B/GEDHREC #11073

Old Man Willow

Legendary Creature — Treefolk

Old Man Willow's power and toughness are each equal to the number of lands you control. Whenever Old Man Willow attacks, you may sacrifice another creature or a token. When you do, target creature an opponent controls gets -2/-2 until end of turn.

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From$0.19USDBuy on TCGPlayer

“Growing Treefolk that shrinks enemies whenever you sacrifice tokens or creatures.”

PlaystyleMidrange

DifficultyIntermediate

Wins viaCombat damage, Commander damage

ThemesTokens, Aristocrats, Landfall

Strategy

How this commander wants to play

Old Man Willow is a surprisingly flexible commander that grows bigger the more lands you control while giving you a repeatable way to weaken opposing creatures. Your core gameplan is ramp early, get lands into play, then use Willow as both a threat and a removal engine. When Willow attacks, you sacrifice tokens or utility creatures to shrink blockers—this is perfect for breaking through stalled boards or softening targets for lethal damage.

The deck wants to create a token-generating engine that feeds Willow's trigger repeatedly. Cards that make tokens as a side effect (like Bitterblossom or Witness tokens from Siege Rhino effects) turn every attack into creature removal. You'll also benefit from sacrifice outlets and death triggers, turning expendable creatures into value. Since you're naturally ramping into more lands, Willow scales beautifully into the midgame and becomes a serious clock while controlling the board.

Strategy generated by Tapped Decks AI. Not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.

Key Synergies

Cards that especially shine here

Budget Build

Same gameplan, less money

Build budget Willow with Llanowar Elves, Elvish Visionary, and Zulaport Cutthroat instead of pricey token generators; Basic Forests and Swamps with a few dual lands go a long way.