The 40 Best Treefolk in Magic Ranked

Last updated on April 26, 2025

Colfenor, the Last Yew | Illustration by Filip Burburan

There are more than 100 treefolk out there in Magic’s forests, and a lot of them are regularly played in green-based Commander decks, usually typal themed. Heavily inspired by Lord of the Rings’ Ents, they’re slow, defensive, ever-watching, and powerful if you let them roll and do their thing. And now we even have some LotR Ents in MTG thanks to Tales of Middle-earth.

But what are the best treefolk in Magic? Take a seat, stay a while, and listen to my story about treefolk in MTG!

What Are Treefolk in MTG?

Woodfall Primus | Illustration by Adam Rex

Treefolk is a creature type, mainly in green but also in black and white. They usually have higher toughness than power and are the creature of choice to make a big defensive creature.

Ironroot Treefolk was printed in Alpha, and Lorwyn made treefolk into one of the more iconic types by cementing its identity and printing treefolk lords. In these rankings I’m considering treefolk creatures that are mostly played in EDH. Treefolk don’t see much play outside of Commander.

With that in mind let’s go straight to the rankings!

#40. Treefolk Harbinger

As a 0/3 Treefolk Harbinger doesn’t do a lot, but at least it has 3 toughness to go with the theme. The ability lets you set up your draw to find lands as needed or a good treefolk to draw next.

#39. Willow Geist

A 1-drop treefolk is very good for curve, and Willow Geist has synergy with a lot of stuff going on in the graveyard, from flashback to delve to disturb. It also gains some +1/+1 counters too.

#38. Dauntless Dourbark

Dauntless Dourbark is a big trample creature in a green deck full of treefolk and forests. It’s not unusual to cast it as a 6/6 or 7/7 trample for 4.

#37. Wickerbough Elder

Who doesn’t like a Naturalize effect on a creature? Wickerbough Elder even gets bigger after the use. Pauper folks know this treefolk well.

#36. Dungrove Elder

Dungrove Elder has hexproof and can grow fast. It’s not difficult to have a 6/6 hexproof or greater. Besides, treefolk as a collective need cheap creatures.

#35. Bosk Banneret

A 2-drop shaman that makes all treefolk and shaman cheaper. Bosk Banneret is also a good blocker in the early game.

#34. Canker Abomination

A mix of horror and treefolk, Canker Abomination has -1/-1 counter synergy, which can be relevant for -1/-1 counter commanders like Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons. It’s a 6/6 treefolk for 4 at best with no synergies and if someone hasn’t got a creature.

#33. Weatherseed Treefolk

Weatherseed Treefolk. Never. Dies.

Granted, it’s a 5/3 for 5 mana and it doesn’t have the treefolk toughness synergy, but if you’re into a threat that stays around, then go for it.

#32. Generous Ent

Generous Ent makes the list because of the forestcycling ability. Being able to fetch any forest from your deck for 1 mana is awesome, and if you decide to cast the card it's a 5/7 reach that can give you some life.

#31. Fendeep Summoner

Fendeep Summoner threatens to make two blockers at instant speed provided you have enough untapped swamps. But be aware that you can lose two lands doing that.

#30. Indomitable Ancients

Indomitable Ancients is huge in a deck that usually cares about toughness. Mind you, Gigantosaurus is a 10/10 for 5 mana.

#29. Verdeloth the Ancient

Verdeloth the Ancient is a bomb and a saproling/treefolk lord. You can kick this 4/7 for lots of small tokens as long as you have enough mana, which is awesome for your treefolk Commander deck.

#28. Seedguide Ash

Talk about ramp! You search for three forests and put them on the battlefield tapped if Seedguide Ash dies. This is a creature your opponents aren’t destroying very soon, I guess.

#27. Rootless Yew

Rootless Yew is a 5/4 that tutors another treefolk when it dies. Yes, it tutors any creature. In Kaldheim Draft it had a target in Ravenous Lindwurm, but you can realistically get any big creature.

#26. Gnarled Professor

There are enough good lessons to make Gnarled Professor a flexible card in Constructed formats, but the lesson/learn mechanic doesn't really work in Commander. Still, remember that you can always rummage with a learn trigger even when you don't have access to a sideboard.

#25. Sheltering Ancient

In a Commander game where you have at least three opponents, Sheltering Ancient’s downside is lower than in a two-player game. Just keep in mind that you’ll have to put one counter in a turn, then two, and so on… Maybe it’s time to have a plan-b in case it stays for too long.

#24. Ghoultree

Decks with a dedicated self-mill component can cast Ghoultree for cheap, even for just 1-3 mana. An important card in original Innistrad Draft, this card can be played in Golgari (BG}) or treefolk decks needing an extra beater.

#23. Leaf-Crowned Elder

Leaf-Crowned Elder is a 3/5 that sometimes casts a creature for free from the top of your library if it’s a treefolk or shaman. Maybe you can make a shaman deck with expensive creatures, though kinship‘s not the most reliable mechanic.

#22. Timber Protector

Timber Protector is a treefolk lord with good stats, which also grants indestructible to everyone.

#21. Shriekwood Devourer

The Duskmourn Commander exclusive Shriekwood Devourer is a rare instance of a treefolk that cares about power rather than toughness. The goal is to play this and attack with a 7+ power creature right away, refunding your mana and making something of a mana doubler. If it survives a turn cycle, it can always untap up to seven lands on its own, though it's nice that you can keep it out of combat, if you prefer to have your 7/5 trampler on defense for some reason.

#20. Abominable Treefolk

Abominable Treefolk only sees play in decks that care about snow permanents, though it's really good there. Being blue makes it problematic for Abzan () Commander decks like Doran and Colfenor. It’s a big creature with trample that can lock another creature for a turn.

#19. Quickbeam, Upstart Ent

If you're trying to do anything even remotely close to treefolk typal, Quickbeam, Upstart Ent will be firmly seeded into that strategy. It's like a repeatable mini-Overrun. Not quite Craterhoof Behemoth, but I'm assuming you went with a treefolk deck to put the powerhouses on the sidelines for a bit anyway.

#18. Yedora, Grave Gardener

Yedora, Grave Gardener turns each of your creatures that dies into a forest. I think it’s cool and on theme. It may be a boost if you have expensive spells to play. And treefolk usually count the number of forests you have in play, so there’s also that.

#17. Kurbis, Harvest Celebrant

Speaking of lots of mana, Kurbis, Harvest Celebrant checks a lot of boxes in treefolk decks. It’s a mana sink, can be a giant pile of +1/+1 counters in the late game, and protects your +1/+1 countered dudes.

#16. Ezzaroot Channeler

Ezzaroot Channeler is a 4/6 reach for 6, which can block most big fliers very well, and it can gain life and ramp each turn, too. You could have a turn where all your creatures cost 3-4 less to cast in a more dedicated lifegain deck.

#15. Faeburrow Elder

Let’s say I’m playing Faeburrow Elder in a Doran, the Siege Tower deck. The Elder will be a 3/3 vigilance creature that taps to add . And you can play it in 5-color decks too.

#14. Great Oak Guardian

Great Oak Guardian combines not only a surprise body but also a surprise defense. It's a strong card in a go-wide deck, allowing for a better attack or defense. You can mess with other player's combats too.

#13. Kalonian Twingrove

You get two big creatures that continue to grow for 6 mana. You can even blink Kalonian Twingrove to make more tokens (or use Esika's Chariot).

#12. Orchard Warden

Orchard Warden is a lifegain machine in a treefolk-heavy deck, especially with lots of creatures that have 5+ toughness.

#11. Ulvenwald Observer

Ulvenwald Observer will draw a lot of cards in a deck full of 6+ toughness creatures on top of being life insurance for lots of creatures you control. Your opponents usually aren’t into giving cards away.

#10. Nemata, Primeval Warden

There isn't much “wow factor” to Nemata, Primeval Warden, so it doesn't grace the command zone that often. But for anyone looking for additional graveyard hate, this legendary treefolk's great at passively hosing creature deaths while putting the saprolings it makes to good use.

#9. Fangorn, Tree Shepherd

Making its way into most, if not all treefolk EDH decks is Fangorn, Tree Shepherd. Giving vigilance to giant creatures is always nice, and now they can attack, defend, and also generate mana. This is also effectively a 10/10 in a Doran, the Siege Tower deck.

#8. Scurry Oak

Scurry Oak is an “oopsie!” card deserving of its Modern Horizons 2 symbol. It goes infinite quite easily, usually in conjunction with Rosie Cotton of South Lane, Ivy Lane Denizen, or one of numerous other cards that can put +1/+1 counters on the oak when the Squirrel tokens enter the battlefield.

#7. Woodfall Primus

Woodfall Primus enters the battlefield and immediately destroys a noncreature permanent, and yes it can blow up lands. And you can do it again while having a 7/7 trample if it dies.

Cards in reanimator decks need to have immediate impact on the board to see play, and this card delivers. And persist makes it a great threat to “cheat” into play with temporary effects like Through the Breach.

#6. Sapling of Colfenor

Another interesting option for a Golgari commander that cares about toughness. Sapling of Colfenor attacks and you draw a card and gain some life in the process as long as you put creatures with higher toughness than power in your deck, which you’re already doing anyways. Just revealing a 2/5 will net you 3 life and a card. It’s also indestructible, which always helps getting in the red zone.

#5. Unstoppable Ash

In a deck that cares about toughness with Doran, the Siege Tower as a commander, every blocked creature in your deck gets +0/+5? Deal.

Unstoppable Ash attacks as a 10/10 trample for 4 mana on curve after casting Doran. Granted, you’ll need a cheap treefolk to champion, but changelings can be used as well.

#4. Treebeard, Gracious Host

Treebeard, Gracious Host is awesome in lifegain decks. It can be a 6/11 by itself by cashing in the Food tokens, and it has evasion and some protection to help it stand out. Some treefolk already gain life when they ETB, and Treebeard should be a perfect addition to an EDH lifegain, treefolk, or toughness-matters deck.

#3. Doran, the Siege Tower

One of the first Abzan creatures to be Constructed playable, Doran, the Siege Tower was a novelty in its time. And considering that it’s a 5/5, it saw play in many stompy decks while nerfing opponent’s creatures.

And Doran was popular as a commander too since it was one of the only good options for Abzan commanders for so long. Not to mention that it’s a commander that’s fairly easy to build, exploiting creatures with higher defense like 0/5s and 1/6s.

#2. Colfenor, the Last Yew

An interesting Abzan commander, Colfenor, the Last Yew is a 3/7 that lets you return a creature with less toughness from the graveyard to the battlefield when any creature dies. Colfenor also recovers anything with toughness 6 or less when it dies, which is saying something. Any creature dying will recover something if you mill enough creatures.

#1. Six

Sorry, I didn't have the bark to put Six at #6. In true Modern Horizons 3 fashion, Six has supplanted just about anything that came before it in this category, not that the title of “best treefolk” was too hard to wrestle away from the next tree in line. Six is incredible, self-milling to fill up the graveyard on attacks, and retracing permanent spells during your turn. Retrace on permanents is absurd, and Six doesn't sacrifice anything on stats or mana cost to account for this powerful recursion ability.

Best Treefolk Payoffs

Assault Formation is redundancy for the “Doran” effect and can pump toughness. Ancient Lumberknot is another version of this effect that happens to be a treefolk, and Bedrock Tortoise gives you the effect while protecting your creatures during your turn.

Abzan Beastmaster and Kin-Tree Invocation are high-toughness-matters payoffs, while Grim Contest and Catapult Fodder give you ways to turn your high-toughness treefolk into damage.

Generic typal cards like Metallic Mimic can be a low-drop creature in a treefolk deck.

Rootgrapple and Lignify are kindred treefolk spells, and they’re also rare green removal if you need it.

Changelings are interesting because treefolk are usually expensive, so cards like Masked Vandal and Chameleon Colossus lower the curve and add versatility.

Murmuring Bosk is an Abzan treefolk-themed land.

Assemble the Entmoot can give you three large treefolk tokens for just 4 mana, provided you play into the lifegain part of treefolk typal a bit. There's also Kirri, Talented Sprout as a plant/treefolk typal commander, though the red in it color identity doesn't do much for you if treefolk creatures are your focus.

Wrap Up

Dungrove Elder | Illustration by Matt Stewart

There's lots of fun stuff to explore in a treefolk typal deck. And this creature type always gets something here and there, even though it’s not an iconic type in Magic.

Commanders like Doran, the Siege Tower and Colfenor, the Last Yew are very popular and have lots of decklists online. Not to mention that they’re obvious houses for a lot of the treefolk discussed here.

What are your favorite treefolk in the game? Are you hoping they print some more of these forest-dwellers, or are you eager to move on to some other types? Let me know in the comments below or join the discussion in the Draftsim Discord.

I hope you enjoyed this. Until next time, folks!