One of the best reasons to play green in Commander & EDH is access to the most powerful ramp spells in the game. As you’ll see in this list, there are even green ramp cards in MTG that give you access to four lands by turn two!
When it comes to green ramp, there are a few varieties. The first variety is tempo ramp cards. These give you the option of playing additional lands during your turn. The other type of ramp grabs lands from the battlefield and puts them into play.
Different types of ramp cards are better depending on the type of deck you play. In this list, we’ll be focused on generically good ramp cards. That means we’ve excluded extremely powerful cards like Priest of Titania, as it’s exclusive to elf decks and mediocre in most other builds.
Without further ado, here are the 12 Best Green Ramp Cards in Commander:
Honorable Mention: Gaea’s Cradle
Although this list focuses on ramp spells and does not include lands, we had to mention Gaea’s Cradle. This card is so powerful that its price has historically reached as high as $1,000 for a single copy. In the early game, it easily acts as a Forest. In the mid and late game, it becomes the best card in any deck running it.
#1 Burgeoning
If there’s one green ramp spell I want in an opener, it’s Burgeoning. Before your second turn, you’ll have up to four lands in play, which is pretty wild. The biggest downfall here is it doesn’t create any card advantage. Pair this with Rhystic Study and you have a draw ramp engine like no other.
#2 Exploration
While not quite as explosive as Burgeoning, you’ll still be able to double up on lands every turn with Exploration. It also pays for itself on turn one since you can play another land after resolving it.
Exploration and Burgeoning are both tempo cards and effectively reduce your hand size by one. You’ll want card advantage to make up for this, otherwise, you’ll look like the threat at the table with a ton of early lands and nothing to do with them.
#3 Skyshroud Claim
Skyshroud Claim is a legend of the Commander format. Played since it was called EDH, it gives you two untapped Forests.
Imagine playing this, using the two untapped lands to cast Three Visits, and using the untapped land from Three Visits to cast Green Sun’s Zenith for one mana to grab a Dryad Arbor. That’s the power getting untapped lands with ramp represents.
#4 Archdruid’s Charm
Archdruid’s Charm may not have the best rate for ramping, but it is the most versatile ramp in the game. The ability to use it at instant speed to find a combo creature, destroy a creature, or exile an artifact or enchantment is incredibly useful.
Oh, and it puts any land onto the battlefield. So yeah, go get that Gaea’s Cradle!
#5 Green Sun’s Zenith
Green Sun Zenith is a one mana Rampant Growth when it grabs Dryad Arbor! Toward the late game, it also grabs any number of game-ending creatures. Although it is not as versatile as Archdruid’s Charm, it’s incredibly mana-efficient.
#6 Mana Dorks
The building block of green ramp is mana dorks. There’s quite a long list, with Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Elves, and Birds of Paradise being the usual suspects.
Being a creature is both a benefit and a liability in Commander. On the one hand, they die to board wipes, and on the other hand, they also synergize with creature-based strategies. A 1/1 Elvish Mystic can become a fearsome creature with Coat of Arms or Craterhoof Behemoth in play.
#7 Wild Growth / Utopia Sprawl
Much like mana dorks, we have the one mana enchantment ramp of Wild Growth and Utopia Sprawl. If your deck doesn’t benefit from Elfball like benefits, these enchantments are perfect because they often stick around.
From turn two onwards, they are also effectively a free spell because you cast it on your untapped land.
#8 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
Azusa is the engine for a multitude of land-based Commander decks. It turns card draw into free spells when you’re dropping three lands a turn!
As with all cards that give the option of playing additional lands, it’s purely a tempo play, so pair it with adequate card draw.
#9 Three Visits / Nature’s Lore
#10 Carpet of Flowers
Carpet of Flowers is one of those amazing or meh cards depending on the pod. Thankfully, blue is one of the best colors in Commander, which means you’re likely to be playing against at least one opponent with Islands.
Just adding one mana a turn makes this a one-mana ramp spell. Once an opponent has two or more Islands in play, it becomes ridiculously overpowered.
#11 Flare of Cultivation
Move over Cultivate and Kodama’s Reach, there’s a new sheriff in town! Flare does everything those Commander classics do but better. You can sacrifice any creature, perhaps a mana dork, to cast this spell for free! Not a bad turn 1 option in Commander!
#12 Explore
Explore is the perfect ramp card. Early game it draws you the land you need and gives you the opportunity to play it. Late game, it turns into card draw. A fitting card to end our list with.
That’s all the cards from our list of the 12 Best Green Ramp Spells in Commander & EDH! We hope this list helps improve your green deck so you’ll be playing ahead of your opponents’ curve!
If you’re building a green deck, check out our article on the best green card draw in Commander to improve your deck’s consistency!
READ MORE: 10 Best MH3 Cards for Commander
