Need to amp up your card draw for a green-based Commander deck? Green has some pretty nutty card draw engines which will greatly improve any EDH or Commander deck.
We’ve journeyed through the archives of MTG, past to present, for every green card draw card ever printed to find the very best to consider.
For this article, Enchantress-themed cards have been excluded, as those are for a niche strategy that will auto-include them. We’re talking cards like Argothian Enchantress, Enchantress’s Presence, and Verduran Enchantress.
We’ve also excluded cards like Last March of the Ents, as it’s more of a finisher for its mana cost than a draw card.
Instead, we are focused on draw engines and cards that can be run in any green Commander deck, although they focus a bit more towards the creature side. Green decks are almost always creature-based, and that’s where the majority of their card draw is. If you’re not creature creature-focused deck, don’t worry, we still have some great options for you.
Now, let’s explore Magic’s history and unveil the 10 Best Green Card Draw in Commander!
Honorable Mentions
Before we get to the green spells, there are some incredibly powerful artifacts to consider in your Commander deck. Namely, The One Ring and Skullclamp.
The One Ring can buy you a turn and draws an increasing number of cards. Skullclamp is also perfect for green because you tend to run a multitude of 1-toughness critters that will draw you two cards per equip!
Next up are some pretty insane green card draw engines! Enjoy!
#1 Sylvan Library
The best green draw card in Commander is without a doubt, Sylvan Library. It’s been a staple of the format since its inception and remains one of the best draw spells in the entire game of Magic
Drawing two cards a turn provides huge card advantage in Commander. The life loss can be painful, but tolerable when you start at 40. Later in the game you can always choose not to draw or use one of the many green life gain effects to offset it.
#2 The Great Henge
Almost every green Commander deck wants a copy of The Great Henge in its 99. It adds mana, gains life, pumps creatures, and draws cards!
Typically, you’ll be able to cast this for 4 mana or less toward the mid-game and then use the last few creatures in your hand to keep the card advantage rolling in.
#3 Guardian Project
Guardian Project is a pretty awful constructed card for most formats, but it didn’t take long for Commander players to realize this always draws a card in singleton formats.
In a creature-based deck, you’ll never run out of steam with a Guardian Project in play. It pretty much adds the line “draw a card” to every creature in your deck!
Guardian Project triggers on ETB, not on cast, so flicker effects like Ghostway or cards with evoke abilities will draw you cards too.
#4 Up the Beanstalk
The newest card on our list is banned in Modern. Up the Beanstalk draws a card on ETB and whenever you cast a spell with mana value 5 or greater.
This pretty much guarantees drawing 2 cards or more for only two mana, which is an extremely efficient and rare rate in MTG. It’s not uncommon to draw 3 or 4 cards throughout a game here. It remains playable late-game because it cantrips itself.
The only deck that doesn’t want Up the Beanstalk is an Elfball like build which may not be running many spells with mana value 5 or greater.
#5 Garruk’s Uprising
Garruk’s Uprising is a staple in most Green Commander decks and included in just about every green creature-based precon. On ETB, it can draw a card, and whenever you cast a beefy creature, it will draw additional cards.
Being only three mana means you can often play it on turn two and follow it up with big creatures that will draw you cards every turn from there on out.
The trample ability can also become relevant over the course of a game. There’s no shortage of token chump blockers in Commander, and Garruk’s uprising will stomp over them.
#6 Compost
Compost power level ranges from the best draw card in your deck to average to completely unplayable depending on the pod. Black is one of the most popular colors in Commander, and as long as one player is running it, there’s a good chance you’ll get some card draw here.
The key component of Compost is it draws you cards whenever a black card is put into an opponent’s graveyard from anywhere.
Did they discard a black card? Did they mill a black card from their deck to their graveyard? Did a permanent get destroyed? All of those scenarios draw cards.
If there’s a player playing black, Compost is going to draw you 5+ cards over the game pretty easily. And if there are multiple black players in a pod, you’re looking at the potential to draw a double-digit amount of cards. It can easily be the most powerful card in your deck. For that reason, it’s worth running even if it ends up dead on a few occasions.
#7 Greater Good
There’s games when I almost decked myself with Greater Good, that’s how much card draw this thing can pump out. Sacrificing 6+ power creatures to draw 6 cards and discard 3 lands is powerful.
What makes Greater Good so good is that its ability is instant speed and it sacrifices. Are they about to gain control of your creature? Sacrifice in response. Are they going to play Inkshield to kill you next turn? Sacrifice in response. Do they wipe the board? Sacrifice in response.
If you run cards that provide recurring power pumps like Xenagos, God of Revels, you’ll get more mileage out of Greater Good than most other players.
#8 Return of the Wildspeaker
Return of the Wildspeaker is the go to 5 mana draw spell for Green. It typically will reset your hand to 5-7 cards.
Other green draw spells draw cards equal to target creature’s power. This leaves you vulnerable because an opponent can destroy that creature in response and you draw nothing. Other draw cards require you to sacrifice a creature, which can be equally unfun. Return of the Wildspeaker gets around both because if an opponent destroys your biggest power creature in response, you will just draw whatever card has the most power in play after that.
Pumping your creatures by 3 toughness to survive a Toxic Deluge is also pretty epic.
#9 Beast Whisperer
Beast Whisperer is an essential draw engine in creature-based green decks. It’s costed efficiently and is an Elf so synergies with many other cards such as Priest of Titania.
The biggest downside here is if an opponent wipes the board, you not only lose your board state, but your draw engine.
#10 Hunter’s Insight
Finally, we have Hunter’s Insight. I’m tempted to run this card simply for the amazing artwork by Jim Murray, but it’s draw effect is solid too.
Green severely lacks card draw in the 3 mana cost range that is typically the bread and butter area for colors like blue. You’re usually required to sacrifice creatures or wait for creatures to ETB first. Hunter’s Insight can draw you cards right away!
In the early to mid-game, Hunter’s Insight sneaks in to draw you 4 cards a fair amount of times. In the mid to late game, opponents will try to remove your creature, so wait until you have a Blossoming Defense or similar card in hand to get blowout card advantage. It also turns that Blossoming Defense into an extra draw 2 for one green mana!
That wraps it up! Those are our top 10 Green Draw Spells in Commander. If you’re building a green Commander deck, you might be interested in reading our list of the 10 Best Elf Commanders in MTG too.
READ MORE: MTG 10 Best White Card Draw in Commander
