Magic: The Gathering's distinct new set, Streets of New Capenna, is centered around five distinct three-color factions, each of which takes the form of one of the setting's ruling crime families.
While there is a significant emphasis on three-colored cards, the set is still filled with great mono-colored cards as well. Green is a color known for its mana ramping capabilities and its high-impact creatures, and Streets of New Capenna is home to many great green cards that keep this trend running. So we're going to examine the Green cards of Streets of New Capenna to see which are the best of the best.
5 Gala Greeters
Gala Greeters is a solid elf druid for two mana that can fit well in creature-focused decks, token decks, and flicker decks. While some creatures possess abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield under their owner's control, Gala Greeters has three such abilities. However, When selecting which of these abilities to use, this creature's controller must choose an option that has not already been chosen, meaning the same option can't be used repeatedly within the same turn. Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under its owner's control, that player may choose one of the following:
- Put a +1/+1 counter on Gala Greeters.
- Create a tapped Treasure token.
- You gain two life.
For a two-mana creature, this is incredibly multifarious, capable of providing treasure-based mana ramp, a sizable body, and life-gain over the course of a game. For those looking to make the most out of one of these three modes within a single turn rotation, the use of instant speed flickering effects or creatures with flash could hypothetically help a player work around the once-per turn clause.
4 Topiary Stomper
While Green is known for efficient creatures and mana ramp, Topiary Stomper is a card that brings these two themes into the very same card. For the reasonable cost of three mana, Topiary Stomper is a 4/4 plant dinosaur with vigilance. Upon entering the battlefield, this dino's controller may search their library for a basic land, putting that card directly into play under their control in an effect comparable to Rampant Growth.
While a vigilant 4/4 and additional land for three mana is an incredible rate, there is a catch: this creature can't attack or block unless its controller has seven or more lands in play. Luckily, there are many green decks that utilize a significant amount of mana ramp, meaning for such decks, this issue would be a non-factor.
3 Titan Of Industry
While Green's high-mana creatures have long been known for their ability to sway a game in a player's favor, Titan of Industry is a potentially devastating Swiss army knife of utility. A 7/7 elemental with trample and reach for seven mana, when this creature enters the battlefield, its controller may choose two of the following:
- Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
- Target player gains five life.
- Create a 4/4 green Rhino Warrior creature token.
- Put a shield counter on a creature you control.
This card is extraordinarily versatile, capable of responding to a wide variety of situations. Whether a pesky permanent needs to be removed, someone's board state needs to be bolstered, a key creature needs to be protected, or even if its controller wants some extra life for the Burn matchup, Titan of Industry can pack some serious value.
2 Vivien on the Hunt
Vivien on the Hunt is the most recent iteration of the Mono-Green Planeswalker, Vivien Reid. For six mana, Vivien is a four-loyalty Planeswalker with a +2, +1, and -1 ability, meaning that upon being played, Vivien's controller can immediately access all three of the card's loyalty abilities; a rarity for a Planeswalker. Vivien's +2 is reminiscent of Birthing Pod, allowing its controller to sacrifice a creature in order to tutor for a creature with a mana value equal to one plus the mana value of the sacrificed creature, putting that card directly into play.
This is a great way of reliably accessing combo pieces and key creatures for a deck's strategy. Secondly, Vivien's +1 is a stellar source of card advantage, allowing its controller to mill the top five cards of their library, putting any number of creatures milled this way into that player's hand. This means that if all goes well, this repeatable ability can net up to five drawn cards per turn! While Vivien's -1 ability is easily the card's most straightforward, creating a 4/4 Rhino Warrior token, it's a solid option for when a player is in dire need of an extra creature.
1 Bootleggers' Stash
An argument could easily be made that Bootleggers' Stash is the strongest card within Streets of New Capenna. Straightforward, yet absurdly powerful within the Commander format, Bootleggers' Stash is an artifact for six mana that states that each land under its owner's control gains the ability to be tapped to produce a treasure token.
Not only does this instantly provide color fixing for multicolored decks, but this essentially allows all leftover and unspent mana from one's lands to be brought over the next turn in the form of treasure tokens. This allows Bootleggers' Stash to provide comparable utility to that of Omnath, Locus of Mana, or Kruphix, God of Horizons whilst also synergizing with effects and abilities that care about the number of artifacts in play.
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