that most of those cards tutor basic land. If you consider a color's tutor strengths as thematic commentary (shut UP, Black), this suggests that Green has a lot to say on the matter of land. Whether tutoring, untapping, or animating and wrecking face a la mana base, no other color is as tied to the land as is Green. Just think on the implications of, say, Life and Limb and the aforementioned Coat of Arms (or any boardwipe, especially if Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth is out).

What's the opposite of a conniption? Whatever that is, I had one when they printed this glorious godsend to all green combo players. The sequoia-sized middle finger Ashaya sends to Cyclonic Rift is only the beginning. Consider that Kamahl, Heart of Krosa becomes Keywords-on-a-Stick with our girl out. Consider that anything which untaps lands now untaps your mana dorks too. Consider that Argothian Elder UNTAPS ITSELF. The only reason Ashaya isn't heading one of my Green decks is because, degenerate as she is, she doesn't have Partner, turn into a broke-ass enchantment, or... we're coming to that. Nearly there.

"Screw your boardwipes" about sums it up. Both Khamals can animate lands and buff them, but this one's wording is much, much meaner if you've got to teach some trigger-happy nuker a lesson.

One of my favorite Green cards is Constant Mists . There are enough other sacrifice effects in Green, as well as lands that drop themselves, that Titania can become a real menace in short order. Bring Glacial Chasm , a few effects like the Oracle of Mul Daya , and the all-important Crucible of Worlds . Trust me. It works. There's a guy in the local playgroup who does this with a most politely evil smile.

And, for my personal favorite:

Ok, is anyone who's made it this far actually surprised? Omnath is all that is Green, and I've been gleefully running this stompy monstrosity for over a decade. Who needs Voltron when you can simply turn on a glorious green engine of mana, throw out some trample (I prefer Nylea, God of the Hunt , and turn an opponent into so much paste? Don't feel like attacking? Save it for next turn! The banking mechanic alone would be enough: an early Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger is the best you can hope for if you're silly enough to let Omnath sit on unspent mana for even a turn. That he gets bigger with each mana in the pool is just a treat. A vicious, opponent-killing, delicious treat.

And in case you're wondering, the third green deck is Kamahl, Heart of Krosa and Kodama of the East Tree . No instants. No sorceries. Just draw and ramp.

That's it for this round. Thoughts and questions are welcome. I hope you enjoyed it, and will come back next week for Azorius!

Prior Articles:

Mono-White

Mono-Blue

Mono-Black

Mono-Red

Pikobyte on Ulrich, of the Krallenhorde Mid Power

1 month ago

In general more ramp and draw makes your deck significantly faster. Maybe add Kodama of the East Tree since it provides a lot of value. If combat damage is your main wincon you’ll prob have a hard time in high power. Maybe include some way to combo or at least something like Natural Order + Craterhoof Behemoth to pump out a ton of damage in a single turn and kill multiple opponents at once, but 20 creatures might be a bit low for that style. Or include Tooth and Nail with any 2 card Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker combo. Since high power plays a lot of combos you should maybe also get some more instant interaction to prevent opponents from comboing as well as some protection to secure your wins. Vexing Shusher or Veil of Summer prevent your opponents from countering your game winning stuff. 20 creatures also isn’t enough to get value out of lurking predators. Getting this up to high power while keeping the werewolf tribal might be quite challenging

Pikobyte on Simic Experiment 2.0

2 months ago

I would add like 3 more lands to the deck because of the decks high cmc and synergy with lands like tatyova and Aesi. Also can highly recommend Kodama of the East Tree . It gives you an extra land into play whenever you play a land and cheats in other big stuff. Koma makes you a token... put a land into play. Wurmcoil engine dies... put 2 lands into play. Elvish piper cheats in Blightsteel colossus... put darksteel colossus into play for free too. The value from Kodama is just nuts

Snake_Oil on Enter the Random Combo Deck …

2 months ago

Know what? I'm down.

Rerolled once as the first combo I got was a $200 4 card combo, kind of defeats the object of the budget in my opinion.

Now I got Kodama of the East Tree + Emeria Angel + Boros Garrison .

That suits me, I rarely think about Landfall decks. Now I'll have to!

Jay3401 on Her Royal Fluffness

2 months ago

seshiro_of_the_orochi

Awesome deck dude!! Might build my own version pretty soon.

Ever considered Kodama of the East Tree ?

ijakobe on Walk in the Vastwood

2 months ago

I think Kodama of the East Tree ist a powerful card from Commander Legends.

You have a lot of bg Creatures, i would recommend some of the real good draw spells for that: Greater Good Rishkar's Expertise Return of the Wildspeaker # The Great Henge

Suggestions for ramp are Three Visits and more 1-Mana mana dorks like Birds of Paradise and Fyndhorn Elves , just so get out faster. you then might have enough 1-toughness creatures to justify Skullclamp , which is an awesome draw engine and uses your creatures in the late game. My Nissa Deck is a bit more focused on lots of mana real early, without any beatdown plan, but maybe you get some ideas.

golgarigirl on golgari landfall question

2 months ago

I don't know how competitive you're going, but I've seen some sick Kodama of the East Tree / Kamahl, Heart of Krosa + Tormod, the Desecrator land decks out there as well.

Part of it is based on how competitive you're going, of course budget, and even playstyle. Gitrog will often be a bit more combo-based, where I'd peg the partners (especially with Kamahl) as more aggressive.

Landfall/lands matter is a HUGE archetype and has cards in most sets out there to the point where for my lands deck, I have trouble deciding what I can take out for new cards since it's so streamlined. You're going to be spoiled for choices with this strategy, and can build it a whole bunch of different ways.