Art: Chris Rahn · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast

Teval, the Balanced Scale

UBG

Legendary Creature — Spirit Dragon · from $5.11

Flying Whenever Teval attacks, mill three cards. Then you may return a land card from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped. Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, create a 2/2 black Zombie Druid creature token.

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 · 40 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	Counterspell	Instant	2	$1.33
10	Fellwar Stone	Artifact	2	$0.47
11	Rogue's Passage	Land	0	$0.31
12	Evolving Wilds	Land	0	$0.09
13	Cultivate	Sorcery	3	$0.38
14	Thought Vessel	Artifact	2	$2.23
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	Myriad Landscape	Land	0	$0.25
23	Mind Stone	Artifact	2	$0.21
24	Dark Ritual	Instant	1	$0.44
25	An Offer You Can't Refuse	Instant	1	$3.01
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	Rhystic Study	Enchantment	3	$61.06
38	Wooded Foothills	Land	0	$17.96
39	Verdant Catacombs	Land	0	$29.16
40	Scalding Tarn	Land	0	$36.86
41	Watery Grave	Land	0	$9.86
42	Marsh Flats	Land	0	$32.04
43	Arcane Denial	Instant	2	$1.88
44	Commander's Sphere	Artifact	3	$0.19
45	Reanimate	Sorcery	1	$6.56
46	Negate	Instant	2	$0.12
47	Arid Mesa	Land	0	$31.40
48	Cyclonic Rift	Instant	2	$29.75
49	Llanowar Elves	Creature	1	$0.24
50	Breeding Pool	Land	0	$9.15
51	Demonic Tutor	Sorcery	2	$62.80
52	Toxic Deluge	Sorcery	3	$5.04
53	Swan Song	Instant	1	$10.72
54	Ancient Tomb	Land	0	$56.94
55	Overgrown Tomb	Land	0	$8.00
56	Brainstorm	Instant	1	$0.56
57	Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	Land	0	$56.13
58	Boseiju, Who Endures	Land	0	$50.48
59	Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth	Land	0	$16.76
60	Fierce Guardianship	Instant	3	$59.21
61	Temple of the False God	Land	0	$0.19
62	Chromatic Lantern	Artifact	3	$0.38
63	Sunken Hollow	Land	0	$0.29
64	Otawara, Soaring City	Land	0	$26.57
65	Garruk's Uprising	Enchantment	3	$0.39
66	Feed the Swarm	Sorcery	2	$0.19
67	Talisman of Dominance	Artifact	2	$0.49
68	City of Brass	Land	0	$9.17
69	The One Ring	Artifact	4	$109.88
70	Hinterland Harbor	Land	0	$0.28
71	Frantic Search	Instant	3	$0.82
72	Mystic Remora	Enchantment	1	$10.97
73	Elvish Mystic	Creature	1	$0.35
74	Phyrexian Arena	Enchantment	3	$1.92
75	Drowned Catacomb	Land	0	$0.50
76	Deadly Rollick	Instant	4	$26.52
77	Cavern of Souls	Land	0	$47.72
78	Woodland Cemetery	Land	0	$0.62
79	Propaganda	Enchantment	3	$1.84
80	Sakura-Tribe Elder	Creature	2	$0.30
81	Vampiric Tutor	Instant	1	$48.13
82	Mana Confluence	Land	0	$34.75
83	Urza's Saga	Enchantment	0	$34.67
84	Mana Drain	Instant	2	$50.65
85	Lotus Petal	Artifact	0	$35.11
86	Eternal Witness	Creature	3	$1.10
87	Assassin's Trophy	Instant	2	$1.01
88	Wayfarer's Bauble	Artifact	1	$0.31
89	Black Market Connections	Enchantment	3	$10.78
90	Victimize	Sorcery	3	$0.57
91	Deadly Dispute	Instant	2	$0.29
92	Roaming Throne	Creature	4	$47.06
93	Ashnod's Altar	Artifact	3	$8.15
94	Yavimaya Coast	Land	0	$0.31
95	Llanowar Wastes	Land	0	$0.59
96	War Room	Land	0	$0.79
97	Blood Artist	Creature	2	$2.78
98	Underground River	Land	0	$0.51
99	Ponder	Sorcery	1	$1.82
100	Rejuvenating Springs	Land	0	$4.12

Curve of these staples

Most played with Teval, the Balanced Scale

The 25 most-played cards in 28 settled top-16 lists running Teval, the Balanced Scale at 16+ player events since Mar 20, 2026, ranked by lists played — top-4 counts shown for context. Results from Topdeck.gg.

#	Card	Played in	Top 4
1	Command Tower	100% · 28 of 28	10
2	Forest	100% · 28 of 28	10
3	Hinterland Harbor	100% · 28 of 28	10
4	Island	100% · 28 of 28	10
5	Sol Ring	100% · 28 of 28	10
6	Swamp	100% · 28 of 28	10
7	Woodland Cemetery	100% · 28 of 28	10
8	Arcane Signet	96% · 27 of 28	10
9	Dreamroot Cascade	96% · 27 of 28	10
10	Opulent Palace	96% · 27 of 28	9
11	Wonder	96% · 27 of 28	9
12	Exotic Orchard	93% · 26 of 28	9
13	Living Death	93% · 26 of 28	10
14	Colossal Grave-Reaver	89% · 25 of 28	8
15	Llanowar Wastes	89% · 25 of 28	9
16	Command Beacon	86% · 24 of 28	9
17	Farseek	86% · 24 of 28	8
18	Foreboding Landscape	86% · 24 of 28	10
19	Teval's Judgment	86% · 24 of 28	9
20	Victimize	86% · 24 of 28	8
21	Sunken Hollow	82% · 23 of 28	7
22	Fetid Pools	79% · 22 of 28	7
23	Sakura-Tribe Elder	75% · 21 of 28	7
24	Life from the Loam	71% · 20 of 28	8
25	Memorial to Folly	71% · 20 of 28	7

Combos with Teval, the Balanced Scale

The 10 most popular of 81 combos (by EDHREC decklist count) using this commander that fit its color identity, from Commander Spellbook.

Phyrexian Altar + Teval, the Balanced Scale + Tortured Existence
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite self-discard triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Phyrexian Altar + Reassembling Skeleton + Teval, the Balanced Scale
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Altar of Dementia + Beifong's Bounty Hunters + Teval, the Balanced Scale
Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite death triggers · Infinite landfall triggers · Infinite mill · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite self-mill
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Altar of Dementia + Pitiless Plunderer + Teval, the Balanced Scale + Tortured Existence
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite mill · Infinite self-mill · Infinite self-discard triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Embalmer's Tools + Teval, the Balanced Scale + Titans' Nest
Near-infinite tapped creature tokens · Exile your library and graveyard · Near-infinite creature ETB
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Beifong's Bounty Hunters + Phyrexian Altar + Teval, the Balanced Scale
Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite death triggers · Infinite landfall triggers · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Altar of Dementia + Screams from Within + Teval, the Balanced Scale
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite mill · Infinite self-mill
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Ashnod's Altar + Pitiless Plunderer + Teval, the Balanced Scale + Tortured Existence
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite colorless mana · Infinite self-discard triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Pitiless Plunderer + Teval, the Balanced Scale + Tortured Existence + Viscera Seer
Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite scry 1 · Infinite self-discard triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Phyrexian Altar + Screams from Within + Teval, the Balanced Scale
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo

Top finishes

The 8 most recent of 29 finishes placing top 16 at 16+ player events with this commander. Results from Topdeck.gg.

3rd of 22 — Commander Casual - Magic Barcelona on Topdeck.ggOct 9, 2026 · 1–1–0 · by Mauro LB
3rd of 18 — Commander Budget - Magic Barcelona on Topdeck.ggSep 7, 2026 · 0–2–0 · by iago simo
6th of 24 — B3 -3 / Clasificatorio Nacional LandFall on Topdeck.ggAug 30, 2026 · 1–3–0 · by Eduardo Salas
14th of 16 — Casual EDH Tournament on Topdeck.ggAug 30, 2026 · 0–3–0 · by Omar Verduzco
2nd of 32 — Commander Casual - Magic Barcelona on Topdeck.ggAug 28, 2026 · 1–1–0 · by marc casanova
9th of 16 — EDH 210 @ Inugami #2 on Topdeck.ggAug 6, 2026 · 0–1–2 · by Nicolas Perret
4th of 21 — [CoBr3] Liga Moii Agosto 1/4 on Topdeck.ggAug 5, 2026 · 0–2–0 · by Nicolás Šoletić
13th of 19 — Commander Casual - Magic Barcelona on Topdeck.ggJul 31, 2026 · 0–2–0 · by David García Centelles

All 29 finishes →

Precons led by Teval, the Balanced Scale

Official preconstructed decks with Teval, the Balanced Scale at the helm.

Sultai Arisen
PreconCommander· Released Apr 2025

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. Precon product lists via MTGJSON. Deckwarden is unofficial Fan Content and is not endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

Commanders