<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fangorn, Tree Shepherd" href="#" target="_blank">Fangorn, Tree Shepherd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://jesperejsing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jesper Ejsing</a></span></i></p>
<h2>Treefolk History</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Treefolk have deep roots in <em>Magic</em>, tracing their lineage all the way back to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ironroot Treefolk" href="#" target="_blank">Ironroot Treefolk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in <em>Alpha</em>. 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 (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) wedge in <em>Lorwyn</em>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The flagship Treefolk when Commander was in its nascent days was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doran, the Siege Tower" href="#" target="_blank">Doran, the Siege Tower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 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).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fangorn, Tree Shepherd" href="#" target="_blank">Fangorn, Tree Shepherd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fangorn, Tree Shepherd"></div></div>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fangorn, Tree Shepherd" href="#" target="_blank">Fangorn, Tree Shepherd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And isn’t that what Commander is all about?</span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fangorn, Tree Shepherd" href="#" target="_blank">Fangorn, Tree Shepherd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the number of Treefolk in <em>Magic</em> 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. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We also want to play spells that give a huge wave of mana, as well as big-mana spells to bury our opponents like </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_influence_on_Tolkien" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Birnam Wood in the MacBeth prophecy</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Treefolk Harbinger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bosk Banneret"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We start our deck with a couple of holdovers from the last trip to <em>Lorwyn</em>, with a card from the namesake set and another from <em>Morningtide</em>. The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treefolk Harbinger" href="#" target="_blank">Treefolk Harbinger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> searches up a Treefolk or Forest, which includes kindred cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rootgrapple" href="#" target="_blank">Rootgrapple</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bosk Banneret" href="#" target="_blank">Bosk Banneret</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> reduces the cost of Treefolk, helping us get to our bigger spells and double spell once we have a burst of mana.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dungrove Elder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Treefolk Seedlings"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dungrove Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Dungrove Elder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 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. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treefolk Seedlings" href="#" target="_blank">Treefolk Seedlings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is similar, but for toughness specifically. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why do we care about high toughness?</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Treefolk Umbra"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Assault Formation"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We want high toughness cards because not only are trees strong, but green has a lot of strong cards that care about toughness. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treefolk Umbra" href="#" target="_blank">Treefolk Umbra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an armor Aura that simulates <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doran, the Siege Tower" href="#" target="_blank">Doran, the Siege Tower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>’s ability to have a creature deal damage with its toughness. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Assault Formation" href="#" target="_blank">Assault Formation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does the same, but on a bigger scale. It even gives us a mana sink to increase toughness!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vernal Bloom"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gaea&#039;s Touch"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While we’re sheltered behind the bark of an army of living trees, we can set up our big spells with big mana enablers. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vernal Bloom" href="#" target="_blank">Vernal Bloom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of several permanents that multiply the mana we tap Forests for, all of which stack. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gaea&#039;s Touch" href="#" target="_blank">Gaea&#039;s Touch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, on the other hand, lets us play extra Forests and can be popped for a burst of mana later.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What do we do with all that mana? Cast big spells!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Genesis Wave"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Awaken the Woods"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genesis Wave" href="#" target="_blank">Genesis Wave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can drop a huge board onto the battlefield out of seemingly nowhere, especially with all the permanents we’re playing. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Awaken the Woods" href="#" target="_blank">Awaken the Woods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes a bunch of Forest Dryad creatures, which work with many of our Treefolk, as well as making lots of mana with our multipliers.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Miren, the Moaning Well"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boseiju, Who Endures"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Miren, the Moaning Well" href="#" target="_blank">Miren, the Moaning Well</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> 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 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Treefolk Seedlings" href="#" target="_blank">Treefolk Seedlings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While either Boseiju would be strong, as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boseiju, Who Shelters All" href="#" target="_blank">Boseiju, Who Shelters All</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could help our big spells resolve, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boseiju, Who Endures" href="#" target="_blank">Boseiju, Who Endures</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to sneak extra removal into our mana base, and uncounterable removal at that!</span></p>
<h2>How Does This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fangorn, Tree Shepherd" href="#" target="_blank">Fangorn, Tree Shepherd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p>
<h2>Fangorn, Tree Shepherd Commander Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Fangorn, Tree Shepherd Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Fangorn, Tree Shepherd
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Assault Formation
*1 Fruit of the First Tree
*1 Gaea&#039;s Touch
*1 Heartbeat of Spring
*1 Sapling Nursery
*1 Treefolk Umbra
*1 Unnatural Growth
*1 Upwelling
*1 Vernal Bloom
*1 Virtue of Strength // Garenbrig Growth
*1 Zendikar Resurgent
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Abzan Beastmaster
*1 Arbor Adherent
*1 Battlewand Oak
*1 Bedrock Tortoise
*1 Bosk Banneret
*1 Canopy Gargantuan
*1 Dauntless Dourbark
*1 Dryad Arbor
*1 Dungrove Elder
*1 Everbark Shaman
*1 Fecund Greenshell
*1 Ghastbark Twins
*1 Great Forest Druid
*1 Great Oak Guardian
*1 Heartwood Storyteller
*1 Kalonian Twingrove
*1 Kurbis, Harvest Celebrant
*1 Leaf-Crowned Elder
*1 Orchard Warden
*1 Quickbeam, Upstart Ent
*1 Rootless Yew
*1 Seedguide Ash
*1 Shriekwood Devourer
*1 Timber Protector
*1 Treefolk Harbinger
*1 Treefolk Seedlings
*1 Ulvenwald Observer
*1 Unstoppable Ash
*1 Verdant Sun&#039;s Avatar
*1 Verdeloth the Ancient
*1 Wickerbough Elder
*1 Woodfall Primus
*1 Yedora, Grave Gardener
*1 Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Awaken the Woods
*1 Ezuri&#039;s Predation
*1 Finale of Devastation
*1 Genesis Wave
*1 Last March of the Ents
*1 Overrun
*1 Preposterous Proportions
*1 Sylvan Offering
*1 Tend the Sprigs
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Kindred Summons
*1 Reach of Branches
*1 Rootgrapple
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Nissa, Who Shakes the World
[/Planeswalkers]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Extraplanar Lens
*1 Gauntlet of Power
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*30 Forest
*1 Miren, the Moaning Well
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Shifting Woodland
*1 Three Tree City
*1 War Room
*1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how would you build Treefolk? And how would you bury opponents with bark?</span></p>


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