Toph, Hardheaded TeacherToph, Hardheaded Teacher | Art by Ruwen Liu

The many iterations of Toph show off the flexibility of the earthbending mechanic.

Toph, Earthbending MasterToph, Earthbending Master and Toph, Greatest EarthbenderToph, Greatest Earthbender both create absolutely massive creatures that can attack opponents to death in only a few hits. Toph, the Blind BanditToph, the Blind Bandit capitalizes on the +1/+1 counters aspect of the mechanic, rewarding brewers who lean into those synergies. Toph, the First MetalbenderToph, the First Metalbender pushes the limits of the ability by including artifacts, enabling all sorts of shenanigans that have never been possible before.

But Toph, Hardheaded TeacherToph, Hardheaded Teacher leans into the part of earthbending that I find most interesting: lands as fodder for repeated sacrifice. She only turns our lands into small creatures, but she does so whenever we cast any spell, and these land creatures return to the battlefield as lands when they die. Whenever we cast a spell, we get another piece of renewable fuel for all sorts of sacrifice effects.

Toph plays in a novel design space for red and green commanders, with the closest comparison I can think of being Phylath, World SculptorPhylath, World Sculptor, another card that makes a lot of bodies linked to lands. Looking into other colors, the commander that seems most helpful for inspiration is Endrek Sahr, Master BreederEndrek Sahr, Master Breeder, another prodigious token producer who works well with repeated sacrifice effects. But Toph alongside a sacrifice outlet makes a bunch of lands enter the battlefield every turn as well, so Obuun, Mul Daya AncestorObuun, Mul Daya Ancestor is also a great place to look for ideas.

Toph combines Landfall and Aristocrats strategies in a way that hasn't existed before. She's a cool way to explore the flavor of earthbending, turning rock into something durable and flexible that can be reused and reshaped over and over. And she's also incredibly powerful.

Key Cards for Toph, Hardheaded TeacherToph, Hardheaded Teacher

The first group of cards that work well with Toph are effects that let us sacrifice lands. As long as those lands have been earthbended, we get them right back onto the battlefield, so we can basically get the payoff without paying the cost.

Sylvan SafekeeperSylvan Safekeeper gives our opponents headaches if they ever want to interact with our board. Orcish LumberjackOrcish Lumberjack becomes the most turbo-charged mana dork of all time. Elvish ReclaimerElvish Reclaimer finds any land in the deck, over and over.

But the best payoff might be the simplest, hidden in the mana base: "fetchlands" like Wooded FoothillsWooded Foothills and Fabled PassageFabled Passage are now repeatable effects, netting us multiple lands.

If we're planning on moving lands into and out of the graveyard, Titania, Protector of ArgothTitania, Protector of Argoth is indispensable. Baloth PrimeBaloth Prime from the Edge of Eternities Commander set is almost as powerful, and even comes with its own sacrifice outlet in a pinch. And if we're just looking for more fodder, Turntimber SowerTurntimber Sower provides that for an efficient cost.

Toph earthbends whenever we cast spells, and the best way to keep casting spells is to make sure we're always drawing cards. FecundityFecundity will give us tons of cards, and can change the texture of the game as soon as it's cast because it's symmetrical.

Meltstrider EulogistMeltstrider Eulogist and Tributary InstructorTributary Instructor provide the same effect but only for us, since all the earthbended lands have +1/+1 counters. And while we should never leave home without a SkullclampSkullclamp, it works especially well in this deck since our fodder all has a toughness of one (unless we cast Lessons).

To round out our Aristocrats plan, we need a few Blood ArtistBlood Artist effects. Spiteful PranksterSpiteful Prankster and Goblin SharpshooterGoblin Sharpshooter ping as well as any black creature could, and even trigger off of our opponents' creatures dying. SabotenderSabotender and Tannuk, Memorial EnsignTannuk, Memorial Ensign function similarly, since whenever we sacrifice an earthbended land, we get a new landfall trigger. And Goblin BombardmentGoblin Bombardment gives us the ping stapled right onto the sacrifice outlet for convenience.

That's the core of our strategy, but there are also a few perks that come along with playing this deck. Ramp spells like HarrowHarrow become busted if we sacrifice our earthbended fodder.

Borrowing from Pauper, we can also play Cleansing WildfireCleansing Wildfire as an effective Rampant GrowthRampant Growth that draws a card. Dire-Strain RampageDire-Strain Rampage doubles as a double ramp spell or an interaction piece, and even has flashback to help us use all the mana it gives us.

Crop RotationCrop Rotation becomes even more efficient at what it does, and Sundering EruptionSundering Eruption turns into ramp.

We can use modal double faced lands to "cheat" creatures into play with Toph. If we play the card as a land and earthbend it, then when it dies it returns as the front face. This interaction makes it well worth it to play Pinnacle MonkPinnacle Monk, Disciple of FreyaliseDisciple of Freyalise, and Kazandu MammothKazandu Mammoth. Just don't earthbend onto the land side of Sundering EruptionSundering Eruption! It will try to return as the front face, but since that's not a permanent it will just stay in the graveyard.

There are just a few more cards that work in neat ways with Toph. Omarthis, Ghostfire InitiateOmarthis, Ghostfire Initiate grows whenever we earthbend, since that counts as putting a +1/+1 counter on a colorless creature. It even helps with the sacrifice plan, since it creates a ton of bodies when it dies. Constant MistsConstant Mists, always a formidable defensive piece, presents a full lock on combat damage in this deck. Since Toph triggers when we cast it, we'll always have lands to sacrifice, and as long as we keep up six mana we'll be able to cast it on each of our opponents' turns.

And in the mana base, we get to play tons of cool lands that sacrifice themselves, from Ghost QuarterGhost Quarter to Hickory WoodlotHickory Woodlot to Dwarven RuinsDwarven Ruins. I love a deck that gets to play funky lands, since that just means a higher proportion of the deck gets to be personalized and unique.

Winning the Game With Toph, Hardheaded TeacherToph, Hardheaded Teacher

The plan of sacrificing a lot of lands to ping our opponents out is a powerful one, and will often contribute to a win, but it's difficult to go all the way with just a SabotenderSabotender. Some Landfall classics can support our strategy, both by building an actual board and by giving us more fodder. Scute SwarmScute Swarm needs no introduction, growing exponentially and scaling with any game. Springheart NantukoSpringheart Nantuko is just as ridiculous, since its baseline rate is incredibly efficient even before the copying shenanigans that it makes possible.

Alongside Baloth PrimeBaloth Prime or Titania, Protector of ArgothTitania, Protector of Argoth, our token plan is a real contender, and our opponents will have to respect both angles of attack.

There are also combos. Weird combos that I haven't seen recommended on any of Toph's EDHREC pages, even in decks listed as dedicated combo decks. Cheap Auras that return themselves when their enchanted creature dies are already a good deal in this deck. Toph cares about casting a lot of spells, and these give us repeated ways to cast a spell for one or two mana.

RancorRancor, Genju of the SpiresGenju of the Spires, and Genju of the CedarsGenju of the Cedars should be staples in this deck on their own merits, and FortitudeFortitude fits the theme even better (though it doesn't combo as well). But as long as we have any way to gain the mana to recast these spells whenever we sacrifice the land they enchant, we can present a loop of recasting the Aura, earthbending, sacrificing the enchanted land, and returning the land to play and the Aura to hand.

Amulet of VigorAmulet of Vigor and SpelunkingSpelunking make it so the land itself acts as that mana source, and Lotus CobraLotus Cobra and Tireless ProvisionerTireless Provisioner give us the mana on landfall. As long as we're getting any advantage from this loop, we can end the game on the spot, all by combining cards that are good enough on their own in this deck.

Toph, Hardheaded Teacher Commander Deck List

Conclusion

This deck has so much play to it, on top of a consistent and powerful engine. Toph, Hardheaded TeacherToph, Hardheaded Teacher enables us to get so many sacrifice payoffs and so many landfall triggers while also upgrading our interactive and ramp spells. And there are a ton of cards that change the texture of the game as soon as we draw them.

Reusing Talon Gates of MadaraTalon Gates of Madara over and over lets us play a control role, and our deck feels completely different if our payoff is an Evendo BrushrazerEvendo Brushrazer or a Eusocial EngineeringEusocial Engineering. All of our synergies overlap so well that nothing is dead no matter what half of the deck we draw, and I really think having this kind of variability within a consistent plan is what makes decks keep drawing you back to play again.

Again, I love a deck that gets to play cool lands, and I especially love a deck that can change based on the lands we draw. Khalni GardenKhalni Garden gives us tons of fodder and chump blockers, Commercial DistrictCommercial District means we'll never have a dead draw again, and Havenwood BattlegroundHavenwood Battleground or Crystal VeinCrystal Vein means extra mana all the time. There are just more topdecks we can get excited about, more options, and more cards that spark joy.