Planeswalkers in Cube: Green
Another week, another set of walkers. I’m kind of undecided whether I should cheekily slot in hot takes about the new ones spoiled in Crimson Vow, but I’ll give it a bit for opinions to settle. Chandra and Sorin are both looking fine though.
Instead of those well-dressed individuals, we’re going to take a look at a bunch of nature nerds. Those fellas don’t clean up quite as well, I think.
Garruk Wildspeaker
Garruk is kind of the only one of the Lorwyn 5 to actually hold up after 14 years. In fact, not only does he hold up, he’s actively really good. Garruk has a disgustingly efficient token producing -1, is great at ramping (with untapping two lands often being enough to cast a creature to protect him with), and the ultimate, while not game breaking, is usually enough to close out a game with a good green curve, or to break a boardstall if needed. There…isn’t really a deck that Garruk isn’t good against.
And, frankly, he’s just really good in a lot of decks as well. Aggro loves the tokens or the overrun, slower decks love the ramping and tokens, and it goes great in a green Wildfires build. He’s genuinely an excellent planeswalker, and he’s lean enough that he’s still more than playable in unpowered cubes even today.
Nissa Revane
Unlike Garruk 1, Nissa 1 is very much a swing and a miss. Even if we assume you get a Nissa’s Chosen when you pick her in draft (because if you don’t, she’s awful), she’s a 4 mana walker that can at most make a single 2/3 at a time, that has 2 starting loyalty, and while she does nothing but uptick towards her ultimate it’s extremely unlikely that the ultimate wins the game and it’s really fucking slow. She…doesn’t do anything, basically. Don’t play her, even in a Tribal cube with Elves.
Garruk, Primal Hunter
He’s 1 more mana, and unfortunately, a fair bit less versatile. 3 loyalty is awkward for a 5-mana walker, especially since it means you can’t use the -3 when you play him without killing him off (and Collective Unconscious isn’t a cubeable card), not to mention the triple G cost makes it harder to play in less dedicated green decks. Granted, this might not be an issue, since most good mana dorks make G anyway, and the +1 is obviously fairly strong.
My main issue with Garruk, Primal Hunter is that for an extra mana you get a card that is kind of just going to play worse than Wildspeaker. If you want 3/3 tokens, Wildspeaker can still make 3 before he dies (and you can keep him around longer), and he has another ability you can be using across the time. The main upsides I think are the ability to draw, which is something ramp wants a lot (so that you’re less likely to miss your big threats), and the fact that he’s real cheap owing to a couple recent Commander precon reprints. Not going to act like he’s unplayable, but I wouldn’t really recommend him.
Garruk Relentless // Garruk, the Veil-Cursed
This iteration is real spicy. Either side can start producing a token army from T4 on, and while it loses some traditional green abilities it gains a lot of really interesting effects the colour doesn’t typically get so easily. The ability to have your walker pick off an opponent’s small creature is not especially common in this colour, and his backside lets ramp (or midrange) decks convert outmoded mana dorks directly into real threats- or just win the game with the -3.
Flippy Garruk is notably quite weak to removal via combat or burn spells, but it’s a fair weakness to have. His numbers are low, but that includes the negative ones! And if you do have a board advantage, he’s great at making sure you don’t stop having that advantage anytime soon. Just a couple words of advice: Don’t get the From the Vault version (it looks like shit and it’s more expensive), and good luck finding the deathtouch wolf tokens. Took me a long time, they’re always bloody out of stock.
Garruk, Caller of Beasts
This guy’s kind of a classic in my eyes, being the Garruk What Was Out When I First Played, but unfortunately, I don’t think he’s great in cube. 6 mana means only slow midrange decks and ramp decks are going to want him, and he has a real tough time protecting himself- if you want to have him -3, then he goes to 1 loyalty, and the only Green creature that’s protecting his ass well then is Hornet Queen (or Terastodon, if you blow your own lands up). The +1 is probably the best ability, and it is quite solid (like this is probably going to draw 2-3 cards most of the time, but the -7 is…probably never happening (and by the time it does, you’ve seen half your deck between +1s and drawing so there won’t be much left).
Also, Green’s high drops usually want to be creatures for various synergy purposes, much like with Black and it’s reanimates. You can’t tutor this with an Eladamri’s Call or get it back with Pulse of Murasa.
Nissa, Worldwaker
This particular Nissa is quite good, though I think it’s kind of been overshadowed by the other two 5-mana Nissas. Her twin +1s are going to keep her relatively healthy, especially since they do both protect her in a way- though both are somewhat awkward. The untap effect is going to be medium outside of Mono-Green, and the animate doesn’t do as much on T1 since it doesn’t untap the land (unlike the other Nissas). At the same time, though, she can just make a 4/4 trampler every turn, even if it is taking your manabase out to do so, and if some of those are Forests she can give them pseudo-vigilance as well. The ultimate is pretty awkward, seeing as it only affects basics, but it will win the game often enough.
The biggest problem with this Nissa, outside of there being better options, is the wording on the card. The first ability hits any land, the second only Forests, and the ultimate any basic land. It’s awkward, and it’s going to lead to people fucking it up more often than the card’s really worth. I can’t really recommend this one as a result.
Freyalise, Llanowar’s Fury
Not really feeling this one either. Making tokens is fine, but 1/1s don’t cut it at 5 mana and at that point ramping isn’t going to really do much anyway. The Naturalize ability is done better by other cards, and it’s yet another one of these where it’s left at only 1 loyalty when you use it. And while the ultimate isn’t too far off, it’s not really doing enough to justify doing effectively nothing for a couple turns beforehand. Probably just don’t bother with this one. A shame, because she looks super cool- maybe I’m biased, though, since I have it as a playmat.
Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
3 mana is a very competitive place to be in Green- everything on that slot is something you can cast turn 2 after a mana dork, so you want those to be good. And Nissa, Voice of Zendikar is…slow. She’s really slow. Her +1 is pretty weak on its own, and while it’s okay with the -2, it’s also pretty weak if the only board you have is dorks and/or Plant tokens. The ultimate…could happen, considering how early she comes down and the fact that she can keep things from killing her somewhat.
She’s okay. For a while, she was the only 3 mana green ‘walker around, which you kind of liked as a unique thing for green to have T2, but she doesn’t quite do enough for the slot in 2021. Like…imagine drawing this when you’re on, like, 5 mana. Putting a +1/+1 counter on everything is fine, but I just feel like you’d rather have another beater instead. Aggro surely doesn’t want this card, Control probably doesn’t, it’s medium in midrange…you get the idea.
Nissa, Vital Force
This Nissa is one I do whole-heartedly recommend. She makes 5/5s that can attack or block the turn you play her, and she can rebuy a lot of powerful green cards for a pretty reasonable loyalty cost. Her ultimate is one that slowly wins the game over time…but you can activate it the turn after you cast the card, and the 5/5 she animates helps keep her live for that turn you need to get there.
She does have an issue compared to other green planeswalkers where the board presence she generates is static rather than increasing. That is: she’s only ever going to make one 5/5 at a time. However, the fact that she generates card advantage in other ways makes it a worthwhile cost in my eyes. She’s slower than some of her companions at winning the game, but she’s still very good at getting you towards that win.
Vivien Reid
New year, new Green Planeswalker Character. Maybe this one will stick? Actually, maybe it will, I think this card’s quite solid. She plays like a better version of Freyalise- the -3 keeps her at 2 loyalty and can also kill flyers, something Green has a hard time keeping away from its Planeswalkers, and the +1 drawing creatures is going to hit most of the time (and I cannot imagine you’re completely whiffing very often). The emblem doesn’t impress me, but it doesn’t really need to- this just kills stuff you want killed.
This card is a great example of a card that suits the MTG Arena school of sideboard card design- that is, it has an effect (Naturalize/Plummet) that usually would come out of the sideboard, but it has enough else going on that you are totally cool just maindecking it. And while the intent with that design is to make best-of-one matches play better, it also has been a pretty good boon for Cube as well.
Arlinn, Voice of the Pack
I have no idea how this plays in Peasant. On the one hand, most of the big CMC creatures you get in that format are, well, big idiots, so this adds an alternative to those- not to mention its synergies with +1/+1 counters themes that lower power cubes often enjoy. On the other, she’s painfully slow and definitely suffers from not being a creature in the colour where that really matters. So…maybe? What else are you going to play, like the only 6-drop I think uncommon cubes get that is just better would be Great Oak Guardian.
Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter
A quick shoutout to the original Yanggu- I know I wasn’t covering Planeswalker deck cards, but he’s not that bad for low power formats and the Mowu token is adorable.
This card is not good. I think I’d only play it if you are heavily into +1/+1 counter/proliferate themes. You get enough better 3s at basically any power level that he’s pretty irrelevant unless you need that counter effect. I know people who’ve played Rishkar will know that he’s deceptively powerful, but Jiang Yanggu is very much no Rishkar.
Nissa, Who Shakes the World
Finally, the final Nissa (for now). I kind of think this card might be overrated? She has a lot of loyalty, but her +1 is only ever making 3/3s, and her ultimate really doesn’t do anything. The passive is powerful, but ramping past 5 when the +1 already ramps is a little silly, and outside of mono-Green you’re maybe getting like 3 or so extra mana out of it.
Maybe I’m wrong. It was very good in Standard for a while, and I know people are playing this in cubes. I know this, because I’m one of them (because I had a spare one of these and not a spare Vital Force), though I’m unconvinced that this is the best we can do. This is probably the card I’m least sure about (that I’ve actually gotten to cast) on this list, frankly.
Vivien, Champion of the Wilds
Buy this card now while it’s still 2 bucks (also maybe get WAR Nissa too, she’s cheaper than she probably should be considering). For 3 mana, this card is great- She draws cards, effectively protects herself via reach or flash, and has more loyalty than a 3 mana walker probably should. You can just use her as a draw 2, or you can uptick and keep her around as long as you want, and flash is a great way to deter attackers and mess with control decks.
I love this card. Vivien is cheap enough for cheap cubes (for now!), and gets better the better your creatures get- so she’ll stay being good even in higher power. T2ing this off a dork is very strong, although it leaves her vulnerable- she just has all these cool play patterns that I really enjoy. Would recommend.
Vivien, Arkbow Ranger
This one…less so. 1GGG is a supremely awkward casting cost, restricting her to very heavy green decks, and her abilities don’t really make up for it. Like, what are you getting with the -5 that is good enough that you wouldn’t just put it in your deck? This is not a format where you get a sideboard toolbox unless your draft is insane. The +1 is weak for 4 mana, and the -3 hitting other Planeswalkers is nice but the cost of it is really way too much. This card really needs decent sized creatures to work, and she doesn’t make her own, so. Not unseating a Garruk, basically.
Vivien, Monster’s Advocate
I find this card awkward to play with, because who on earth keeps vigilance, reach, and trample counters around, but it’s otherwise good. The +1 and -2 would almost be good enough on their own- the +1 protects her nicely and generates an army, while the -2 is obviously very strong (depending, of course, on the deck). And then the static abilities come in, and the card gets way better.
I think this is one of the only playable Future Sight effects in cube at this point- though the original is probably still good in lower power. It’s certainly the best one in Green. And the ability to shuffle the deck inbuilt on the card with the -2 is really spicy for this kind of effect. This card is…really just kind of nuts, actually. Aggro doesn’t like it, but they really don’t like facing it either, so.
God you can -2 and then cast a creature off the top of your library! That’s nuts!!!
Garruk, Unleashed
As it turns out, the best way to make a Planeswalker that competes with Garruk Wildspeaker was just to make a really similar card. It’s a more aggressively tilted Garruk, but one that really dislikes not having that overrun effect.
Ramp decks probably don’t care about this one, but he’s much better in faster midrange and aggressive green decks that care about the +1. I’m not sure you ever care about the ultimate, but that’s fine, because a Giant Growth every turn does win games. This is card is one of those little knobs you can have around if you want to push for more aggressive green decks- or just, run both. This one is also phenomenal in budget cubes, because it’s really really cheap at time of writing. Get his ass in there.
Tyvar Kell
The passive on this bloke may as well not exist, seeing as there aren’t going to be many elves you run that don’t either already tap for mana or would be better off just attacking anyway. And I’m not convinced the other abilities make up for it at all. Tyvar’s +1 is laser-specific and has a lot of words for not a lot of value, and the 0 is just not enough for 4 mana. Elspeth Knight-Errant gets away with it because it’s a +1, and because she can also just start killing you with her other +1, but Tyvar really doesn’t have the same luxury.
Again, I’m not convinced this would make it in a tribal cube either. The +1 would be more relevant there, as would the passive, but not enough to make a significant difference in my eyes. I just don’t think this fella is worth his weight.
Ellywick Tumblestrum
I…still have no idea how good Venture into the Dungeon is as a mechanic on a planeswalker. It could be great, it could be awful, I have barely gotten to play with any AFR. Considering how good this card is is so utterly dependent on this effect (the -2 is…fine?), you kind of really need to know how much value you can get out of it. It’s definitely versatile, at least, when you first use it and can choose which dungeon you pick.
The card doesn’t seem to have much of an adoption rate, after a quick CubeCobra search. Less than 1% of Standard-Only cubes are running it, though that may change when Garruk rotates. I’m not sure whether this card is actually just bad, or people just don’t want all the baggage of the Dungeon mechanic in their cube (a lot of the Daybound cards from MID are in similar states), but I’d keep my eye on it- especially with a new D&D set coming next year. (I think it’s next year? Idk)
Freyalise, Skyshroud Partisan
This is the only Elf-specific Planeswalker I think I’d run in a tribal cube…and also one that has so much extra baggage and difficulty attached that maybe you just don’t bother. You have to do so much extra work for all 3 abilities.
With that said, maybe this is when I bring up that people are playing Arena cube drafts online. And in something like that…this card is probably really solid? If you have the Elves to support it, that is. She does a load of work for 3 mana, though there aren’t nearly as many mana dorks in those formats. I dunno. This one isn’t my specialty.
Wrenn and Seven
It would appear the breakup was rough for Wrenn, because her followup isn’t nearly as fuckbusted. This is probably a good thing. This card feels pretty specific- the -3 makes a fairly sizable token, but the other abilities really leave something to be desired. I think you need to be supporting a lands deck, a green Graveyard theme, or something similar to really benefit from having this in your cube.
I could, of course, be wrong. It’s a menace in Standard right now, and has the price tag to prove it. But I just think that this one might not be worth that investment- unless you’re already supporting this kind of archetype. Very willing to be proven wrong on this, but I’m going to have to pass for now.
And so ends Green’s walkers. It’s a colour in an awkward position where they kind of got it perfect the first time, and every card since then has been playing catch-up. I think power creep will catch up with Garruk Wildspeaker eventually, but for now, he’s been a staple for so long for a reason. It’s just sort of a shame every single card since has to be compared to this crowning achievement of design.
