Best Simic Green-Blue Beats: A Commander Guide
Finding your first Commander can be a challenge, especially if you're trying to build a deck for every card type or color combination. Today, we’re focusing on the best Commanders within the Simic color identity (blue and green).
For this discussion, we’re sticking to Commanders that are purely Simic. Even though Thrasios, Triton Hero is an exceptional choice, it's not included here because when paired with a Partner, it broadens the color identity beyond Simic.
Let's dive in and explore the top Simic Commanders!
Commander list
- Galadriel of Lothlorien
- Tatyova, Benthic Druid
- Hakbal of the Surging Soul
- Nadu, Winged Wisdom
- Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
Galadriel of Lothlorien
| Card | Description |
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Name: Galadriel of Lothlórien |
This pick might seem unusual at first glance. Galadriel of Lothlorien isn't typically regarded as a particularly strong or popular Commander. If you're a fan of Lord of the Rings lore, you might gravitate toward her other cards, which tend to be more popular. However, in our experience, this version of Galadriel is arguably the strongest.
Like a certain Bird Commander that you'll encounter later in this list, Galadriel has the potential to put all your lands into play in a single turn. To pull this off, you'll need a Landfall card that generates creatures and a Scry engine that triggers when creatures enter the battlefield. A classic example of this three-card combo involves Scute Swarm and Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. With these in place, you could theoretically play every land in your deck as early as turn three.
The combo works by Scrying a land to the top of your deck, which Galadriel then puts onto the battlefield. This Landfall trigger creates a creature token with Scute Swarm, which in turn triggers Elrond, allowing you to Scry again. This loop can potentially reveal another land, letting you continue the chain.
While this combo isn’t guaranteed—since a single Scry trigger can only do so much—it can still be incredibly powerful. In many games, Galadriel could become a turn-four kill machine. With the right mix of tutors, protection, and additional enablers, this deck can be impressively consistent.
Tatyova, Benthic Druid
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Name: Tatyova, Benthic Druid |
When MTG players think of a broken Simic Commander, Tatyova, Benthic Druid is one of the first that comes to mind. This card has been a staple at Commander tables for years, and its accessibility as an uncommon only adds to its popularity.
Tatyova’s Landfall trigger is deceptively powerful. One of the inherent risks of ramping in Magic is that if you draw all ramp cards without any payoffs, you can run out of meaningful plays. Tatyova solves this problem by turning your ramp into card draw, ensuring you always have something to do. With Tatyova, you can include as many Fetch Lands and land ramp spells as you want without worrying about drawing the "wrong half" of your deck. Instead, every land drop becomes a card draw, fueling your engine.
This constant stream of cards makes Tatyova a high-priority target. Once the Tatyova player starts making 4-5 land drops per turn and drawing as many cards, the game can quickly spiral out of control. Not only are they generating massive mana advantage, but they’re also likely holding powerful cards that can disrupt your plans or outright end the game. The cards only main downside is the mana cost which is quite high for commander but in Simic there are a lot of work-arounds for that.
Hakbal of the Surging Soul
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Name: Hakbal of the Surging Soul |
Hakbal of the Surging Soul is the second most popular Simic Commander on EDHREC, trailing only behind our top pick, a well-known menace in the Commander format. Hakbal’s popularity is partly due to its role as the face Commander in a Lost Caverns of Ixalan preconstructed deck, making it easy for players to build a deck around this card.
Hakbal encourages you to play Merfolk, which is likely a big reason for its popularity. Beyond tribal synergies, Hakbal offers a powerful package of abilities: it buffs your board, draws cards, and ramps your mana. This combination provides everything you need to secure victory in a game of Commander, making Hakbal a versatile and formidable leader.
Nadu, Winged Wisdom
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Name: Nadu, Winged Wisdom |
When it comes to play patterns, Nadu, Winged Wisdom isn’t the best choice for a casual Commander deck. This card tends to lead to long, drawn-out turns with nondeterministic win attempts, which can significantly slow down the game. Your opponents might find themselves watching you take extended solitaire-like turns that don't always lead to a clear outcome.
While this makes Nadu less appealing for casual play, it shines in the competitive Commander (cEDH) scene. Despite the somewhat frustrating gameplay it encourages, Nadu is undeniably one of the strongest Simic Commanders available.
When paired with cards like Shuko or Lightning Greaves and Springheart Nantuko or Scute Swarm, Nadu can create an endless army of creature tokens while flipping through your entire deck. Although fewer players opt for Nadu over our top pick, both Commanders are incredibly powerful and often considered kill-on-sight threats.
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
| Card | Description |
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Name: Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy |
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy is an absolute menace in cEDH and is widely regarded as the best and most popular Simic Commander of all time. This card ramps at an absurd pace, quickly enabling the casting of some of the game’s most powerful spells just a few turns into the game.
Even if you don’t have devastating spells in hand, Kinnan can help you find them—as long as they’re non-Human creatures. Fortunately, many of the most powerful creatures in Magic, like Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger, and Craterhoof Behemoth, fall into that category. When someone brings Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy to the table, you should expect nothing short of game-breaking plays. This Commander is a kill-on-sight threat, and your entire table may need to work together to keep it in check.