All 12 Simic Planeswalkers in Magic Ranked

Kiora, the Crashing Wave | Illustration by Scott M. Fischer

Hello planeswalkers! Join the Simic Combine and protect the natural world of Ravinica, or at least experiment with it. Simic () is our blue and green guild in MTG and focuses on the preservation and evolution of nature.

Simic planeswalkers mostly focus on creatures, nature, and knowledge. We’re diving into multiple versions of fan favorite planeswalkers, like Tamiyo, Kiora, and Oko, as well as one or two planeswalkers dipping their toes in the Simic Growth Spiral. So how do these planeswalkers stand up in the Pantheon of planeswalkers? Let’s find out.

What Are Simic Planeswalkers in MTG?

Oko, the Ringleader | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve

Simic () planeswalkers have the card type planeswalker and are in the blue-green color identity. The list includes two transforming cards Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student and Oko, Lorwyn Liege, as they contain the Simic color identity between the two sides of the card.

We aren’t looking at individual blue and green planeswalkers, or any color wedge/shard that includes blue and green with other colors like Sarkhan Unbroken.

#12. Oko, the Trickster

Oko, the Trickster is potentially the most expensive Simic planeswalker (Nissa, Steward of Elements’s X cost aside), and works as a decent pump with a great final loyalty ability. With the multitude of great proliferation cards like Inexorable Tide, you can quickly get to 7 loyalty counters and give all your creatures a base power/toughness of 10/10 for a game-winning swing.

#11. Oko, Lorwyn Liege / Oko, Shadowmoor Scion

Oko, Lorwyn Liege and the backside, Oko, Shadowmoor Scion, have quite an interesting interaction of switching between the two sides. You can gain a lot of loyalty counters and change your creatures into changelings with Oko, Lorwyn Liege. With more loyalty counters, you can transform into Oko, Shadowmoor Scion to pump and protect your creatures. If the game drags on and you can protect Oko, you could do this multiple times and choose different creature types to pump your changelings even more.

#10. Kasmina, Enigma Sage

Kasmina, Enigma Sage made their Simic debut in Strixhaven. This cheap planeswalker has a decent loyalty ability and a far-off final ability that could change games. What I find interesting is that each other planeswalker also gets these loyalty abilities. That could support planeswalkers with no plus abilities like Narset, Parter of Veils, or help a planeswalker get to their final ability faster.

#9. Kiora, the Crashing Wave

Kiora, the Crashing Wave has a decent array of loyalty abilities that don’t excite as much as the other Kiora versions, but still provide value. You can prevent damage from a single source or ramp up with the +1 and -1 abilities. The main aim should be to get at least 5 loyalty counters quickly to make a huge 9/9 kraken creature token each turn.

#8. Tamiyo, Compleated Sage

Corrupted by Phyresis, Tamiyo, Compleated Sage has a darker and more powerful vibe. This planeswalker works well at delaying opponents’ strategies until you can grab a great permanent from your graveyard, or greatly reduce your spell casting costs. I would give this planeswalker serious consideration for superfriends decks.

#7. Kiora, Master of the Depths

Three 8/8 creature tokens whenever one of your creatures ETB is ridiculous! Kiora, Master of the Depths has a killer final loyalty ability, but it takes work to get there. This planeswalker demands proliferation effects to get the 4 loyalty counters it needs for the final ability. The upside is that the +1 ability protects this planeswalker, provides mana ramp, and even helps proliferate with a creature like Xavier Sal, Infested Captain.

#6. Oko, the Ringleader

 Oko, the Ringleader can become a copy of one of your creatures, provide card draw, create a creature token if needed, and offers a brilliant finale. For an easily attainable 5 loyalty counters, you can create a token copy of each of your nonland permanents. This is incredible if you can copy cards like Spark Double or Brokers Ascendancy alongside Adrix and Nev, Twincasters.

#5. Tamiyo, Collector of Tales

Tamiyo may never be an overpowered planeswalker like Liliana, Dreadhorde General or Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God, but Tamiyo, Collector of Tales provides a ton of efficient upside. The key is to ruin opponents’ strategies with this planeswalker’s static ability, and then gain card advantage with the loyalty abilities. Stopping discard and sacrifice strategies protects you immensely, and the two loyalty abilities dig deep for key cards while synergizing with one another.

#4. Nissa, Steward of Elements

Nissa, Steward of Elements fits right into the Simic colors, and particularly X-cost decks. With enough loyalty counters, you can cheat great creatures onto the battlefield or instantly animate lands for a devastating attack. This Simic planeswalker can greatly benefit from counter doublers like Doubling Season.

#3. Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner

Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner may be the best planeswalker with no positive loyalty abilities out there. It starts with a ton of loyalty, has a great static ability, and a useful -1. The main appeal of this planeswalker is a ton of card draw. Four-power matters decks are awesome when you have cards like this and Garruk's Uprising in play.

#2. Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student / Tamiyo, Seasoned Scholar

Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student is a cheap creature that can transform into a potential windfall of card draw. You can play Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student on turn 1 and get a planeswalker by turn 2 with cards like Brainstorm. Tamiyo, Seasoned Scholar slows down aggro decks until you can draw half of your library and win from there.

#1. Oko, Thief of Crowns

He’s at the bottom, middle, and top of these rankings! Oko, Thief of Crowns has a quite amusing set of loyalty abilities. With a +1 ability that is essentially a repeatable Beast Within, you can demolish opponents’ strategies piece by piece each turn. Throw on top of that an easy-to-attain final ability to exchange creatures and artifacts, and it's easy to see why this planeswalker is banned in multiple formats. This Oko is good against aggro, control, and midrange. What else do you need?

Best Simic Planeswalker Payoffs

These Simic planeswalkers often fit into two main strategies: counters and proliferate, and superfriends.

With proliferate effects from cards like Evolution Sage, Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, and Flux Channeler, you can reach expensive loyalty abilities faster. An even quicker route are counter doublers like Innkeeper's Talent or Deepglow Skate.

For superfriends decks, you can play these Simic planeswalkers alongside other great planeswalkers like Elspeth, Sun's Champion and Vronos, Masked Inquisitor. You should also include superfriends payoffs like Carth the Lion, Oath of Teferi, and Spark Double to dominate games.

To boost our Simic planeswalkers, you probably need the best Simic cards. Nadu, Winged Wisdom provides enough card draw to protect your planeswalkers, Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy provides mana, and Mystic Snake counters opponents' strategies.

Only one of these planeswalkers can be your commander, so what other commanders do they go well with? Might I suggest Atraxa, Praetors' Voice, Sisay, Weatherlight Captain, or Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres.

Wrap Up

Tamiyo, Seasoned Scholar | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve

Hopefully you feel more evolved and wise to the powers of Simic planeswalkers. The combination of blue and green produces a strong natural power, and these planeswalkers exemplify that.

I’d love to hear from you; what did you think of the rankings? What is the best 2-color combo for planeswalkers? Who is your inner planeswalker?

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Stay safe, and keep evolving!