5 Of My Favorite MTG Cards (Green Edition)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everybody!

It’s that time of year again. The time of year where Green is everywhere, Whiskey flows, and Corned Beef is extra tasty. To celebrate the holiday, I wanted to go back to the world of Magic The Gathering, and talk about some of my favorite cards. Given what today is, I’m gonna be talking about some of my favorite Green cards. The cards of nature, might, and fury. Now, I did not order these in a specific manner. I just simply thought of the ones that happened to be ones I like, and just put them out for you all to see. With that out of the way, here are 5 of my favorite MTG cards.....Green Edition!

1) Kodama of the West Tree (Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty)

Nearly 18 years after our visit to Kamigawa, it’s incredible refreshing to visit it once again. The world may be drenched in cyberpunk, but the soul of what made that first trip is still evident in each & every single card. Chief among them is one of the plane’s most powerful spirits, Kodama of the West Tree. It is the living embodiment of both versions of this world: a nature entity not to be trifled with, but also takes advantage of a new mechanic that could only come from a world of neon & technology. I’ll have a bit more to talk about with Neon Dynasty around the end of the year, but suffice it to say this second trip to Kamigawa holds a special place in my heart, and Kodama of the West Tree is one reason why!

2) Ayula, Queen Among Bears (Modern Horizons)

It’s the number 1 threat to America......BEARS!!!!!

Nearly 3 years since it’s release, one of the most surprising legendary creatures has given credibility to a tribe that’s been begging for a lord. Lo and behold, those who loved Winnie The Pooh have been given a surprising powerhouse. Ayula is actually surprisingly versatile: she can either give your bears a semi-permanent buff when one comes into play on your side of the field, or she can make your bears fight creatures your opponent controls. She’s not complex in any way, and is one of the easier legendary creatures to build around. Definitely a card that’s.....un-bear-able.....for your opponents.

3) Garruk Wildspeaker (Lorwyn)

Planeswalkers have always had a presence in the story of MTG, but it wasn’t until 2007 when they finally became something that players could finally use. Originally meant to appear in Future Sight (Part 3 of the Time Spiral block for those who didn’t play it), it would ultimately the idyllic fantasy setting of Lorwyn that we would finally get our hands on them. Though virtually all of the original five are awesome in their own way, I’d have to say that the planeswalking master of nature may be my most favorite oddly enough. He can untap lands, call upon beasts to aid him, and can grant your creatures the power of one of the most famous sorceries for a turn. What’s not to like!

4) Avatar of Might (10th Edition)

Green excels in many things, but it’s most famous for having some of the biggest creatures that can stomp someone’s face in. This behemoth from 2007 is one that I can recall from memory pretty easily, as it was one I got for the release tournament for this output from WotC. There’s not that much to say, as it’s just a giant stompy that can smash someone’s face in. Fortunately, his cost to cast him can be offset by an opponent having just a few more creatures than you. Now that cool!

5) Kashi-Tribe Warriors (Champions Of Kamigawa)

So, there’s a story behind this one.

Let’s rewind the clock to 2004. It was a few months into my final year of high school, and one of the teachers made an after-school MTG group for people to stay after hours & play for a little. Conveinently, the forming of this group just so happened to take place not long after the release of the first part of the OG Kamigawa. The teacher had one of the packs, and we all took turns picking out a card from the booster after it was shuffled. I didn’t get the rare of the pack, nor one of the uncommons, but instead was a common. A shiny one, in fact.

The card itself is nothing special. In fact, it’s pretty simple, and I’d easily understand why someone would throw it back in the bulk bin if they saw it. However, I’ve got a fondness for it because of when I got it. I had only been playing the game for a few months at that point, so something like this at the time was very special. I still have it in my collection, and it will stay in there until the end of time.

And those were 5 of my favorite green Magic The Gathering cards. Eventually, I’ll talk about cards from the other colors, but I figure I’d start with Green given what today is. Well, join me in a week or two, we we’ll bear witness to Heavy Metal from the Emerald Isles. See you soon!