Quick Links
It makes sense for a Wild West-themedMagic: The Gatheringexpansion to have a race of cactus people, and Bristly Bill is the perfect name for a cactus person. What Bill does in the middle of the deserts surroundingThunder Junctionisn’t particularly understood. What is understood is that Bristly Bill is the perfect commander for a monogreen +1/+1 token deck.
Green is a great single color to make a Commander deck out of as it has access to all the removal, ramp, and card draw you could ever need. With Bristly Bill at the head, you’ll have an army of angry creatures that just get bigger and bigger with every turn.
The Commander: Bristly Bill, Spine Sower
I’ve always loved cheap commanders, and it doesn’t get much cheaper than Bristly Bill. For just two mana, you get a 2/2 Plant Druid thatplaces a +1/+1 counteron one of your creatures whenever you play a land. If that isn’t enough, you cantap five mana(three generic, two green) todouble the number of +1/+1 counterson every creature you control.
Most decks want to play land every turn, and given how green is the color of land-fetching, it shouldn’t be too difficult toensure Bill is being fed a constant stream of land to trigger his Landfall keyword. Then, once you’ve got an army of critters with +1/+1 counters on them, you can double them every turn after you hit five mana.
Since Bill costs so little, you’ll basicallyalways play him on your second turn. If he dies, so what? You’ll be able to cast him again and again relatively easily given his low starting mana cost.
All you need to do issupport Bill with spells that fetch lands and a few cards to get your oversized army over the topin the late game. Throw in a few big-mana bombs to use up all those lands you’ve been fetching, and you’ll find Bristly Bill is a prickly pear indeed.
Building Your Bristly Bill, Spine Sower Commander Deck
Bristly Bill wants a few things to function. First, you’ll want todraw extra cardsto ensure you’ve always got a land to play every turn. Second, you’ll want somespells that fetch landsfrom your deck to get even more value out of Bill’s Landfall ability (given your playing monogreen, that shouldn’t be too hard). And finally, you’ll wantcreatures,enchantments, andartifacts that take advantage of all those +1+/1 countersyou’ll be generating.
Throw ina few green stapleslikeHeroic InterventionandGreen Sun’s Zenith, and you’ve got yourself a fine Commander deck.
Ramp
Green is the color of ramping, so there’s certainly no shortage of options here. On the creature side,Sakura-Tribe Elder,Springbloom Druid,Azusa, Lost but Seeking, andKodama of the West Treeall help get land out of your deck and/or hand and to put into play, while cards likeElvish MysticandKami of Whispered Hopesprovide a direct injection of mana.
On the non-creature side,Crop Rotation,Nature’s Lore,Cultivate, andKodama’s Reachall search out extra lands to put into plan.Sol Ringis still so good that even a mono-green deck shouldn’t go without it, while Sword of the Animist turns any creature into a constant land generator. And for the low cost of one mana, Exploration will also allow you to cast an extra land every turn.
+1/+1 Counter Enhancements
Getting lands is great, but the main thrust of Bristling Bill is getting the most out of all those +1/+1 counters you’ll be making. For that,you’ll need a bunch of creaturesto put those tokens on. Bill isn’t the worst critter to turn into a gigantic monster, but there are certainly better options.
For example,Gyre SageandKami of Whispered Hopesboth produce more mana with every counter they get.Champion of Lambholtcan make all your creatures unblockable once it achieves sufficient power.Ornery Tumblewagdoubles its counters whenever it attacks, and Armorcraft Judge draws a card for every creature with a counter on it.
Besides creatures,Hardened Scales,Branching Evolution,Tribute to the World Tree,Court of Garenbrig, andOzolith, the Shattered Spireall give you more +1/+1 counters (sometimes a lot more), whileThe Ozolithensures all those counters never go to waste even if the creature they’re enhancing dies.
Card Draw
Drawing more cards is a great way to ensure you’ve always got lands to play.Toski, Bearer of Secrets,Armorcraft Judge,Tireless Tracker,Inspiring Call,Return of the Wildspeaker,Tribute to the World Tree, andGuardian Projectall help keep your hand full.
Green Staples
Historically, green has struggled to respond to threats as they arise, but these days, green has an arsenal of answers to unleash.Archdruid’s CharmandSmuggler’s Surpriseare fantastic spells with the flexibility to respond to a variety of situations. If all you need is some removal,Bushwhack,Beast Within, andKhalni Ambush(the other side ofKhalni Territory) are here to help.
Heroic Interventionhas been a staple green card ever since it’s been printed, and for good reason. It can effectively function as a counterspell when your opponent casts a board sweeper, or it can just give you the edge in combat. And if you can’t afford Heroic Intervention (due to its high monetary value), we’ll discuss budget substitutions below.
Game Winners And Big Bombs
Simply having an ever-growing army of creature can be enough to win games on its own, but sometimes it helps to have things that can tip the scales in your favor.Goldvein Hydra,Herd Baloth,Nissa, Voice of Zendikar,Nissa, Who Shakes the World, andReturn of the Wildspeakercan help either expand your army or make it temporarily more powerful.
There’s alsoBane of Progress,Rampaging Yao Guai, andPerilous Vaultto help clear the board when things get a little bogged down.
Don’t sleep onWoodfall Primus, either! With a constant stream of +1/+1 counters, it will keep destroying permanents every time it dies.
Azusa, Lost but Seeking
Return of the Wildspeaker
Sword of the Animist
Forest (24)
Budget Substitutions
We get it; some of these cards cost more than a family combo meal at your local Arby’s. If you’d rather save your money for a sandwich,consider these budget substitutions.
Llanowar Reborn,Escape Tunnel,Cabaretti Courtyard,Temple of the False God, or aForest
