Bracket 3 · Commander deck guide · Witherbloom Golgari Tokens
Witherbloom, the Balancer is an eight-mana dragon that rarely costs eight. Affinity for creatures makes it cheaper for every creature you control, and once it's out, your instants and sorceries get affinity too.
Golgari has the best token makers and the biggest X spells. We flood the board with cheap creatures and mana dorks, cast Witherbloom for a few mana, then fire off huge spells for almost nothing.
- Strategy
- Witherbloom Golgari Tokens
- Bracket
- 3
- Avg. mana value
- 0.00
- Lands
- 0
01The Commander
Witherbloom costs {1} less for each creature you control. With six creatures out it costs {B}{G}.
While it's on the battlefield, your instant and sorcery spells also have affinity for creatures, which reduces their generic costs, including X.
It's a 5/5 flier with deathtouch, so it blocks anything and threatens real damage.
02Deck at a Glance
Bracket 3 · Witherbloom Golgari Tokens · 0 cards
Composition
- Commander0
- Creatures0
- Instants & sorceries0
- Artifacts & enchantments0
- Planeswalkers0
- Lands0
- Tokens0
Mana Curve
Color Split
symbols
By the Numbers
Cards by Role
03Mana Creatures
Mana dorks count as creatures for affinity and ramp at the same time.
Also worth a slot
04Token Makers
More bodies mean cheaper spells.
Also worth a slot
05Big Spells
With Witherbloom out, these cost far less.
Also worth a slot
06Finishers
A wide board ends games with one big spell.
Also worth a slot
07Interaction and Draw
Golgari answers anything and draws plenty.
Also worth a slot
08The Mana Base
Two colors with plenty of mana creatures means a lighter land count. Dryad Arbor is a land that counts as a creature for affinity. Bojuka Bog answers graveyards.
09How to Play
Early gameturns 1-3
Make creatures. Mana elves like Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic and Elves of Deep Shadow ramp and also reduce costs later. Scute Swarm grows with your land drops.
Mid gameturns 4-7
Cast Witherbloom when it's cheap and start using cheap spells. Pest Infestation destroys artifacts and enchantments and makes tokens, Awaken the Woods makes land creature tokens, and Shamanic Revelation draws a card for each creature you control. Enduring Vitality turns all your creatures into mana.
Late game
Go for a finisher. A big Exsanguinate drains the table, Craterhoof Behemoth makes one attack lethal, and the Sprout Swarm loop gives you a huge board. Heroic Intervention protects your board from wipes.
Tips
- Affinity only reduces generic costs: count your colored mana.
- Cast X spells late in the turn after making creatures, to get the most out of affinity.
- Witherbloom's deathtouch makes it an excellent blocker.
- Make tokens before casting Witherbloom to lower its cost.
- Craterhoof Behemoth wins with a wide board.
Common mistakes
- Casting Witherbloom too early at a high cost.
- Using X spells for small amounts: wait for a bigger turn.
- Ignoring wipes: keep Heroic Intervention up.
- Casting X spells into counterspells.
Watch out for
- Board wipes.
- Token hate.
- Counterspells on your key spells.
- Fliers racing you.
10Combos and Key Interactions
- Witherbloom + Sprout Swarm: with enough creatures, affinity reduces Sprout Swarm's generic cost, including buyback, to zero. Convoke pays the {G} by tapping the new Saproling. Repeat for infinite Saprolings.
- Witherbloom + Exsanguinate: X reduced by creature count. Often lethal.
- Cryptolith Rite + tokens: every token is mana.
11Bracket and Rule 0
EDHREC's average Bracket 3 list itself includes 1 Game Changer (Biorhythm). Our list's bracket: we checked it by hand against the current Game Changers list and found 1 Game Changer (Biorhythm). That makes it consistent with Bracket 3. Bracket 3 allows up to three.
The Sprout Swarm loop is a two-card infinite. Bracket 3 allows it, but don't race to assemble it early, and tell your table about it.
Biorhythm can kill opponents with few creatures; some groups dislike it.
12Budget Options and Upgrades
Craterhoof and some lands are pricey. Swap them for cheaper token spells.
Budget swaps
EDHREC's budget version of this deck leaves out the most expensive cards. The biggest ones to cut:
Cards the budget list uses instead:
Upgrades
These high-synergy cards from EDHREC's Witherbloom, the Balancer page aren't in the average deck, and none of them is a Game Changer, so adding them keeps you inside Bracket 3:
Other builds: a spellslinger build uses more instants and sorceries; a token build uses more creatures.
13FAQ
How cheap can Witherbloom get?
Down to {B}{G}, the colored part.
Does affinity reduce X?
Yes, affinity reduces generic mana, including X.
Is Biorhythm fair?
It's a Game Changer. Mention it.
14Full Decklist
This is the exact list in our Witherbloom proxy deck (0 cards). About 64 of the 84 different cards in EDHREC's average list are also in ours. Hover a highlighted card to see it.
Compare with EDHREC's average deck, which this guide's card picks are based on.
Get the deck
Witherbloom Witherbloom Golgari Tokens proxy deck
Witherbloom rewards going wide. Build a board, cast it cheap, and fire big spells.
Every card in this guide is shown exactly as it prints in our deck: 100 cards, sleeve-ready, with tokens.
Shop the deck · $45Card images are our own proxy cards, rendered from the art in this deck. Card picks follow EDHREC's average deck plus our own build. Decklist and card data: EDHREC average Bracket 3 deck for Witherbloom, the Balancer. Oracle text from Scryfall.