Song of the Dryads - good or nah?
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on June 8, 2022, 6:19 p.m. by vishnarg
Hi all, so I have a mono G deck which of course can really struggle to deal with creatures and planeswalkers. One of the traditional best cards in mono green for this purpose is Song of the Dryads, however lately I have been thinking, despite the fact that it has a unique and strong effect especially vs commanders, it is a bit situational. I guess what I'm asking is, is it a card you would put in every mono green EDH deck, or is it something you can really pass on?
TypicalTimmy says... #3
It's very powerful, but I'd rather not give my opponent more mana lol
June 8, 2022 6:28 p.m.
It's mono- removal that doesn't need other cards to work. It can target any permanent. It doesn't feed graveyards or let a commander go back to its zone. In an emergency, you can use it to ramp yourself.
It may give an opponent a little extra shot of mana, but unless they're truly starved, the impact of that goes down quickly as the game goes on.
I'm not a fan of "This belongs in every deck!" statements, but it is a solid, reliable, and easy to use option. It's a staple for a reason.
June 8, 2022 6:57 p.m.
Squee_Spirit_Guide says... #5
I was thinking along the same lines as legendofa. Mono green removal is hard to come by and this can target anything, which makes it quite valuable. You won't want to use it to get rid of just anything because of the mana boost, just like you probably wouldn't Path to Exile a Llanowar Elves.
I really like that it neutralizes a threat and keeps it out of the graveyard, library, hand, etc. Sure, you opponent could remove it and get their permanent back, but then they've spent a removal spell not dealing with one of your threats.
I wouldn't go so far as auto-include, but I do think this would find a home in a lot of green decks, especially mono green.
Now I'll insert my usual "not a commander player" comment here, and see myself out :)
June 8, 2022 8:14 p.m.
DrukenReaps says... #6
I think I'd place it in my top 10 green removal cards. It's similar to Path to Exile which let's them net the color of their choice but folks still play Path in many decks. Even ones that aren't monowhite. I've also had games where I drop an early Song on a commander and it proceeds to sit there as a tree forever. 1 green mana is almost always going to be worse for your opponent than whatever you played it on.
June 8, 2022 10:01 p.m.
Song is almost an auto include in the majority of mono green. Having flexible, permanent removal at the cost of making it a land is well worth it. Not to mention, it messes up mono black and red the most. Furthermore, I almost always run strip mine so I destroy their "land" in respond to their enchantment removal.
Don't sleep on removal in a color that rarely provides it.
June 8, 2022 10:31 p.m.
An arguably better Beast Within I wouldn't say it needs to be every mono green deck.but I'd need a good reason to not use it
June 9, 2022 8:40 a.m.
griffstick says... #9
Song of the Dryads is my favorite green removal. Imagine if this had flash. There would be no discussion here
June 9, 2022 11:39 a.m.
DrukenReaps says... #10
griffstick It's been great in my Tayam, Luminous Enigma deck for that reason honestly. Tayam's ability being at instant speed is dumb rofl.
June 9, 2022 12:23 p.m.
Thanks for the replies everyone! I now feel less anxious about running it, even if it can be a dead draw :)
June 9, 2022 5:20 p.m.
June 9, 2022 5:27 p.m.
shadow63 after a board wipe when you just need to get threats down. Sometimes you're too far behind for it to save you. But I suppose in that case there's not many cards in mono G that could be a good draw.
June 9, 2022 5:34 p.m. Edited.
golgarigirl says... #14
I run it in any non-strictly aggro green deck. Goes doubly if the deck contains a Vesuva and/or Thespian's Stage
June 10, 2022 8:59 a.m.
FormOverFunction says... #15
It looks like this has been said a number of different times and ways already, but as a general rule; Just about anything that says “target permanent” in the rules text is worth a close look ;p
Megalomania says... #2
It’s not an auto include for every mono green deck but it is a good, strong card. Thank you for reminding me it exists. It’s exactly what I was looking for in my Kenrith deck.
June 8, 2022 6:25 p.m.