All 14 Golgari Planeswalkers in Magic Ranked

Vraska the Unseen | Illustration by Aleksi Briclot

Green and black, or Golgari decks, are usually midrange brews. That comes from combining black’s removal and grind capabilities with green’s ramp and big creatures, plus these colors aren’t aggressive outside of some heavy monocolor builds. And what’s better than a 4-6 mana planeswalker to turn the tide of the battle in these midrange, grindy decks?

While the “Rock” decks from the past used cards like Spiritmonger and Phyrexian Arena to have a staying presence on the battlefield, modern MTG has planeswalkers. Today, we’re taking a look at all the Golgari planeswalkers in MTG and ranking them. Let’s dive in, midrange fans!

What Are Golgari Planeswalkers in MTG?

Garruk, Cursed Huntsman | Illustration by Eric Deschamps

Golgari Planeswalker cards are planeswalker cards with a green and black color identity. Most of these are straight-up gold green/black cards, but some are hybrid cards, or double-faced cards with green on one side and black on the other side. Most of these follow the classic black planeswalker pattern of having creature removal as a minus ability, and conditional card draw on the neutral or plus abilities.

Honorable Mention: Deathrite Shaman

I know, I know, it’s not a planeswalker, but everybody else calls it the “best 1-mana planeswalker there is”. Deathrite Shaman is a 1-mana elf that can generate mana, exile cards, gain life, and damage your opponent. Considering that you can do that once per turn because you need to tap it, the similarities to planeswalkers are there.

#14. Vraska, Regal Gorgon

Seven mana is a steep cost for a planeswalker, and requires huge benefits to be worth it, like some Nicol Bolas cards. Vraska, Regal Gorgon is one of those Planeswalker Deck walkers that are overcosted (should be at max 5 mana) and don’t have any abilities worth the mana value. You shouldn’t play this card.

#13. Garruk, Apex Predator

Garruk, Apex Predator is a stronger 7-mana planeswalker, but still lacking in 2026. You’re getting a removal spell, or a 3/3 token. Not bad, but I want more from my planeswalkers. I’d play this in a green-black EDH or casual deck, especially if my opponents get fancy with planeswalkers. This card’s only redeeming feature is the emblem; it’s one of the better ways to make someone lose in EDH.

#12. Tyvar Kell

The main problem with Tyvar Kell is that it’s a typal elf planeswalker card, so you’re not playing this in a deck without elves. Ok, you can create a token and buff it afterwards, but this card’s real value lies in making your elves add black mana. This card would be strong in 2010s MTG, but nowadays we need something extra from our planeswalkers.

#11. Vraska, the Unseen

Vraska the Unseen saw some competitive Standard play in its era, and it’s a different planeswalker design. It’s hard to remove this planeswalker from the game without specific spot removal spells, and it survives a good bit of direct damage. The plus ability kills creatures that dare to attack Vraska, and that’s a form of removal. Or you can straight up Murder a creature with the -3 ability. Its ultimate is a player killer, especially if you can give the assassin tokens haste.

#10. Nissa of Shadowed Boughs

Nissa of Shadowed Boughs is a limited planeswalker. You can raise its loyalty with landfall shenanigans like ramp and playing lands from your graveyard, and the payoff is cheating something big into play from your hand. The +1 is very solid, as you can beat down with a 3/3 vigilance land. It shines in specific decks, but the card needs a lot of synergies and moving parts (e.g.: have a great target in your hand, have landfall support).

#9. Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence

Vraska, Swarm's Eminence, an uncommon planeswalker, leads to a deathtouch-matters deck. Adding 1/1 deathtouch assassins to the battlefield offers protection plus synergies with green punch effects. Its most common use is in decks that run Fynn, the Fangbearer. Both are uncommons, so if your budget or Peasant Cube wants to do something different in the green and black section, here’s a nice combo.

#8. Vraska, Relic Seeker

Vraska, Relic Seeker was also a competitive mainstay thanks to its +2 ability, bringing the total loyalty to 8 and threatening to ultimate. Turning threats into Treasure is also strong because it neutralizes them for good. It’s 6 mana, but Vraska defends itself with the pirates, the high loyalty, and the removal. The ultimate is just ridiculous, and sometimes you’ll attack with a 2/2 menace for the win the turn you activate it.

#7. Vraska, Golgari Queen

Vraska, Golgari Queen was a vital pillar of the Golgari Guilds of Ravnica deck in Standard, and even saw some Pioneer play. It’s a weird planeswalker to play because you’ll often sacrifice your lands to draw more cards, but that makes it harder to play the cards you’ve drawn. It’s best with token creatures and creatures that return to the battlefield after dying.

Its main use, however, is to destroy something with the -3 ability: Teferi, Time Raveler, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Oblivion Ring, you name it. Sometimes you keep pumping it up, ultimate it, and win with a single attack.

#6. Grist, Voracious Larva / Grist, the Plague Swarm

Grist, Voracious Larva is strange to evaluate, because neither half of the card is spectacular. Both are serviceable, but what makes this package great is that it only costs 1 mana to cast and 1 mana to transform, so you get something very nice with a low mana investment. The ideal play pattern is to block and trade with the insect, and then Unearth it later and immediately pay the to transform it into Grist, the Plague Swarm. Its planeswalker side can spam tokens and mill, and sometimes you’ll use the -2 Naturalize ability to get additional value.

#5. Garruk Relentless / Garruk, the Veil-Cursed

Garruk Relentless is a confusing card to use, but a powerful planeswalker nonetheless. It was designed to have synergies with wolves and werewolves in the original Innistrad set, so it makes wolves on the 0 ability, which isn’t bad considering most planeswalkers from that era create 1/1 tokens. You can also transform it when its takes some damage, or via the fight ability, getting access to the much more powerful Garruk, the Veil-Cursed. Here, we’re creating deathotuch tokens and tutoring for creatures. Today, its best home is in decks that can take advantage of wolves.

#4. Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler

Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler sees play in decks built around Insidious Roots, and the two cards tie together nicely. Roots makes tokens that can generate mana, while Tyvar gives them pseudo-haste. Tyvar also mills, so you can fuel your graveyard engines. Beyond that, its natural home is in green and black elf decks that want creatures like Arbor Elf, Priest of Titania, and the like with haste plus an untap ability.

#3. Garruk, Cursed Huntsman

Garruk, Cursed Huntsman is an example of a 6-mana planeswalker done right. Few planeswalkers make two tokens on a single activation, and here we can get two 2/2 tokens that make Garruk stronger when they die, so your opponent’s disinclined to attack Garruk or block your wolves. Garruk starts super close to its ultimate, and it’s hard to beat a permanent Overrun effect. If that’s not good enough, this card is one of the only planeswalkers that let you kill a creature and draw a card at the same time.

#2. Professor Dellian Fel

Professor Dellian Fel is one of the most flexible 4-mana planeswalkers in green and black because its abilities don’t have downsides. First, you’re gaining 3 life on each activation while raising its loyalty, which is excellent against any kind of burn or aggro deck. To impact the board, you can -3 and destroy any creature, or just draw cards against control and midrange. If that wasn’t enough, you can cast this card, uptick, and ultimate on the next turn. From there, your +2 ability drains for 3 each turn.

#1. Grist, the Hunger Tide

Grist, the Hunger Tide is the best Golgari planeswalker and sees play across multiple Eternal formats. First, it’s a legendary creature in zones other than the battlefield, so it can be a commander, and it’s easier to tutor for a creature than a planeswalker. This card works very well alone, as you can use the +1 ability to make an insect and sacrifice it next turn for profit. Its sacrifice ability powers the undying combos in Modern, and you can build an insect-typal or heavy self-mill deck around this card as well.

Best Golgari Planeswalker Payoffs

Now that we’ve seen all Golgari planeswalkers, let’s see some cards that go well with them. Many payoffs for playing planeswalkers are in other colors, such as blue and white, so I’ll focus more on cards that have at least green and black in their color identity.

Carth the Lion is a direct payoff for playing planeswalkers in Golgari. It gives your planeswalkers more loyalty when activating their abilities and makes abilities that remove counters cheaper, and when a planeswalker dies, you have a good chance of getting another one.

Varis, Silverymoon Ranger allows us to venture into the dungeon faster; even if you’re not doing that specifically, you get some pretty good rewards.

Proliferate is the best mechanic for playing a lot of planeswalkers, considering that they’ll get more loyalty counters. Karn's Bastion, Agent Frank Horrigan, and Evolution Sage are good options in BG. Atraxa, Praetors' Voice goes without saying.

Doubling Season is huge with planeswalkers, making them enter with double the amount of loyalty counters. In many cases, you can ultimate a planeswalker the turn you cast them.

Heroic Intervention and Fog effects keep your planeswalkers alive for much longer.

The Chain Veil allows you to use your planeswalkers' loyalty abilities twice.

Command the Dreadhorde reanimates multiple planeswalkers at once.

Wrap Up

Nissa of Shadowed Boughs | Illustration by Yongjae Choi

Green and black planeswalkers usually see play because this color combination needs them. Plus, planeswalkers are versatile cards, adding different forms of removal, card draw, or token generation. Although a few of these can go into any BG deck, some only shine with the right synergies. If you’re playing something like Carth the Lion, you’re probably jamming most if not all of them.

What’s your take on Golgari planeswalkers? Do you have fond memories of playing them in Standard or other formats? Let me know in the comments section below. Join the Draftsim Discord to keep the conversation going, and for all your other MTG-related news, be sure to check out our YouTube Channel, The Daily Upkeep.

Until next time, stay safe!