Art: Matt Stewart · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast
Szarel, Genesis Shepherd
BRGLegendary Creature — Insect Druid · from $0.30
Flying
You may play lands from your graveyard.
Whenever you sacrifice another nontoken permanent during your turn, put a number of +1/+1 counters equal to Szarel's power on up to one other target creature.
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 · 44 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 | Swiftfoot Boots | Artifact | 2 | $1.43 |
| 7 | Lightning Greaves | Artifact | 2 | $3.86 |
| 8 | Path of Ancestry | Land | 0 | $0.16 |
| 9 | Fellwar Stone | Artifact | 2 | $0.47 |
| 10 | Rogue's Passage | Land | 0 | $0.31 |
| 11 | Evolving Wilds | Land | 0 | $0.09 |
| 12 | Cultivate | Sorcery | 3 | $0.38 |
| 13 | Thought Vessel | Artifact | 2 | $2.23 |
| 14 | Blasphemous Act | Sorcery | 9 | $0.72 |
| 15 | Farseek | Sorcery | 2 | $0.42 |
| 16 | Bojuka Bog | Land | 0 | $1.12 |
| 17 | Beast Within | Instant | 3 | $0.49 |
| 18 | Nature's Lore | Sorcery | 2 | $2.15 |
| 19 | Rampant Growth | Sorcery | 2 | $0.39 |
| 20 | Heroic Intervention | Instant | 2 | $9.28 |
| 21 | Terramorphic Expanse | Land | 0 | $0.10 |
| 22 | Chaos Warp | Instant | 3 | $0.32 |
| 23 | Myriad Landscape | Land | 0 | $0.25 |
| 24 | Mind Stone | Artifact | 2 | $0.21 |
| 25 | Dark Ritual | Instant | 1 | $0.44 |
| 26 | Birds of Paradise | Creature | 1 | $4.98 |
| 27 | Polluted Delta | Land | 0 | $19.85 |
| 28 | Kodama's Reach | Sorcery | 3 | $1.55 |
| 29 | Flooded Strand | Land | 0 | $12.78 |
| 30 | Three Visits | Sorcery | 2 | $5.55 |
| 31 | Skullclamp | Artifact | 1 | $4.85 |
| 32 | Solemn Simulacrum | Creature | 4 | $0.27 |
| 33 | Misty Rainforest | Land | 0 | $35.98 |
| 34 | Bloodstained Mire | Land | 0 | $14.54 |
| 35 | Fabled Passage | Land | 0 | $0.65 |
| 36 | Windswept Heath | Land | 0 | $11.19 |
| 37 | Wooded Foothills | Land | 0 | $17.96 |
| 38 | Verdant Catacombs | Land | 0 | $29.16 |
| 39 | Scalding Tarn | Land | 0 | $36.86 |
| 40 | Marsh Flats | Land | 0 | $32.04 |
| 41 | Commander's Sphere | Artifact | 3 | $0.19 |
| 42 | Reanimate | Sorcery | 1 | $6.56 |
| 43 | Arid Mesa | Land | 0 | $31.40 |
| 44 | Llanowar Elves | Creature | 1 | $0.24 |
| 45 | Demonic Tutor | Sorcery | 2 | $62.80 |
| 46 | Toxic Deluge | Sorcery | 3 | $5.04 |
| 47 | Blood Crypt | Land | 0 | $8.68 |
| 48 | Ancient Tomb | Land | 0 | $56.94 |
| 49 | Overgrown Tomb | Land | 0 | $8.00 |
| 50 | Deflecting Swat | Instant | 3 | $70.85 |
| 51 | Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth | Land | 0 | $56.13 |
| 52 | Boseiju, Who Endures | Land | 0 | $50.48 |
| 53 | Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth | Land | 0 | $16.76 |
| 54 | Temple of the False God | Land | 0 | $0.19 |
| 55 | Dragonskull Summit | Land | 0 | $0.45 |
| 56 | Chromatic Lantern | Artifact | 3 | $0.38 |
| 57 | Cinder Glade | Land | 0 | $0.25 |
| 58 | Garruk's Uprising | Enchantment | 3 | $0.39 |
| 59 | Feed the Swarm | Sorcery | 2 | $0.19 |
| 60 | Smoldering Marsh | Land | 0 | $0.27 |
| 61 | City of Brass | Land | 0 | $9.17 |
| 62 | The One Ring | Artifact | 4 | $109.88 |
| 63 | Faithless Looting | Sorcery | 1 | $0.36 |
| 64 | Vandalblast | Sorcery | 1 | $1.74 |
| 65 | Elvish Mystic | Creature | 1 | $0.35 |
| 66 | Phyrexian Arena | Enchantment | 3 | $1.92 |
| 67 | Jeska's Will | Sorcery | 3 | $39.58 |
| 68 | Deadly Rollick | Instant | 4 | $26.52 |
| 69 | Cavern of Souls | Land | 0 | $47.72 |
| 70 | Woodland Cemetery | Land | 0 | $0.62 |
| 71 | Sakura-Tribe Elder | Creature | 2 | $0.30 |
| 72 | Vampiric Tutor | Instant | 1 | $48.13 |
| 73 | Mana Confluence | Land | 0 | $34.75 |
| 74 | Urza's Saga | Enchantment | 0 | $34.67 |
| 75 | Lotus Petal | Artifact | 0 | $35.11 |
| 76 | Eternal Witness | Creature | 3 | $1.10 |
| 77 | Assassin's Trophy | Instant | 2 | $1.01 |
| 78 | Wayfarer's Bauble | Artifact | 1 | $0.31 |
| 79 | Talisman of Indulgence | Artifact | 2 | $0.47 |
| 80 | Rootbound Crag | Land | 0 | $0.23 |
| 81 | Black Market Connections | Enchantment | 3 | $10.78 |
| 82 | Victimize | Sorcery | 3 | $0.57 |
| 83 | Deadly Dispute | Instant | 2 | $0.29 |
| 84 | Roaming Throne | Creature | 4 | $47.06 |
| 85 | Ashnod's Altar | Artifact | 3 | $8.15 |
| 86 | Big Score | Instant | 4 | $0.41 |
| 87 | Llanowar Wastes | Land | 0 | $0.59 |
| 88 | War Room | Land | 0 | $0.79 |
| 89 | Blood Artist | Creature | 2 | $2.78 |
| 90 | Sulfurous Springs | Land | 0 | $0.49 |
| 91 | Abrade | Instant | 2 | $0.17 |
| 92 | Delighted Halfling | Creature | 1 | $25.91 |
| 93 | Herald's Horn | Artifact | 3 | $2.88 |
| 94 | Mana Vault | Artifact | 1 | $91.59 |
| 95 | Chrome Mox | Artifact | 0 | $51.19 |
| 96 | Lightning Bolt | Instant | 1 | $0.75 |
| 97 | Luxury Suite | Land | 0 | $8.62 |
| 98 | Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx | Land | 0 | $45.68 |
| 99 | Reflecting Pool | Land | 0 | $5.50 |
| 100 | Rakdos Signet | Artifact | 2 | $0.31 |
Curve of these staples
3
0
14
1
20
2
16
3
5
4
5
6
1
7+
Combos with Szarel, Genesis Shepherd
The 10 most popular of 83 combos (by EDHREC decklist count) using this commander that fit its color identity, from Commander Spellbook.
Glacial Chasm + Szarel, Genesis Shepherd + The Gitrog Monster
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you · Lock
Glacial Chasm + Oracle of Mul Daya + Szarel, Genesis Shepherd
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you · Lock
Exploration Broodship + Glacial Chasm + Szarel, Genesis Shepherd
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you · Lock
Azusa, Lost but Seeking + Glacial Chasm + Szarel, Genesis Shepherd
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you · Lock
Exploration + Glacial Chasm + Szarel, Genesis Shepherd
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you · Lock
Dryad of the Ilysian Grove + Glacial Chasm + Szarel, Genesis Shepherd
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you · Lock
Ashnod's Altar + Szarel, Genesis Shepherd + Persist Creature
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite colorless mana
Szarel, Genesis Shepherd + Viscera Seer + Persist Creature
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite scry 1
Glacial Chasm + Szarel, Genesis Shepherd + Wayward Swordtooth
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you · Lock
Goblin Bombardment + Szarel, Genesis Shepherd + Persist Creature
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite damage
Top finishes
3 finishes placing top 16 at 16+ player events with this commander. Results from Topdeck.gg.
- 14th of 26 — FULL PRECON DEL PODER: PARTNER EDITION on Topdeck.ggOct 3, 2026 · 0–3–0 · with Hearthhull, the Worldseed · by Álex Rodríguez
- 15th of 22 — Unaltered Precon Tournament on Topdeck.ggSep 20, 2026 · 0–2–1 · by Jamie Fultz
- 14th of 16 — EDH 210 @ Inugami #2 on Topdeck.ggAug 6, 2026 · 0–2–1 · by Cristian Aguila
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.