Current build / 100-CARD BUILD

Animar,
Soul of Elements

Temur

Every creature builds the next.

Bring the Statue back for another cast. Browse the current build’s cards and rules.

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MEET YOUR COMMANDERAnimar, Soul of Elements

Animar, Soul of Elements · Featured commander

STRATEGY · 3 PHASES

How this build plays

Small creatures build Animar’s counters and discounts. Reusable enters-the-battlefield effects then turn those discounts into more cards, more bodies and damage, with large creatures as an alternative pressure plan.

01SET THE STAGE
Let the cheap creatures do the building
Elvish Visionary replaces itself when it enters while its cast puts a counter on Animar. Wood Elves finds a Forest on entry. These creature spells develop mana and cards while making later generic creature costs smaller; colored mana requirements remain.
- Animar, Soul of Elements
- Elvish Visionary
- Wood Elves
Rules text for these cards
Animar, Soul of Elements
Protection from white and from black Whenever you cast a creature spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Animar. Creature spells you cast cost {1} less to cast for each +1/+1 counter on Animar.
Elvish Visionary
When this creature enters, draw a card.
Wood Elves
When this creature enters, search your library for a Forest card, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
02BUILD THE ENGINE
Bring the Statue back for another cast
At four counters, Animar removes Ancestral Statue’s entire generic cost. The Statue can return itself on entry, ready to be cast again. With Impact Tremors already in play, each return to the battlefield deals damage to every opponent. The sequence needs all three permanents and remains vulnerable to interaction.
- Animar, Soul of Elements
- Ancestral Statue
- Impact Tremors
Rules text for these cards
Animar, Soul of Elements
Protection from white and from black Whenever you cast a creature spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Animar. Creature spells you cast cost {1} less to cast for each +1/+1 counter on Animar.
Ancestral Statue
When this creature enters, return a nonland permanent you control to its owner's hand.
Impact Tremors
Whenever a creature you control enters, this enchantment deals 1 damage to each opponent.
03CARRY IT THROUGH
Turn spare mana into reach
Choose X when casting Walking Ballista; Animar’s reduction can pay down its generic cost, but the chosen X still determines its entry counters. Those counters can be removed for damage. Temur Ascendancy gives other creature threats haste and draws cards when creatures with power four or more enter.
- Animar, Soul of Elements
- Walking Ballista
- Temur Ascendancy
Rules text for these cards
Animar, Soul of Elements
Protection from white and from black Whenever you cast a creature spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Animar. Creature spells you cast cost {1} less to cast for each +1/+1 counter on Animar.
Walking Ballista
This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it. {4}: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. Remove a +1/+1 counter from this creature: It deals 1 damage to any target.
Temur Ascendancy
Creatures you control have haste. Whenever a creature you control with power 4 or greater enters, you may draw a card.

Explore this build

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Cityscape Leveler

Trample When you cast this spell and whenever this creature attacks, destroy up to one target nonland permanent. Its controller creates a tapped Powerstone token. Unearth {8}

Animar, Soul of Elements

Protection from white and from black Whenever you cast a creature spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Animar. Creature spells you cast cost {1} less to cast for each +1/+1 counter on Animar.

Mountain

({T}: Add {R}.)

Forest

({T}: Add {G}.)

Island

({T}: Add {U}.)

Frontier Bivouac

This land enters tapped. {T}: Add {G}, {U}, or {R}.

Rejuvenating Springs

This land enters tapped unless you have two or more opponents. {T}: Add {G} or {U}.

Training Center

This land enters tapped unless you have two or more opponents. {T}: Add {U} or {R}.

Spire Garden

This land enters tapped unless you have two or more opponents. {T}: Add {R} or {G}.

Yavimaya Coast

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {G} or {U}. This land deals 1 damage to you.

Shivan Reef

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {U} or {R}. This land deals 1 damage to you.

Alchemist's Refuge

{T}: Add {C}. {G}{U}, {T}: You may cast spells this turn as though they had flash.

Reliquary Tower

You have no maximum hand size. {T}: Add {C}.

Command Tower

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.

Karplusan Forest

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {R} or {G}. This land deals 1 damage to you.

Rhythm of the Wild

Creature spells you control can't be countered. Nontoken creatures you control have riot. (They enter with your choice of a +1/+1 counter or haste.)

Exotic Orchard

{T}: Add one mana of any color that a land an opponent controls could produce.

Chaos Warp

The owner of target permanent shuffles it into their library, then reveals the top card of their library. If it's a permanent card, they put it onto the battlefield.

Meteor Golem

When this creature enters, destroy target nonland permanent an opponent controls.

Garruk's Uprising

When this enchantment enters, if you control a creature with power 4 or greater, draw a card. Creatures you control have trample. (Each of those creatures can deal excess combat damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking.) Whenever a creature you control with power 4 or greater enters, draw a card.

Wood Elves

When this creature enters, search your library for a Forest card, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Glen Elendra Archmage

Flying {U}, Sacrifice this creature: Counter target noncreature spell. Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)

Kessig Wolf Run

{T}: Add {C}. {X}{R}{G}, {T}: Target creature gets +X/+0 and gains trample until end of turn.

Beast Whisperer

Whenever you cast a creature spell, draw a card.

Willbender

Morph {1}{U} (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for {3}. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.) When this creature is turned face up, change the target of target spell or ability with a single target.

Counterspell

Counter target spell.

Delighted Halfling

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a legendary spell, and that spell can't be countered.

Sandstorm

Sandstorm deals 1 damage to each attacking creature.

Soul of the Harvest

Trample Whenever another nontoken creature you control enters, you may draw a card.

Dream Stalker

When this creature enters, return a permanent you control to its owner's hand.

Artisan of Kozilek

When you cast this spell, you may return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Annihilator 2 (Whenever this creature attacks, defending player sacrifices two permanents of their choice.)

Steel Hellkite

Flying {2}: This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. {X}: Destroy each nonland permanent with mana value X whose controller was dealt combat damage by this creature this turn. Activate only once each turn.

Reclamation Sage

When this creature enters, you may destroy target artifact or enchantment.

Phyrexian Metamorph

({U/P} can be paid with either {U} or 2 life.) You may have this creature enter as a copy of any artifact or creature on the battlefield, except it's an artifact in addition to its other types.

Stratus Dancer

Flying Megamorph {1}{U} (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for {3}. Turn it face up any time for its megamorph cost and put a +1/+1 counter on it.) When this creature is turned face up, counter target instant or sorcery spell.

Zoanthrope

Ravenous (This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it. If X is 5 or more, draw a card when it enters.) Flying, ward {2} Warp Blast — When this creature enters, it deals X damage to any target.

Farhaven Elf

When this creature enters, you may search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.

Walking Ballista

This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it. {4}: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. Remove a +1/+1 counter from this creature: It deals 1 damage to any target.

Hydroid Krasis

When you cast this spell, you gain half X life and draw half X cards. Round down each time. Flying, trample This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it.

Ulamog's Crusher

Annihilator 2 (Whenever this creature attacks, defending player sacrifices two permanents of their choice.) This creature attacks each combat if able.

Temur Ascendancy

Creatures you control have haste. Whenever a creature you control with power 4 or greater enters, you may draw a card.

Ancestral Statue

When this creature enters, return a nonland permanent you control to its owner's hand.

Ravener

Flash Ravenous (This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it. If X is 5 or more, draw a card when it enters.) When this creature enters, target creature attacks target opponent this turn if able.

Up the Beanstalk

When this enchantment enters and whenever you cast a spell with mana value 5 or greater, draw a card.

Birds of Paradise

Flying {T}: Add one mana of any color.

Whispersilk Cloak

Equipped creature can't be blocked and has shroud. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities.) Equip {2}

Elvish Mystic

{T}: Add {G}.

Pongify

Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Ape creature token.

Beast Within

Destroy target permanent. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Beast creature token.

Mawloc

Ravenous (This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it. If X is 5 or more, draw a card when it enters.) Terror from the Deep — When this creature enters, it fights up to one target creature an opponent controls. If that creature would die this turn, exile it instead.

Ainok Survivalist

Megamorph {1}{G} (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for {3}. Turn it face up any time for its megamorph cost and put a +1/+1 counter on it.) When this creature is turned face up, destroy target artifact or enchantment an opponent controls.

Ghalta, Primal Hunger

This spell costs {X} less to cast, where X is the total power of creatures you control. Trample (This creature can deal excess combat damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking.)

Exocrine

Ravenous (This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it. If X is 5 or more, draw a card when it enters.) Bio-plasmic Barrage — When this creature enters, it deals X damage to each player and each other creature.

Auton Soldier

You may have this creature enter as a copy of any creature on the battlefield, except it isn't legendary, is an artifact in addition to its other types, and has myriad. (Whenever it attacks, for each opponent other than defending player, you may create a token copy that's tapped and attacking that player or a planeswalker they control. Exile the tokens at end of combat.)

Mulldrifter

Flying When this creature enters, draw two cards. Evoke {2}{U} (You may cast this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it's sacrificed when it enters.)

Rhystic Study

Whenever an opponent casts a spell, you may draw a card unless that player pays {1}.

Spark Double

You may have this creature enter as a copy of a creature or planeswalker you control, except it enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it if it's a creature, it enters with an additional loyalty counter on it if it's a planeswalker, and it isn't legendary.

Rapid Hybridization

Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated. That creature's controller creates a 3/3 green Frog Lizard creature token.

Sakura-Tribe Elder

Sacrifice this creature: Search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.

Bane of Bala Ged

Whenever this creature attacks, defending player exiles two permanents they control.

Impact Tremors

Whenever a creature you control enters, this enchantment deals 1 damage to each opponent.

Stonecoil Serpent

Reach, trample, protection from multicolored This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it.

Grothama, All-Devouring

Other creatures have "Whenever this creature attacks, you may have it fight Grothama, All-Devouring." When Grothama leaves the battlefield, each player draws cards equal to the amount of damage dealt to Grothama this turn by sources they controlled.

Voracious Hydra

Trample This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it. When this creature enters, choose one — • Double the number of +1/+1 counters on this creature. • This creature fights target creature you don't control.

Zoetic Cavern

{T}: Add {C}. Morph {2} (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for {3}. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

Heroic Intervention

Permanents you control gain hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.

Llanowar Elves

{T}: Add {G}.

Kheru Spellsnatcher

Morph {4}{U}{U} (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for {3}. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.) When this creature is turned face up, counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost for as long as it remains exiled.

Arcane Denial

Counter target spell. Its controller may draw up to two cards at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep. You draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.

Warstorm Surge

Whenever a creature you control enters, it deals damage equal to its power to any target.

Den Protector

Creatures with power less than this creature's power can't block it. Megamorph {1}{G} (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for {3}. Turn it face up any time for its megamorph cost and put a +1/+1 counter on it.) When this creature is turned face up, return target card from your graveyard to your hand.

Fyndhorn Elves

{T}: Add {G}.

Elvish Visionary

When this creature enters, draw a card.

Lightning Greaves

Equipped creature has haste and shroud. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities.) Equip {0}

Coiling Oracle

When this creature enters, reveal the top card of your library. If it's a land card, put it onto the battlefield. Otherwise, put that card into your hand.

Peregrine Drake

Flying When this creature enters, untap up to five lands.

Biophagus

Genomic Enhancement — {T}: Add one mana of any color. If this mana is spent to cast a creature spell, that creature enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.

Clever Impersonator

You may have this creature enter as a copy of any nonland permanent on the battlefield.

Solemn Simulacrum

When this creature enters, you may search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. When this creature dies, you may draw a card.

Avatar of Slaughter

All creatures have double strike and attack each combat if able.

Swiftfoot Boots

Equipped creature has hexproof and haste. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. It can attack and {T} no matter when it came under your control.) Equip {1} ({1}: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)

Commander

1 card

1×Animar, Soul of ElementsLegendary Creature — Elemental · A25 #196

Creature

46 cards

Land

35 cards

7×MountainBasic Land — Mountain · SPM #192No mana cost 8×ForestBasic Land — Forest · SPM #193No mana cost 7×IslandBasic Land — Island · SPM #190No mana cost 1×Frontier BivouacLand · DRC #157No mana cost 1×Rejuvenating SpringsLand · MSC #260No mana cost 1×Training CenterLand · CMM #434No mana cost 1×Spire GardenLand · TMC #75No mana cost 1×Yavimaya CoastLand · SOC #425No mana cost 1×Shivan ReefLand · FRC #83No mana cost 1×Alchemist's RefugeLand · SOC #360No mana cost 1×Reliquary TowerLand · SOC #398No mana cost 1×Command TowerLand · SOC #129No mana cost 1×Karplusan ForestLand · EOC #164No mana cost 1×Exotic OrchardLand · FRC #70No mana cost 1×Kessig Wolf RunLand · TDC #375No mana cost 1×Zoetic CavernLand · MKC #311No mana cost

Enchantment

7 cards

1×Rhythm of the WildEnchantment · NEC #142 1×Garruk's UprisingEnchantment · ECC #109 1×Temur AscendancyEnchantment · TDC #305 1×Up the BeanstalkEnchantment · WOE #195 1×Rhystic StudyEnchantment · SLD #478 1×Impact TremorsEnchantment · MOC #285 1×Warstorm SurgeEnchantment · CLB #815

Instant

8 cards

1×Chaos WarpInstant · SOC #239 1×CounterspellInstant · TMP #57 1×SandstormInstant · DMR #174 1×PongifyInstant · TDC #160 1×Beast WithinInstant · SOC #263 1×Rapid HybridizationInstant · SOC #198 1×Heroic InterventionInstant · PIP #202 1×Arcane DenialInstant · SOC #187

Artifact

3 cards

1×Whispersilk CloakArtifact — Equipment · 10E #345 1×Lightning GreavesArtifact — Equipment · OTC #260 1×Swiftfoot BootsArtifact — Equipment · TLE #317

PREGAME CONVERSATION · Physical collection

Commander Bracket Assessment

Rules-Based Bracket: 3 minimumEstimated Power Bracket: High 3–Low 4

Based on the 100-card main deck; sideboard excluded. The Rules-Based Bracket is the lowest bracket this card list allows under Commander bracket rules. The Estimated Power Bracket is a personal estimate of how strongly the deck plays. It is not an official rating.

Evidence and limitations

Rules-Based Bracket · minimum

1 Game Changer: excluded from ordinary Brackets 1 and 2.

Exact Game Changers: 1× Rhystic Study.

Mass land denial registry: None identified in the checked registry. Modal or repeated-land targeting still requires a pregame discussion.

Your extra-turn cards: None identified in the checked registry. Opponent turns from Emrakul or gifts are not counted as your own chain.

Confirmed early two-card lethal or turn-chain flags are not inferred from keywords. This is a lower bound, not a complete combo solver or permission to delay a consistently early line until turn seven. Agreed Rule Zero / Exhibition exceptions are outside this ordinary-restriction check.

Estimated Power Bracket · High 3–Low 4

Estimated from the card list alone, not from tracked win rates or game results.

Animar plus Statue can repeatedly build counters once the generic discount covers Statue. Tremors or a further Ballista outlet makes the engine lethal; the two-card counter engine alone does not kill the table.

Assembly and timing: Cheap creatures can build four counters in early turns, but the hand must also find the outlet. No broad nonland tutor suite in this list guarantees the full sequence.

Recovery and constraints: Creature draw supports rebuilding, while commander removal resets the discount and can strand large creatures.

Curve: 3.32 average nonland mana value. Cheap mana/land-search text: Delighted Halfling · Birds of Paradise · Elvish Mystic · Sakura-Tribe Elder · Llanowar Elves · Fyndhorn Elves · Biophagus. This text-derived reading aid is not an official score.

Search-library evidence: Wood Elves · Farhaven Elf · Sakura-Tribe Elder · Solemn Simulacrum. This includes restricted and land searches; efficient tutor overlap is reviewed separately above. There is no official tutor-count cap.

Fast mana indicators: None identified in the checked registry. Conditional free interaction: None identified in the checked registry. Conditions and resource costs still apply.

Key cards: Animar, Soul of Elements · Ancestral Statue · Impact Tremors · Walking Ballista.

Official sources checked 2026-10-31; criteria update 2025-10-21, Game Changers update 2026-02-09. Method and official source links. Brackets 4 and 5 share structural freedom; competitive intent cannot be inferred from these counts.