Fangorn, Tree ShepherdFangorn, Tree Shepherd | Art by Jesper Ejsing

Treefolk History

Treefolk have deep roots in Magic, tracing their lineage all the way back to Ironroot TreefolkIronroot Treefolk in Alpha. Even in their primeval stage, Treefolk boasted high toughness and were based in green. Over the years, they branched out into other colors, until they finally established themselves in the Abzan () wedge in Lorwyn.

The flagship Treefolk when Commander was in its nascent days was Doran, the Siege TowerDoran, the Siege Tower, who was also my first commander. In the days before Commander Precons and focused designs, the pickings for multicolor commanders were slim, and it was tough to transition from formats where players ran four copies (a playset) of any given card to a highlander format (100 unique cards, save for basic lands).

While my first Commander deck had a Treefolk commander, it wasn’t a Treefolk deck. If it had been, I probably would’ve noticed that there aren’t many reasons to use black or white, but there are definite reasons to stay mono-green. Many Treefolk care about Forests, and it makes thematic sense to not miss the Forests for the Treefolk.

But how do we win with high-toughness creatures? And are there enough playable cards in mono-green? Let's find out by building a Treefolk typal deck with Fangorn, Tree ShepherdFangorn, Tree Shepherd.

What Does Fangorn, Tree ShepherdFangorn, Tree Shepherd Do?

At its base, Fangorn is a 4/10 for seven mana, a decent rate but a high cost, especially in this day and age. The high toughness is important, however, as the themes we are going to build around are high toughness and big mana. Its other abilities also happen to support this plan well.

Fangorn adds two green mana to our mana pool for each attacking Treefolk we control. What’s more, it gives them vigilance, so there’s no risk of crack-back if we attack with everyone.

The best part, though? We don’t lose unspent green mana as steps and phases end. In the short-term, this means that we can hold that mana into the post-combat main phase. In the long term, however, that means we can make tons of mana and save up for huge, backbreaking spells.

And isn’t that what Commander is all about?

Key Cards for Fangorn, Tree ShepherdFangorn, Tree Shepherd

While the number of Treefolk in Magic may seem to be as numerous as the trees felled to make the cards themselves (or at least the pulp from which they were recycled), we are looking for specific characteristics. We want our greenery to have high base toughness or to care about Forests, preferably both.

We also want to play spells that give a huge wave of mana, as well as big-mana spells to bury our opponents like Birnam Wood in the MacBeth prophecy.

We start our deck with a couple of holdovers from the last trip to Lorwyn, with a card from the namesake set and another from Morningtide. The Treefolk HarbingerTreefolk Harbinger searches up a Treefolk or Forest, which includes kindred cards like RootgrappleRootgrapple. Bosk BanneretBosk Banneret reduces the cost of Treefolk, helping us get to our bigger spells and double spell once we have a burst of mana.

Dungrove ElderDungrove Elder, lovingly referred to by the Aussie population as “Outback Dunny” when it was in Standard after the slang term for outhouse, is an aggressive creature whose power and toughness depend on the number of Forests we control. Treefolk SeedlingsTreefolk Seedlings is similar, but for toughness specifically. 

Why do we care about high toughness?

We want high toughness cards because not only are trees strong, but green has a lot of strong cards that care about toughness. Treefolk UmbraTreefolk Umbra is an armor Aura that simulates Doran, the Siege TowerDoran, the Siege Tower’s ability to have a creature deal damage with its toughness. Assault FormationAssault Formation does the same, but on a bigger scale. It even gives us a mana sink to increase toughness!

While we’re sheltered behind the bark of an army of living trees, we can set up our big spells with big mana enablers. Vernal BloomVernal Bloom is one of several permanents that multiply the mana we tap Forests for, all of which stack. Gaea's TouchGaea's Touch, on the other hand, lets us play extra Forests and can be popped for a burst of mana later.

What do we do with all that mana? Cast big spells!

Genesis WaveGenesis Wave can drop a huge board onto the battlefield out of seemingly nowhere, especially with all the permanents we’re playing. Awaken the WoodsAwaken the Woods makes a bunch of Forest Dryad creatures, which work with many of our Treefolk, as well as making lots of mana with our multipliers.

Miren, the Moaning WellMiren, the Moaning Well lets us gain a chunk of life by sacrificing one of our high-toughness creatures. This can help a lot in a race, especially when it comes to popping creatures like Treefolk SeedlingsTreefolk Seedlings. While either Boseiju would be strong, as Boseiju, Who Shelters AllBoseiju, Who Shelters All could help our big spells resolve, Boseiju, Who EnduresBoseiju, Who Endures allows us to sneak extra removal into our mana base, and uncounterable removal at that!

How Does This Fangorn, Tree ShepherdFangorn, Tree Shepherd Commander Deck Win?

The game plan is to set up behind a wall of high-toughness creatures, and then lean on our opponents with our commander's vigilance before overwhelming our opponents with big, over-the-top spells fueled by the extra mana our commander generates.

Fangorn, Tree Shepherd Commander Deck List

Conclusion

Treefolk can be a lot of fun, even if they are a bit simplistic. But Commander is a complicated enough format, and sometimes setting up behind a wooden wall until you can cast big, splashy spells is its own kind of fun.

But how would you build Treefolk? And how would you bury opponents with bark?