Current build / 100-CARD BUILD

Thranduil,
the Strategist

Simic

A forest with a plan.

Give the workforce a second shift. Browse the current build’s cards and rules.

Explore the 100-card deck ↓

MEET YOUR COMMANDERThranduil, the Strategist

Thranduil, the Strategist · Printed card: Thranduil the Strategist · Featured commander

STRATEGY · 3 PHASES

How this build plays

Build an Elf workforce from landfall, untap it to keep developing, then turn a crowded battlefield into a decisive attack. This list pairs extra land placement with creature-based mana and token payoffs.

01SET THE STAGE
Every land hires an Elf
With Thranduil in play, Llanowar Scout puts a land from hand onto the battlefield and makes an Elf. Retreat to Coralhelm can untap the Scout for another land, as long as your hand supplies one. New Elves still need haste or a later turn before tapping for mana.
- Thranduil the Strategist
- Llanowar Scout
- Retreat to Coralhelm
Rules text for these cards
Thranduil the Strategist
Other Elves you control have "{T}: Add {G} or {U}." Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, create a 1/1 green Elf creature token.
Llanowar Scout
{T}: You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.
Retreat to Coralhelm
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, choose one — • You may tap or untap target creature. • Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
02BUILD THE ENGINE
Give the workforce a second shift
Concordant Crossroads lets fresh Elves tap immediately using the ability Thranduil grants them. Tatyova, Benthic Druid rewards each land entering with a card and life, helping replenish the hand that the land-placement engine spends. Crossroads grants opposing creatures haste too.
- Thranduil the Strategist
- Concordant Crossroads
- Tatyova, Benthic Druid
Rules text for these cards
Thranduil the Strategist
Other Elves you control have "{T}: Add {G} or {U}." Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, create a 1/1 green Elf creature token.
Concordant Crossroads
All creatures have haste.
Tatyova, Benthic Druid
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you gain 1 life and draw a card.
03CARRY IT THROUGH
The small bodies become the threat
Avenger of Zendikar makes Plants and grows them with further landfall. Triumph of the Hordes gives your whole army trample and infect for the turn; its effectiveness still depends on available attackers, blockers and interaction. It is a combat finish, not an automatic win.
- Avenger of Zendikar
- Triumph of the Hordes
Rules text for these cards
Avenger of Zendikar
When this creature enters, create a 0/1 green Plant creature token for each land you control. Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you may put a +1/+1 counter on each Plant creature you control.
Triumph of the Hordes
Until end of turn, creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain trample and infect. (Creatures with infect deal damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)

Explore this build

All cards are listed below. Enable JavaScript for search and the card viewer.

Read card rules without the viewer

Thranduil the Strategist

Other Elves you control have "{T}: Add {G} or {U}." Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, create a 1/1 green Elf creature token.

Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel Pathway

{T}: Add {G}. {T}: Add {U}.

Sakashima of a Thousand Faces

You may have Sakashima enter as a copy of another creature you control, except it has Sakashima's other abilities. The "legend rule" doesn't apply to permanents you control. Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)

Elven Raft-Steerer

Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, choose one — • Tap target creature an opponent controls. • Untap target creature you control.

Tribute to the World Tree

Whenever a creature you control enters, draw a card if its power is 3 or greater. Otherwise, put two +1/+1 counters on it.

Concordant Crossroads

All creatures have haste.

Fyndhorn Elves

{T}: Add {G}.

Guildless Commons

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, return a land you control to its owner's hand. {T}: Add {C}{C}.

Three Visits

Search your library for a Forest card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Flooded Grove

{T}: Add {C}. {G/U}, {T}: Add {G}{G}, {G}{U}, or {U}{U}.

Burgeoning

Whenever an opponent plays a land, you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.

Dreamroot Cascade

This land enters tapped unless you control two or more other lands. {T}: Add {G} or {U}.

Retreat to Coralhelm

Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, choose one — • You may tap or untap target creature. • Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)

Boseiju, Who Endures

{T}: Add {G}. Channel — {1}{G}, Discard this card: Destroy target artifact, enchantment, or nonbasic land an opponent controls. That player may search their library for a land card with a basic land type, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. This ability costs {1} less to activate for each legendary creature you control.

Ghostly Flicker

Exile two target artifacts, creatures, and/or lands you control, then return those cards to the battlefield under your control.

Thranduil, Sindarin Liege // Silvan Rally

Other Elves you control get +1/+1. Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, create a 1/1 green Elf creature token. Mill four cards, then put up to two land cards from among them into your hand. (Then exile this card. You may cast the creature later from exile.)

Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards

Reach Whenever one or more tokens you control enter, you may draw a card.

Wood Elves

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

Flusterstorm

Counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays {1}. Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.)

Negate

Counter target noncreature spell.

Llanowar Elves

{T}: Add {G}.

Sylvan Safekeeper

Sacrifice a land: Target creature you control gains shroud until end of turn. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities.)

Summer Bloom

You may play up to three additional lands this turn.

Hinterland Harbor

This land enters tapped unless you control a Forest or an Island. {T}: Add {G} or {U}.

Rhystic Study

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

Displacer Kitten

Avoidance — Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, exile up to one target nonland permanent you control, then return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control.

Llanowar Scout

{T}: You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.

Cultural Exchange

Choose any number of creatures target player controls. Choose the same number of creatures another target player controls. Those players exchange control of those creatures. (This effect lasts indefinitely.)

Asceticism

Creatures you control have hexproof. {1}{G}: Regenerate target creature. (The next time it would be destroyed this turn, instead tap it, remove it from combat, and heal all damage on it.)

Leyline of Anticipation

If this card is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield. You may cast spells as though they had flash.

Marwyn, the Preserver

Lands you control have hexproof. (They can't be the targets of spells or abilities your opponents control.) {2}: Return target land card from your graveyard to your hand.

Yavimaya Coast

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

Kindred Discovery

As this enchantment enters, choose a creature type. Whenever a creature you control of the chosen type enters or attacks, draw a card.

Birds of Paradise

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

Carnivorous Cultivator // Enroot

Deathtouch This creature enters prepared. Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, return target land card from your graveyard to your hand. Search your library for a land card, put it into your graveyard, then shuffle.

Elemental Bond

Whenever a creature you control with power 3 or greater enters, draw a card.

Koma, Cosmos Serpent

This spell can't be countered. At the beginning of each upkeep, create a 3/3 blue Serpent creature token named Koma's Coil. Sacrifice another Serpent: Choose one — • Tap target permanent. Its activated abilities can't be activated this turn. • Koma gains indestructible until end of turn.

Finale of Devastation

Search your library and/or graveyard for a creature card with mana value X or less and put it onto the battlefield. If you search your library this way, shuffle. If X is 10 or more, creatures you control get +X/+X and gain haste until end of turn.

Simic Growth Chamber

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, return a land you control to its owner's hand. {T}: Add {G}{U}.

Heroic Intervention

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

Narset, Parter of Veils

Each opponent can't draw more than one card each turn. −2: Look at the top four cards of your library. You may reveal a noncreature, nonland card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.

Rites of Flourishing

At the beginning of each player's draw step, that player draws an additional card. Each player may play an additional land on each of their turns.

Breeding Pool

({T}: Add {G} or {U}.) As this land enters, you may pay 2 life. If you don't, it enters tapped.

Verdant Kraken

At the beginning of each player's upkeep, you create a 3/3 green Forest Tentacle land creature token. (It has "{T}: Add {G}." It's affected by summoning sickness until your next turn.)

Spelunking

When this enchantment enters, draw a card, then you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield. If you put a Cave onto the battlefield this way, you gain 4 life. Lands you control enter untapped.

Muddle the Mixture

Counter target instant or sorcery spell. Transmute {1}{U}{U} ({1}{U}{U}, Discard this card: Search your library for a card with the same mana value as this card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Transmute only as a sorcery.)

Thranduil's Company

As long as you control another Elf, you may play an additional land on each of your turns. Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, put two +1/+1 counters on target creature you control. It gains vigilance until end of turn.

Scute Swarm

Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, create a 1/1 green Insect creature token. If you control six or more lands, create a token that's a copy of this creature instead.

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.

Ramunap Excavator

You may play lands from your graveyard.

Dryad of the Ilysian Grove

You may play an additional land on each of your turns. Lands you control are every basic land type in addition to their other types.

Avenger of Zendikar

When this creature enters, create a 0/1 green Plant creature token for each land you control. Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you may put a +1/+1 counter on each Plant creature you control.

Jiang Yanggu, Never Alone

When Jiang Yanggu enters, create Mowu, a legendary 3/3 green Dog creature token. At the beginning of your end step, untap all tokens you control.

Eternal Witness

When this creature enters, you may return target card from your graveyard to your hand.

Folio of Fancies

Players have no maximum hand size. {X}{X}, {T}: Each player draws X cards. {2}{U}, {T}: Each opponent mills cards equal to the number of cards in their hand.

Sol Ring

{T}: Add {C}{C}.

Mystic Remora

Cumulative upkeep {1} (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) Whenever an opponent casts a noncreature spell, you may draw a card unless that player pays {4}.

An Offer You Can't Refuse

Counter target noncreature spell. Its controller creates two Treasure tokens. (They're artifacts with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.")

Swan Song

Counter target enchantment, instant, or sorcery spell. Its controller creates a 2/2 blue Bird creature token with flying.

Propaganda

Creatures can't attack you unless their controller pays {2} for each creature they control that's attacking you.

Counterspell

Counter target spell.

Walking Atlas

{T}: You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.

Prismatic Vista

{T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

The Ten Rings

Your maximum hand size is ten. At the beginning of your end step, if you have fewer than ten cards in hand, draw cards equal to the difference.

Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir

Flash Creature cards you own that aren't on the battlefield have flash. Each opponent can cast spells only any time they could cast a sorcery.

Wilderness Reclamation

At the beginning of your end step, untap all lands you control.

Minds Aglow

Join forces — Starting with you, each player may pay any amount of mana. Each player draws X cards, where X is the total amount of mana paid this way.

Reliquary Tower

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

Samut, Tyrant of Naktamun

Instant and sorcery spells you control have split second. (As long as a spell with split second is on the stack, players can't cast spells or activate abilities that aren't mana abilities.)

Fabled Passage

{T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. Then if you control four or more lands, untap that land.

Murkfiend Liege

Other green creatures you control get +1/+1. Other blue creatures you control get +1/+1. Untap all green and/or blue creatures you control during each other player's untap step.

Tatyova, Benthic Druid

Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you gain 1 life and draw a card.

Elvish Mystic

{T}: Add {G}.

Nature's Lore

Search your library for a Forest card, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Harrow

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a land. Search your library for up to two basic land cards, put them onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Oboro, Palace in the Clouds

{T}: Add {U}. {1}: Return Oboro to its owner's hand.

Scavenger Grounds

{T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}, Sacrifice a Desert: Exile all graveyards.

Command Tower

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

Alchemist's Refuge

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

Rejuvenating Springs

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

Conjurer's Closet

At the beginning of your end step, you may exile target creature you control, then return that card to the battlefield under your control.

Triumph of the Hordes

Until end of turn, creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain trample and infect. (Creatures with infect deal damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)

Nature's Claim

Destroy target artifact or enchantment. Its controller gains 4 life.

Island

({T}: Add {U}.)

Forest

({T}: Add {G}.)

Forest

({T}: Add {G}.)

The One Ring

Indestructible When The One Ring enters, if you cast it, you gain protection from everything until your next turn. At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life for each burden counter on The One Ring. {T}: Put a burden counter on The One Ring, then draw a card for each burden counter on The One Ring.

Commander

1 card

1×Thranduil the StrategistLegendary Creature — Elf Noble · HOC #106

Land

33 cards

1×Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel PathwayLand · KHM #251No mana cost 1×Guildless CommonsLand · CMM #1003No mana cost 1×Flooded GroveLand · FIC #393No mana cost 1×Dreamroot CascadeLand · WHO #273No mana cost 1×Boseiju, Who EnduresLegendary Land · NEO #266No mana cost 1×Hinterland HarborLand · MSC #250No mana cost 1×Yavimaya CoastLand · SOC #425No mana cost 1×Simic Growth ChamberLand · DSC #298No mana cost 1×Breeding PoolLand — Forest Island · EOE #251No mana cost 1×Prismatic VistaLand · MH1 #244No mana cost 1×Reliquary TowerLand · SOC #398No mana cost 1×Fabled PassageLand · SOC #130No mana cost 1×Oboro, Palace in the CloudsLegendary Land · SOK #164No mana cost 1×Scavenger GroundsLand — Desert · MSC #263No mana cost 1×Command TowerLand · DSC #96No mana cost 1×Alchemist's RefugeLand · SOC #360No mana cost 1×Rejuvenating SpringsLand · MSC #260No mana cost 5×IslandBasic Land — Island · HOB #195No mana cost 10×ForestBasic Land — Forest · HOB #198No mana cost 1×ForestBasic Land — Forest · SLD #892 · *F*No mana cost

Creature

29 cards

Enchantment

14 cards

1×Tribute to the World TreeEnchantment · MOM #211 1×Concordant CrossroadsWorld Enchantment · 2X2 #367 1×BurgeoningEnchantment · C16 #143 1×Retreat to CoralhelmEnchantment · DSC #126 1×Rhystic StudyEnchantment · PCY #45 1×AsceticismEnchantment · SOM #110 1×Leyline of AnticipationEnchantment · M20 #64 1×Kindred DiscoveryEnchantment · MSC #150 1×Elemental BondEnchantment · TDC #254 1×Rites of FlourishingEnchantment · SLD #2074 1×SpelunkingEnchantment · LCI #213 1×Mystic RemoraEnchantment · ICE #87 1×PropagandaEnchantment · ACR #85 1×Wilderness ReclamationEnchantment · DSC #205

Sorcery

7 cards

1×Three VisitsSorcery · MSC #181 1×Summer BloomSorcery · 2X2 #160 1×Cultural ExchangeSorcery · SLD #2071 1×Finale of DevastationSorcery · SLD #2680 1×Minds AglowSorcery · SLD #7028 1×Nature's LoreSorcery · S99 #136 1×Triumph of the HordesSorcery · NPH #123

Instant

10 cards

1×Ghostly FlickerInstant · CMM #98 1×FlusterstormInstant · MB2 #163 1×NegateInstant · STA #18 1×Heroic InterventionInstant · MAR #78 1×Muddle the MixtureInstant · RVR #50 1×An Offer You Can't RefuseInstant · FIC #267 1×Swan SongInstant · C16 #98 1×CounterspellInstant · CMM #630 1×HarrowInstant · OTC #194 1×Nature's ClaimInstant · IMA #177

Planeswalker

1 card

1×Narset, Parter of VeilsLegendary Planeswalker — Narset · SLD #2397 · *F*

Artifact

5 cards

1×Folio of FanciesArtifact — Book · SLD #2072 1×Sol RingArtifact · SOC #128 1×The Ten RingsLegendary Artifact · MSH #313 1×Conjurer's ClosetArtifact · DRC #126 1×The One RingLegendary Artifact · LTR #451

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

3 Game Changers: excluded from ordinary Brackets 1 and 2.

Exact Game Changers: 1× Rhystic Study · 1× Narset, Parter of Veils · 1× The One Ring.

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.

Extra land entries make mana Elves; Retreat untaps a land placer. Narset makes the symmetrical draw package less friendly. Muddle has a narrow transmute range rather than unrestricted access to every engine piece.

Assembly and timing: The five-mana commander, land supply and untap pieces must line up. No consistent early two-card game-ending line is established; creature development can still accelerate the setup.

Recovery and constraints: Eternal Witness and Ramunap Excavator recover resources; sweepers or commander removal can interrupt the board-dependent mana plan.

Curve: 3.04 average nonland mana value. Cheap mana/land-search text: Fyndhorn Elves · Three Visits · Llanowar Elves · Birds of Paradise · Sol Ring · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Elvish Mystic · Nature's Lore. This text-derived reading aid is not an official score.

Search-library evidence: Three Visits · Wood Elves · Carnivorous Cultivator // Enroot · Finale of Devastation · Muddle the Mixture · Prismatic Vista · Fabled Passage · Nature's Lore · Harrow. This includes restricted and land searches; efficient tutor overlap is reviewed separately above. There is no official tutor-count cap.

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

Key cards: Llanowar Scout · Retreat to Coralhelm · Narset, Parter of Veils · Muddle the Mixture.

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.