Art: TAPIOCA · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast

Hei Bai, Forest Guardian

WUBRG

Legendary Creature — Bear Spirit · from $4.95

When Hei Bai enters, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a Shrine card. You may put that card onto the battlefield. Then shuffle. {W}{U}{B}{R}{G}, {T}: For each legendary enchantment you control, create a 1/1 colorless Spirit creature token with "This token can't block or be blocked by non-Spirit creatures."

Build with this commander Start with a starter shell Card details, printings & prices

A typical Commander deck

A starting template, not a rule — counts to fill in around the commander.

Lands3736–38 for most decks; fewer with cheap curves
Ramp10mana rocks, dorks, land ramp — mostly 2–3 mana
Card draw10repeatable engines beat one-shot cantrips
Targeted removal6answers for creatures AND artifacts/enchantments
Board wipes3sweepers reset boards you've lost
Synergy & win conditions33the deck's actual plan

Staples in these colors

The 100 cards that fit this color identity in the most EDHREC decklists (EDHREC rank via Scryfall).

Budget

60 of 100 at $5 or less · 45 at $1 or less

#	Card	Type	MV	Price
1	Sol Ring	Artifact	1	$1.07
2	Command Tower	Land	0	$0.26
3	Arcane Signet	Artifact	2	$0.34
4	Exotic Orchard	Land	0	$0.19
5	Reliquary Tower	Land	0	$4.28
6	Swords to Plowshares	Instant	1	$0.98
7	Swiftfoot Boots	Artifact	2	$1.43
8	Lightning Greaves	Artifact	2	$3.86
9	Path of Ancestry	Land	0	$0.16
10	Path to Exile	Instant	1	$0.71
11	Counterspell	Instant	2	$1.33
12	Fellwar Stone	Artifact	2	$0.47
13	Rogue's Passage	Land	0	$0.31
14	Evolving Wilds	Land	0	$0.09
15	Cultivate	Sorcery	3	$0.38
16	Thought Vessel	Artifact	2	$2.23
17	Blasphemous Act	Sorcery	9	$0.72
18	Farseek	Sorcery	2	$0.42
19	Bojuka Bog	Land	0	$1.12
20	Beast Within	Instant	3	$0.49
21	Nature's Lore	Sorcery	2	$2.15
22	Rampant Growth	Sorcery	2	$0.39
23	Heroic Intervention	Instant	2	$9.28
24	Terramorphic Expanse	Land	0	$0.10
25	Chaos Warp	Instant	3	$0.32
26	Myriad Landscape	Land	0	$0.25
27	Mind Stone	Artifact	2	$0.21
28	Dark Ritual	Instant	1	$0.44
29	An Offer You Can't Refuse	Instant	1	$3.01
30	Birds of Paradise	Creature	1	$4.98
31	Polluted Delta	Land	0	$19.85
32	Kodama's Reach	Sorcery	3	$1.55
33	Flooded Strand	Land	0	$12.78
34	Three Visits	Sorcery	2	$5.55
35	Skullclamp	Artifact	1	$4.85
36	Solemn Simulacrum	Creature	4	$0.27
37	Misty Rainforest	Land	0	$35.98
38	Bloodstained Mire	Land	0	$14.54
39	Fabled Passage	Land	0	$0.65
40	Windswept Heath	Land	0	$11.19
41	Rhystic Study	Enchantment	3	$61.06
42	Wooded Foothills	Land	0	$17.96
43	Verdant Catacombs	Land	0	$29.16
44	Scalding Tarn	Land	0	$36.86
45	Watery Grave	Land	0	$9.86
46	Marsh Flats	Land	0	$32.04
47	Arcane Denial	Instant	2	$1.88
48	Commander's Sphere	Artifact	3	$0.19
49	Reanimate	Sorcery	1	$6.56
50	Negate	Instant	2	$0.12
51	Arid Mesa	Land	0	$31.40
52	Cyclonic Rift	Instant	2	$29.75
53	Llanowar Elves	Creature	1	$0.24
54	Breeding Pool	Land	0	$9.15
55	Godless Shrine	Land	0	$8.47
56	Hallowed Fountain	Land	0	$6.97
57	Generous Gift	Instant	3	$0.93
58	Steam Vents	Land	0	$9.63
59	Demonic Tutor	Sorcery	2	$62.80
60	Smothering Tithe	Enchantment	4	$56.09
61	Toxic Deluge	Sorcery	3	$5.04
62	Swan Song	Instant	1	$10.72
63	Blood Crypt	Land	0	$8.68
64	Ancient Tomb	Land	0	$56.94
65	Overgrown Tomb	Land	0	$8.00
66	Brainstorm	Instant	1	$0.56
67	Sacred Foundry	Land	0	$10.28
68	Deflecting Swat	Instant	3	$70.85
69	Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	Land	0	$56.13
70	Sulfur Falls	Land	0	$0.20
71	Boseiju, Who Endures	Land	0	$50.48
72	Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth	Land	0	$16.76
73	Clifftop Retreat	Land	0	$0.19
74	Esper Sentinel	Creature	1	$58.03
75	Temple Garden	Land	0	$6.57
76	Fierce Guardianship	Instant	3	$59.21
77	Temple of the False God	Land	0	$0.19
78	Dragonskull Summit	Land	0	$0.45
79	Chromatic Lantern	Artifact	3	$0.38
80	Sunken Hollow	Land	0	$0.29
81	Cinder Glade	Land	0	$0.25
82	Otawara, Soaring City	Land	0	$26.57
83	Glacial Fortress	Land	0	$0.21
84	Isolated Chapel	Land	0	$0.21
85	Garruk's Uprising	Enchantment	3	$0.39
86	Feed the Swarm	Sorcery	2	$0.19
87	Talisman of Dominance	Artifact	2	$0.49
88	Smoldering Marsh	Land	0	$0.27
89	City of Brass	Land	0	$9.17
90	The One Ring	Artifact	4	$109.88
91	Hinterland Harbor	Land	0	$0.28
92	Faithless Looting	Sorcery	1	$0.36
93	Frantic Search	Instant	3	$0.82
94	Mystic Remora	Enchantment	1	$10.97
95	Vandalblast	Sorcery	1	$1.74
96	Elvish Mystic	Creature	1	$0.35
97	Prairie Stream	Land	0	$0.19
98	Phyrexian Arena	Enchantment	3	$1.92
99	Jeska's Will	Sorcery	3	$39.58
100	Drowned Catacomb	Land	0	$0.50

Curve of these staples

Most played with Hei Bai, Forest Guardian

The 25 most-played cards in 6 settled top-16 lists running Hei Bai, Forest Guardian at 16+ player events since Jul 4, 2026, ranked by lists played — top-4 counts shown for context. Results from Topdeck.gg.

#	Card	Played in	Top 4
1	An Offer You Can't Refuse	100% · 6 of 6	5
2	Ancient Tomb	100% · 6 of 6	5
3	Badlands	100% · 6 of 6	5
4	Bayou	100% · 6 of 6	5
5	Beseech the Mirror	100% · 6 of 6	5
6	Birds of Paradise	100% · 6 of 6	5
7	Bloodstained Mire	100% · 6 of 6	5
8	Borne Upon a Wind	100% · 6 of 6	5
9	Boseiju, Who Endures	100% · 6 of 6	5
10	Brain Freeze	100% · 6 of 6	5
11	Cabal Ritual	100% · 6 of 6	5
12	Carpet of Flowers	100% · 6 of 6	5
13	Chain of Vapor	100% · 6 of 6	5
14	Chrome Mox	100% · 6 of 6	5
15	City of Brass	100% · 6 of 6	5
16	City of Traitors	100% · 6 of 6	5
17	Command Tower	100% · 6 of 6	5
18	Commandeer	100% · 6 of 6	5
19	Crop Rotation	100% · 6 of 6	5
20	Culling the Weak	100% · 6 of 6	5
21	Dark Ritual	100% · 6 of 6	5
22	Deathrite Shaman	100% · 6 of 6	5
23	Demonic Consultation	100% · 6 of 6	5
24	Demonic Tutor	100% · 6 of 6	5
25	Diabolic Intent	100% · 6 of 6	5

Combos with Hei Bai, Forest Guardian

6 combos using this commander that fit its color identity, from Commander Spellbook.

Freed from the Real + Hei Bai, Forest Guardian + Phyrexian Altar
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite creature tokens
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Hei Bai, Forest Guardian + Phyrexian Altar + Umbral Mantle
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite creature tokens · Infinite untap of creatures you control · Infinite mana creatures you control can produce · Infinitely large creature until end of turn
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Hei Bai, Forest Guardian + Phyrexian Altar + Staff of Domination
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite lifegain · Infinite creature tokens · Infinite card draw · Infinite untap of creatures you control · Infinite draw triggers · Infinite mana creatures you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Hei Bai, Forest Guardian + Pemmin's Aura + Phyrexian Altar
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite creature tokens
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Aggravated Assault + Hei Bai, Forest Guardian + Phyrexian Altar
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite combat phases · Infinite creature tokens · Infinite untap of creatures you control · Infinite mana creatures you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Gauntlets of Light + Hei Bai, Forest Guardian + Phyrexian Altar
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite creature tokens
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo

Top finishes

7 finishes placing top 16 at 16+ player events with this commander. Results from Topdeck.gg.

2nd of 46 — EXTRA EXTRA! CEDH TOURNEY! on Topdeck.ggSep 20, 2026 · 3–1–1 · by Logan A (UNCS)
2nd of 156 — cEDH UK Open - Benfest III on Topdeck.ggSep 12, 2026 · 4–1–4 · by Lynn Pröhl [SNAP]
15th of 65 — cEDH Nationals Deutschland - Redemption on Topdeck.ggSep 6, 2026 · 1–1–2 · by Lynn Pröhl [SNAP]
4th of 35 — 4. Onslaught - Invasion 2026 Event Series on Topdeck.ggAug 8, 2026 · 2–2–2 · by Tino Kornitzky / Syreno [SNAP]
3rd of 42 — Preston 2026 CEDH EU Qualifier 2 on Topdeck.ggJul 18, 2026 · 3–3–1 · by Lynn Pröhl [SNAP]
1st of 21 — Eternal Mania II - cEDH Friday on Topdeck.ggJul 10, 2026 · 3–2–0 · by Lynn Pröhl [SNAP]
16th of 25 — cEDH @ Sit&Game 04.07.26 Top 10-Cut (Circuit-Event Deutsche cEDH Meisterschaft) on Topdeck.ggJul 4, 2026 · 1–4–0 · by Lynn Pröhl [SNAP]

All 7 finishes →

Card data and images courtesy of Scryfall; popularity ranking from EDHREC decklist data included in Scryfall bulk. Combo data courtesy of Commander Spellbook. Tournament results courtesy of Topdeck.gg. Deckwarden is unofficial Fan Content and is not endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

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