Top 10 Green Planeswalkers in Magic: The Gathering

Updated on October 8, 2019
Jeremy Gill profile image


The Best Green Planeswalkers in Magic

Magic's green faction emphasizes mana ramping and hefty creatures, and its planeswalkers offer numerous ways to accumulate mana or empower your monsters. Some also provide lifegain or draw cards, giving a wide range of helpful abilities.

Remember, you can only control one planeswalker of a given name (even in separate forms), but since green offers numerous characters in addition to mainstays Nissa and Garruk, you can easily field multiple spellcasters. But with over a dozen mystics available, which cards reign supreme? These are the 10 strongest green planeswalkers in Magic: The Gathering!

Vivien of the Arkbow
Vivien of the Arkbow

10. Vivien of the Arkbow

CMC (Converted Mana Cost): 6

Vivien only wields a starting loyalty of five considering his substantial fee, but her great +2 effect adds two +1/+1 counters to a creature, indefinitely boosting it. -3 provides a nice creature removal, as it deals one of your unit's power as damage to an opposing creature, and -9 grants your entire army +4/+4 and trample for the round.

With well-rounded effects and the ability to obtain two loyalty each turn, Vivien's a powerful force for any green deck, especially when used to support the counter-based tactics of hydra cards.

Nissa, Genesis Mage
Nissa, Genesis Mage

9. Nissa, Genesis Mage

CMC: 7

Nissa is today's most mana-taxing card, needing seven resources, but she compensates with an excellent +2 trait, untapping up to two creatures and two lands! -3 is okay, simply giving a creature +5/+5 for the turn, and ultimate -10 plays any creatures or lands from the top ten cards of your deck, a powerful swarm that casts high-cost behemoths for free.

You can also pull Genesis Mage from either your deck or graveyard with the five-cost sorcery "Nissa's Encouragement," which also searches a basic forest and the creature "Brambleweft Behemoth." Just remember you can only control one of Nissa's many planeswalker forms at once.

Garruk, Primal Hunter
Garruk, Primal Hunter

8. Garruk, Primal Hunter

CMC: 5

Garruk's Primal Hunter moder enters with a disappointing starting loyalty, but his fierce +1 creates a 3/3 creature token, giving an army of respectable warriors as you amass loyalty.

-3 draws cards equal to the power of your strongest creature and -6 constructs a 6/6 wurm token per land you control. Both are nice add-ons, but the real treats are the repeated tokens.

Vivien Reid
Vivien Reid

7. Vivien Reid

CMC: 5

Vivien's alternative form is slightly cheaper, has a better mana/loyalty ratio, and her +1 lets you pull a creature or land from among the top four cards of your deck, essentially offering a less-random draw. -3 skillfully destroys any artifact, enchantment, or creature with flying (useful considering green's aerial weakness).

Then, ultimate -8 grants an emblem giving your creatures +2/+2, vigilance, trample, and indestructible. This amazing boost lasts indefinitely, drastically strengthens your squad, and can be accessed immediately if your harness the loyalty-increasing "Doubling Season" enchantment (which just happens to be green).

Garruk, Caller of Beasts
Garruk, Caller of Beasts

6. Garruk, Caller of Beasts

CMC: 6

Garruk's cost is high and loyalty low, but he offers three tempting effects. +1 pulls all creatures from the top five cards of your deck to your hand, an excellent replenishment tool, and -3 plays any green creature for free, avoiding the fees of costly behemoths like "Worldspine Wurm."

Then, -7 grants an emblem letting you field a creature from your deck whenever you cast one, adeptly avoiding both the searching and mana required to cast your aces.

Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

5. Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

CMC: 3

Considering her surprisingly low cost, Nissa arrives with a fair amount of loyalty and nice ability spread. +1 creates a 0/1 plant token, useful as a throwaway blocker, while -2 adds a +1/+1 counter to all creatures you control, skillfully boosting your entire army.

Ultimate -7 also impresses, gaining life and drawing cards equal to the number of lands you control. You'll find few better warriors at such a low price, although you can upgrade Nissa with a little more mana...

Nissa, Worldwaker
Nissa, Worldwaker

4. Nissa, Worldwaker

CMC: 5

I've never been a fan of land-to-creature strategies, as they make your lands vulnerable to creature removals. That said, Worldwaker's +1 turns a land into a 4/4 with trample for the turn, strong enough to overpower even my bias.

Still, you'll likely want her alternative +1, which untaps up to four forests! Four extra resources drastically improves your speed and almost negates Worldwaker's cost; just remember you can only use the effect on forests, meaning she's best for mono-green decks. Ultimate -7 fields any number of basic lands from your deck and turns them into similar 4/4 tramplers, but Worldwake's excellent +1 remains her real selling point.

Garruk Wildspeaker
Garruk Wildspeaker

3. Garruk Wildspeaker

CMC: 4

Wildspeaker offers a cheaper alternative to Nissa's Worldwaker form. While his +1 can only untap two lands, they can be of any type, and his lower cost lets you access him sooner. Additionally, -1 places a 3/3 beast token and -4 grants your creatures +3/+3 and trample for the turn.

While he can't untap as many forests as Worldwaker, Garruk is less expensive and offers better secondary effects, making him a prime force in any green deck.

Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury
Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury

2. Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury

CMC: 5

Freyalise's biggest disadvantage is her poor starting loyalty, but her +2 will soon amass more. It creates a 1/1 elf token that can tap for a green mana, offering mana ramp, potential blockers, and synergies with the abundant elf clan.

Meanwhile, -2 serves as an excellent removal, annihilating any artifact or enchantment, and -6 draws a card for each green creature you control. With ramping, token swarming, removal prowess, and card advantage, Frey offers a bit of everything, and as icing on the cake, she's one of few planeswalkers who can serve as commander in EDH format.

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Nissa, Vastwood SeerNissa, Sage Animist
Nissa, Vastwood Seer
Nissa, Vastwood Seer
Nissa, Sage Animist
Nissa, Sage Animist

1. Nissa, Vastwood Seer/Nissa, Sage Animist

CMC: 3

This transforming card begins as a weak 2/2, but offers elf synergies and searches a forest from your deck upon arrival, making Nissa's creature form worthwhile on her own. Plus, when you control seven or more lands, Vastwood Seer automatically shifts to Sage Animist, entering with three loyalty.

Her handy +1 reveals the top card of your deck, fielding it if a land and adding it to your hand otherwise, an appreciated draw that can potentially grant a free land play. -2 creates a legendary 4/4 token and -7 untaps six lands and morphs them into 6/6 creatures. All are useful effects that earn Nissa a spot in my own green structures, and despite her top-tier status, she's pretty affordable for a planeswalker (who often run double or even triple digits), costing less than seven dollars!

Which Card Do You Prefer?

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Supporting Planeswalkers in Magic

In addition to today's cards, try pairing green with other colors for additional aces like blue/green "Nissa, Steward of Elements" and "Kiora, Master of the Depths."

Green planeswalkers remain powerful tools that are generally well-protected by the faction's massive monsters, and since the faction contains the aforementioned "Doubling Season" enchantment, it's easy to multiply starting loyalty and quickly access your ultimate effects. But for now, as we eagerly await Wizards of the Coast's next expansion of emerald mystics, vote for your favorite card and I'll see you at our next MTG countdown!

© 2019 Jeremy Gill


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    • profile image


      7 months ago

      I have Garruk primal hunter


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