Rafiq of the ManyRafiq of the Many | Art by Michael Komarck

Hey, everyone! We're nearing the end of my series on the most-played three-color cards, following last week's Grixis list. I realized that I haven't covered any of the arcs or wedges including both white and green, so the last three articles are all going to feature Selesnya () plus a third color.

Today is Bant's () time. Let's dive right in!

10. Helga, Skittish SeerHelga, Skittish Seer - 9,170 decks, 12,261 as commander

Our first Bant card is a fairly popular commander for ramp/big mana and +1/+1 counter themes. Helga grows steadily without doing too much work — you've presumably already done the work of building a deck full of cards that trigger her ability.

Drawing a card is amazing, too, because it helps keep your hand full. This bit is important because Helga is designed to power out creatures with mana value four or greater. The more you put into play, the more cards you draw and the bigger she gets. Rinse and repeat.

There are tons of ways to supercharge her abilities:

• You can play Hydroid KrasisHydroid Krasis and other value creatures to keep the cards flowing freely.
• You can run Kiora, Behemoth BeckonerKiora, Behemoth Beckoner and Chakram RetrieverChakram Retriever to untap Helga and essentially combo off with huge amounts of mana.
• You can also play other cards that net more value, like Garruk's UprisingGarruk's Uprising and Inga and EsikaInga and Esika. The latter looks really fun, because you can use your other creatures to get you the colored mana that you didn't choose to generate with Helga.

She even has combo potential beyond getting untapped a few times. With Retriever and other pieces, you can do things like draw your deck and gain near-infinite life:

9. WargateWargate - 21,042 decks

We already know that tutors, like Demonic TutorDemonic Tutor, are among the most powerful cards in Commander. Not only do they help you find exactly the right tool for the job at hand, they also act as extra copies of your most important cards.

Redundancy is key in this singleton format, so it's no wonder WargateWargate is a Bant staple, even if its cost scales with the thing you're trying to fetch.

Sure, you do need to pay six mana if you want to find your Azusa, Lost but SeekingAzusa, Lost but Seeking, for example, but it does offer significant upside.

First, you can pay three to find the best land in your deck — Serra's SanctumSerra's Sanctum, perhaps? And it can't really be overstated how important it is that you get to put the card you tutored right into play. It's kind of like paying three mana for the tutor and X to cast it on the same turn. You just can't split that up between turns.

And, as a DougY's list shows, it's a great mana sink!

8. Brokers CharmBrokers Charm - 21,942 decks

If last week's Grixis list featured too few non-legends, Bant is full of charm and utility cards! Having access to a card that can snipe a pesky enchantment, remove a creature (as long as you do the usually-trivial extra work of having a creature in play), or draw cards when neither of the other modes are relevant, means this spell is never going to rot in your hand.

Charms and other modal spells are just great in Commander, too, because they effectively reduce the number of slots in your deck you need to devote to removal or utility effects. Even at three mana for half of a DisenchantDisenchant or a Bite DownBite Down, Brokers CharmBrokers Charm is one of the many cards in its class that make the cut in this format.

7. Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower - 7,174 decks, 20,662 as commander

She may have started out leading the Peace Offering group-hug-slanted precon deck for Bloomburrow, but Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower has proven herself a powerful, versatile commander. She's currently the 23rd most popular commander on EDHREC, probably owing to her flexibility and capacity to lead different kinds of decks, from the aforementioned group hug strategies to counters, cheap card draw spells, and wheels.

Even if her ability has a drawback on its face, it actually offers you so much in return that it should barely hurt you. With access to a bunch of cheap spells like Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares, Mystical TutorMystical Tutor, or Birds of ParadiseBirds of Paradise (which you want to be playing anyway!), you can net multiple buffed and evasive creatures and card advantage to boot!

Bant also features a bunch of creatures that synergize very well with what she does without even forming strict combos and requiring you to jump through hoops, like Twenty-Toed ToadTwenty-Toed Toad, Managorger HydraManagorger Hydra, Chasm SkulkerChasm Skulker, and Wizard ClassWizard Class.

There's just a lot to like about Bumbleflower, especially considering how she can turn the corner from card-draw shenanigans into ending the game with augmented monsters.

6. Bant CharmBant Charm - 27,882 decks

Here's another Charm! Just like the Brokers edition above, Bant's eponymous modal spell gives you two removal options: destroy an artifact, or effectively exile your opponent's best creature, commanders excepted. But, instead of cashing it in for two new cards, you can counter an instant!

While this one does present the risk of languishing in your hand for some time, you still get three modes that can get you out of trouble, because countering instants will often mean protecting a key creature on your side of the board from a removal spell.

Check out this list of top 10 Charms or Commands in the format, also by DougY, for a great breakdown on which modal spells can make the biggest impact on a game of Commander!

5. Galadriel, Light of ValinorGaladriel, Light of Valinor - 17,728 decks, 13,956 as commander

Almost equally as popular as a commander as she is a member of the 99, Galadriel wants one thing: to play a ton of creatures in your deck. They don't even really have to be Elves, but it fits both lore-wise and mechanically, because that creature type wants to be swarming the board, growing to fearsome sizes, and overwhelming the opponent.

Other cards from Lord of the Rings dovetail extremely well with Galadriel's abilities, like Elven ChorusElven Chorus, Arwen, Weaver of HopeArwen, Weaver of Hope, and Galadhrim BrigadeGaladhrim Brigade.

If she isn't your commander, you can play her in decks that lean into the counters theme, like those led by Atraxa, Praetors' VoiceAtraxa, Praetors' Voice or Tidus, Yuna's GuardianTidus, Yuna's Guardian.

4. Tamiyo, Field ResearcherTamiyo, Field Researcher - 36,836 decks

I get pretty excited when a planeswalker makes the list. The Bant Tamiyo is a great one to highlight, not least because her ultimate just gives you an OmniscienceOmniscience for four mana and additional investments over a few turns to protect her. Thankfully, Tamiyo gets you some of the way there, even if tapping two nonland permanents and locking them down for a turn gets worse as the game scales with more players.

Still, it's a way to protect herself, and when you don't need to do that you can go on the offensive, generating card advantage via combat damage.

So, where does she fit in?

Well, if you can get an Omniscience, you probably wanna aim to do that. EDHREC players sure are trying, slotting her into PW-focused Atraxa or Esika decks with cards like Carth the LionCarth the Lion, Commodore GuffCommodore Guff, and/or Oath of TeferiOath of Teferi, depending on the color identities you're working with.

Ichormoon GauntletIchormoon Gauntlet and The Chain VeilThe Chain Veil work great, too!

3. Derevi, Empyrial TacticianDerevi, Empyrial Tactician - 31,595 decks, 10,019 as commander

As a commander, Derevi powers up Birthing PodBirthing Pod strategies by untapping the artifact or one of its redundant pieces at the right time. She also figures into a lot of different combos as an untapper, like this one:

And, while Bird decks nowadays tend to look to Kastral, the WindcrestedKastral, the Windcrested for its intense typal synergy, Derevi remains the second most popular commander for that type, even after the printing of Choco, Seeker of ParadiseChoco, Seeker of Paradise.

Finally, new sets and mechanics frequently invite attention to older cards for their unique interactions, and Ben Macready has identified Derevi's superior ability to station Spacecrafts. You can check out his full list of great stationers here.

2. Brokers AscendancyBrokers Ascendancy - 45,537 decks

You might say of Glorious AnthemGlorious Anthem, Flowering of the White TreeFlowering of the White Tree, or Oath of AjaniOath of Ajani, "If it ain't Broker, then don't fix it!" But the Bant ascendancy just gets better and better the longer it's in play.

It even buffs up your planeswalkers, which is a powerful and pretty unique effect. The enchantment is seeing a lot of play in decks that care about counters, which Bant features a ton of.

Atraxa, Praetors' VoiceAtraxa, Praetors' Voice will have lots of creatures to grow with proliferate, Falco Spara, PactweaverFalco Spara, Pactweaver can generate virtually limitless card advantage like a protected Future SightFuture Sight that can also brawl, and even Jared CarthalionJared Carthalion and his band of PWs love having this in play.

Several of the top commanders that feature on this list also include Ascendancy fairly often, showing how Bant strategies can often lean strongly into +1/+1 counter themes and can be pretty creature-oriented.

1. Chulane, Teller of TalesChulane, Teller of Tales - 41,178 decks, 8,307 as commander

While Chulane isn't pulling up trees as a commander — he's currently at 196th — he's the most played Bant card in the format because of how he rewards you with tons of value for simply playing Magic: The Gathering.

Okay, sure, you want to be playing creatures, but decks playing these colors tend to want to do that anyway!

Every creature spell gets you a free Growth SpiralGrowth Spiral, plus you get to pick creatures up and cast them again! Retriggering Chulane's first ability is cool, but Bant's also known for its blink or flicker synergies, especially because there are a ton of creatures with amazing enters effects.

The synergy with ETB abilities, the value he offers, and his legendary typing makes him a very popular inclusion in many different types of creature-oriented decks and particularly in Legends-matters builds led by Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier or Aragorn, the UniterAragorn, the Uniter.

Helga also loves having him around because Growth Spirals give you more mana to cast your giant Hydroid KrasisHydroid Krasis.

Bant is a World Where Death and Chaos Hold No SwayBant is a World Where Death and Chaos Hold No Sway

That was a lovely list with a good balance of powerful commander options and noncreature utility options. My favorite Bant card that didn't make the list is Arcades, the StrategistArcades, the Strategist, because he is a wonderful buildaround for one of the most interesting themes in the format: toughness matters!

What's yours? Let us know!

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