Golgari Food Commander A Deep Dive into Black/Green Delights.

Golgari Food Commander. Imagine a realm where the graveyard is a pantry and every creature sacrificed is a culinary ingredient. This is the essence of Golgari, a color combination in Magic: The Gathering that thrives on the macabre and the delicious. Golgari decks, blending the relentless recursion of black with the natural growth of green, find themselves at home in the art of sacrificing creatures for powerful effects and using graveyard as a second hand.

This guide explores the fascinating intersection of Golgari’s core mechanics with the ever-tempting “Food” token strategy. We’ll delve into the best commanders to lead your feast, examine the core synergies that make this strategy so potent, and curate a list of essential cards to build your own Golgari Food empire. Prepare to uncover the secrets of turning death into deliciousness, and learn how to use Food as a powerful resource for strategic advantage.

Defining “Golgari Food er”

Alright, so you wanna know what makes a Golgari Food deck tick, huh? Basically, we’re talking about a super cool Magic: The Gathering strategy that’s all about getting the most out of your cards, even when they’re, like, in the graveyard. Think of it as a recycling program, but for your creatures and spells. We’re all about maximizing value and, of course, making sure we’re always one step ahead of the competition.

It’s a grindy, persistent strategy that’s all about the long game.

Core Golgari Identity

Golgari is all about the sweet, sweet combo of Black and Green. Black brings the “destroy stuff” and graveyard shenanigans, while Green adds the “ramp up your mana” and “make big creatures” power. Together, they form a powerhouse of value. The core of Golgari revolves around a few key themes:

• Graveyard Recursion: This is the bread and butter. We want cards in the graveyard. We want to
  -get* cards into the graveyard. Then, we want to bring those cards
  -back* from the graveyard. It’s a constant cycle.

  Cards like [[Reanimate]] or [[Eternal Witness]] are MVP’s.

• Sacrifice: Gotta love a good sacrifice. Black is all about making sacrifices, and Green has creatures that benefit from being sacrificed. It’s all about trading resources for a bigger payoff.
• Value Engine: Golgari decks are value machines. Every card has a purpose, and even if a card seems weak on its own, it probably combos with something else in the deck.

Golgari Color Combination Influence

Black and Green are, like, the perfect pairing for this kind of strategy. Black gives you the tools to control the board, destroy opponents’ stuff, and, crucially, fill your graveyard. Green, on the other hand, lets you ramp up your mana super fast, making sure you can cast those big spells, and also brings some serious creature power. Think of it like this:

• Black’s contribution: Black is your graveyard enabler. It offers removal spells, discard spells, and cards that can put your own creatures into the graveyard for later use. It’s also got some of the best reanimation spells in the game.
• Green’s contribution: Green provides ramp, which is essential to get those big creatures out faster. It also offers creature-based recursion and powerful creatures that can be sacrificed or reanimated.

Food Tokens and Golgari Synergy

Okay, so, Food tokens aren’t just for gaining life, though that’s a nice bonus. They are a key piece of the Golgari puzzle. They are a resource to be manipulated, and they fit perfectly into the Golgari strategy.

• Sacrifice Fodder: Food tokens are perfect for sacrificing. They’re cheap and readily available, making them ideal for triggering abilities that require a sacrifice.
• Life Gain for Survival: While not the primary focus, gaining life can buy you time to set up your strategy and survive aggressive decks.
• Synergy with other cards: Some cards, like [[Trail of Crumbs]], specifically care about Food tokens, turning them into card draw engines. This is what takes the deck from good to great.

Food tokens are a flexible resource. They can be used for lifegain, sacrifice fodder, and even card advantage, making them a core component of a successful Golgari Food deck.

er Selection

Okay, so like, choosing the right commander for your Golgari Food deck is, like,

• crucial*. It’s the difference between, you know, actually
• winning* and just, like, staring at a bunch of food tokens. We’re gonna break down the top three ers that are total MVPs in the Food game, explaining why they’re so fetch and how they get the job done.

Top 3 er Breakdown

Here’s the lowdown on the three best commanders for a Golgari Food strategy, ranked by their overall effectiveness and synergy with the theme. Each has unique strengths and weaknesses, so choosing the right one depends on your personal playstyle and the specific meta you’re up against.

1. Prosperous Innkeeper

This is like, the OG Food commander, the one that everyone knows and loves. Prosperous Innkeeper generates Food tokens whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, and gives you life. This is a simple, effective, and very, very
-consistent* way to generate Food.

The strengths of the Innkeeper lie in its pure value generation. Every creature you play is also a Food token, fueling your other strategies and keeping you alive. The life gain is also super clutch, helping you survive aggressive strategies. The weakness? It doesn’t
-do* anything
-other* than generate food and life.

It doesn’t give you any card advantage or directly impact the board state beyond that.

The playstyle of the Innkeeper deck is about generating value. You want to play creatures, make food, and gain life, using the food tokens to draw cards, ramp, or activate other effects. It’s a grindy strategy that can outlast many opponents, but it can struggle against faster combo decks.

2. Oswald Fiddlebender

Oswald Fiddlebender is like, the weirdo commander that everyone underestimates. Oswald lets you sacrifice an artifact to search your library for an artifact with the same mana value and put it onto the battlefield. With enough mana and artifacts to sacrifice, you can do some seriously messed up things, especially in a food deck.

The strength of Oswald is his ability to tutor for specific artifacts. You can grab a card like Witch’s Oven to make food tokens from your creatures, or a Sol Ring to ramp. The weakness is that he is not the best when you have no artifacts in play.

Oswald’s playstyle is about comboing out. You use the food tokens to enable your other artifacts and generate a lot of value. You have a lot of flexibility and a high ceiling for powerful plays. This commander is a blast to play, and a lot of fun.

3. Chatterfang, Squirrel General

Chatterfang is a squirrel, and a powerful commander. Chatterfang creates an additional token whenever you create a token, and lets you sacrifice a creature to draw a card. This makes Chatterfang insane value with food tokens.

Chatterfang’s strength lies in its ability to generate
-massive* value. Each Food token is like, two Food tokens, doubling your food generation. The sacrifice ability also provides card advantage. The weakness is that Chatterfang is vulnerable to removal, and you have to sacrifice creatures to draw cards.

Chatterfang’s playstyle is about token generation and value. You flood the board with tokens, make tons of food, and use the food to fuel your other strategies. It’s an aggressive strategy that can overwhelm opponents with sheer numbers. This commander is a blast to play, and a lot of fun.

Core Synergies

Okay, so you wanna build a Golgari Food deck, huh? Cool! That means we’re talking graveyard shenanigans, sac outlets, and, of course, a whole lotta delicious Food tokens. The real magic happens when you start combining all these elements. It’s like, a perfectly balanced meal – everything works together to create something amazing. Let’s break down the core synergies that make this strategy pop.

Food and Golgari Mechanics: A Synergistic Dance

Golgari is all about the graveyard, sacrifice, and, now, Food. The key is to leverage all three simultaneously for maximum value. This means using Food as a resource to fuel graveyard recursion, sacrifice outlets, and other Golgari mechanics.

Food Generation	Food Consumption	Golgari Mechanics	Synergy Examples
Generating Food tokens efficiently.	Utilizing Food tokens for value.	Graveyard interaction and creature sacrifice.	Using Food tokens to bring back creatures from the graveyard while also providing sacrifice fodder.
Cards that create Food as a secondary effect.	Paying Food to draw cards or create creatures.	Exploiting the graveyard to generate more Food or bring back Food generators.	Sacrificing a Food token to draw a card, and then using the drawn card to reanimate a creature, including a Food generator.
Creatures that generate Food on ETB or death.	Sacrificing Food to activate abilities.	Generating value from sacrificed creatures.	Sacrificing a creature that generates Food to draw cards, and then using those cards to find more Food generators or graveyard recursion.
Artifacts that create Food.	Food tokens as a resource for mana ramp.	Utilizing the graveyard for strategic advantage.	Generating mana through Food, sacrificing a creature to create Food and then using that Food to reanimate a powerful creature.

Efficient Food Generation in Golgari Colors

The name of the game is getting those Food tokens flowing. You want cards that consistently generate Food without costing too much mana or requiring too many hoops to jump through. Here are some solid examples:

• Trail of Crumbs: This enchantment is a total powerhouse. It generates Food when you sacrifice a creature, and then lets you draw a card. Basically, you’re getting a Food token
  -and* card advantage every time you sac something. It’s a win-win!
• Academy Manufactor: This artifact is the ultimate value engine. Whenever you create a token, you create two more, of different types. That means Food, Clues, and Treasures all at once!
• Gilded Goose: A one-mana creature that can tap to make Food, or provide mana to cast spells. This card gives you early-game mana fixing, and later on it can generate Food to fuel your other strategies.
• Gingerbrute: A cheap, aggressive creature that can be activated to become unblockable. While it doesn’t directly generate Food, it
  -can* be sacrificed for value, or you can use the Food it generates for other synergies.
• Witch’s Oven: This artifact is an all-star for Food decks. It allows you to sacrifice a creature to create a Food token, and then you can exile the creature from the graveyard to bring it back later. It’s pure value!

Using Food Tokens for Value and Advantage

Food tokens aren’t just for eating (although that’s part of the fun!). They’re a versatile resource that you can use in a bunch of different ways to get ahead of your opponents. Think of them as little Swiss Army knives for your strategy.

• Card Draw: Some cards let you sacrifice Food to draw cards. This helps you dig for answers, find more Food generators, or get the pieces you need to win.
• Life Gain: The most common use of Food is gaining life. This can help you survive aggressive strategies or buy you time to set up your board.
• Mana Ramp: Some cards let you sacrifice Food for mana. This can help you cast bigger spells earlier or accelerate your game plan.
• Sacrifice Fodder: Food tokens are great for sacrificing to activate abilities, trigger effects, or fuel your graveyard strategies.
• Synergy with other Mechanics: Food can be used to activate other mechanics, like the escape mechanic.

The real power of Food lies in its flexibility. You can use it to smooth out your mana, gain life, draw cards, or fuel your graveyard. Mastering these options is key to piloting a Golgari Food deck.

Card Selection: Staples and Considerations

Alright, fam, let’s get down to brass tacks. Building a killer Golgari Food deck means choosing the right cards. You gotta have those absolute must-haves, the bread and butter, ya know? Then, you gotta make some tough calls, weighing options to fine-tune your strategy. This is where we separate the noobs from the pros.

Let’s dive in and figure out what’s totally fetch and what’s, like, so last season.

Food Generators

This is the heart and soul of the deck, where the magic happens. We need consistent ways to make that delicious Food. Without a steady supply, you’re gonna be hangry and, honestly, useless. Here’s the lowdown on the essentials:

• Trail of Crumbs: This enchantment is a total rockstar. It turns all that Food you make into card draw. That’s right, Food = more cards. Plus, it’s super cheap to cast.
• Witch’s Oven: A must-have. It sacrifices your Food tokens for value, like mana or creatures. It’s also a combo piece with a bunch of other cards.
• Gilded Goose: This bird is clutch early game. It can tap for mana and make a Food token. It’s also a cheap creature to sacrifice.
• Cauldron Familiar: This cat is the bomb. It’s a free sacrifice outlet that also drains your opponent’s life total and gains you life. It’s the ultimate value engine.
• Academy Manufactor: If you want to go absolutely bonkers with Food production, this is your jam. Whenever you make a Food, Clue, or Treasure, you get three instead! It’s a major target, so be ready to protect it.
• Mayhem Devil: This is a spicy meatball. Whenever a player sacrifices a permanent, you get to ping someone for damage. This card can quickly turn the tide of the game.

Removal

You need to control the board, obvi. Removal keeps your opponents from getting too crazy. Here’s the essential removal suite for a Golgari Food deck:

• Assassin’s Trophy: This is the all-star. It can get rid of anything on the board, and the downside is often negligible.
• Abrupt Decay: Instant-speed removal that’s uncounterable? Yes, please! Great for dealing with early threats.
• Path to Exile: A classic. It exiles a creature, but your opponent gets a basic land. It’s still a great way to get rid of problem creatures.
• Beast Within: This card can take out anything, but it gives your opponent a 3/3 Beast token. Use it wisely.
• Vraska’s Contempt: Removal and life gain all in one. Plus, it exiles, which is important for dealing with pesky creatures that keep coming back.

Ramp

Gotta get that mana flowing! Ramp lets you cast your spells faster and get ahead of the curve.

• Cultivate / Kodama’s Reach: These are the bread and butter of ramp. They put lands onto the battlefield, setting you up for the mid- to late-game.
• Nature’s Lore / Three Visits: These spells fetch a Forest and put it directly onto the battlefield, helping you fix your mana early on.
• Sol Ring: The ultimate mana rock. It’s good in any Commander deck.

Other Considerations

These are the cards that add flavor and consistency to your deck.

• Reanimate: Golgari is all about bringing creatures back from the graveyard. This is the perfect card to use to bring back big creatures that have been discarded.
• Grave Titan: This creature is a powerhouse. It creates two Zombie tokens when it enters the battlefield, and it makes two more when it attacks.
• Disciple of Bolas: Sacrificing a creature for value, draw cards, and gain life? Yes, please.
• Yawgmoth, Thran Physician: A combo piece and sacrifice outlet. This is a good card that has a lot of utility.

Alternative Card Choices

Sometimes you gotta make some tough calls, depending on your budget, meta, and playstyle.

• Alternative Food Generators:
  • Gingerbrute: A cheap creature that can be sacrificed for value.
  • Bog Witch: Can generate mana and make food tokens.
• Alternative Removal:
  • Putrefy: A cheap removal spell that can deal with creatures and enchantments.
  • Maelstrom Pulse: A great removal spell that can deal with multiple copies of the same card.
• Alternative Ramp:
  • Farseek: A cheap ramp spell that can fetch a dual land.
  • Skyshroud Ranger: Allows you to play an additional land.

Ramp and Mana Acceleration

Alright, so like, if you wanna sling some serious spells and get those food tokens popping off, you gotta get your mana game on point. Ramp is basically how you speed up your mana production, letting you cast big, expensive spells way earlier than your opponents. In Golgari Food, it’s super crucial because you need to be able to cast your commander, and then start churning out those delicious food tokens.

Best Ramp Spells for Golgari Food

Golgari, being a two-color combo, needs ramp that can handle both green and black mana needs. We’re lookin’ for spells that can get us multiple lands out, or accelerate our mana production quickly.

• Cultivate/Kodama’s Reach: These are, like, the bread and butter of green ramp. They grab two lands, one immediately and one on the battlefield tapped, making sure you hit your land drops and color-fix at the same time. They’re super efficient and always a solid choice.
• Skyshroud Claim: Another classic, this one fetches two forests onto the battlefield tapped. It’s great for getting lands that can produce both green and black mana, helping with color fixing.
• Three Visits: Similar to Skyshroud Claim, but fetches any forest, making it a bit more flexible.
• Rampant Growth: A cheap and cheerful option. It puts a basic land onto the battlefield tapped, but it’s good early game to get the ball rolling.
• Farseek: Lets you search for a land card with the basic land types Forest or Swamp and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Excellent for fixing your colors early on.

Balancing Ramp with Other Card Types, Golgari food commander

Okay, so, you can’t just load up your deck withonly* ramp spells. You need a good mix of ramp, card draw, removal, food-related spells, and threats to win the game.

• The “Rule of Nine”: A good starting point is to aim for around nine ramp spells in your deck. This number can be adjusted based on your commander’s mana cost and the overall speed of your playgroup.
• Early Game Focus: Prioritize ramp in the early turns. Get those lands out and start generating mana.
• Mid-Game Adjustments: As the game goes on, you might want to replace some of your less efficient ramp with more impactful spells, like card draw or removal.
• Consider the Curve: Think about the mana curve of your deck. If you have a lot of high-cost spells, you’ll need more ramp to cast them.

Mana Rocks and Land-Based Ramp

Mana rocks and land-based ramp are your main tools for accelerating your mana. They each have their own advantages and disadvantages.

• Mana Rocks: These are artifacts that produce mana.
  • Advantages: They can be cast early, they’re color-agnostic (meaning they can produce any color), and they can be tutored for with artifact tutors.
  • Disadvantages: They can be easily removed by artifact removal spells. They also don’t help you hit your land drops.
  • Examples: Sol Ring (the GOAT), Arcane Signet, Talismans of Resilience.
• Land-Based Ramp: These are spells that fetch lands from your library or put extra lands onto the battlefield.
  • Advantages: They help you hit your land drops, they’re harder to remove than mana rocks (unless someone blows up all lands), and they can ramp you
    -and* color fix.
  • Disadvantages: They can be slower than mana rocks, and they’re often limited to fetching basic lands.
  • Examples: Cultivate, Kodama’s Reach, Skyshroud Claim.

Removal and Control

Alright, so like, in Golgari Food decks, you gotta be able to, you know,deal* with stuff. Removal spells are basically your besties for getting rid of your opponent’s annoying creatures, enchantments, and artifacts that are cramping your style. Think of it as your deck’s bouncer, making sure only the cool stuff gets to stay on the field. Without good removal, you’re just gonna get run over by some sweaty aggro deck, and nobody wants that.

The Importance of Removal Spells

Removal spells are totally essential for a Golgari Food commander deck. They help you control the board, clear the way for your own threats, and prevent your opponents from, like, completely taking over the game. You need to have answers to big threats, problematic enchantments, and pesky artifacts that mess with your game plan. Plus, removal lets you buy time to get your Food engine going and start chugging out those delicious tokens.

They’re your ultimate wingman, protecting you from the drama your opponents are trying to stir up.

Effective Removal Spells in Black and Green

Black and Green are like, the ultimate power couple when it comes to removal. Black has the “destroy anything” options, and Green has the “smash artifacts and enchantments” game. Here’s the lowdown on some top-tier removal spells:

• Black Removal:
  • Swords to Plowshares/Path to Exile: Even though these aren’t
    -technically* Black, they are frequently used in Golgari due to the prevalence of white in Commander. They’re the OG removal spells. Instantly gets rid of a creature for a small cost (life or mana). Totally efficient.
  • Assassin’s Trophy: This one’s like, the perfect answer for almost anything. Destroys any permanent. Period. Your opponent gets a land, but who cares when their best card is gone?
  • Vraska’s Contempt: Removal and life gain? Sign me up! Kills a creature or planeswalker and gains you some life. Pretty sweet deal.
  • Hero’s Downfall: Another great one. Kills a creature or planeswalker. Straightforward and effective.
  • Feed the Swarm: Hits creatures
    -and* enchantments. A solid answer in one card.
• Green Removal:
  • Beast Within: Turns a problem permanent into a 3/3 Beast. Still, it’s better than the problem permanent.
  • Nature’s Claim: Cheap and effective at destroying artifacts and enchantments.
  • Bane of Progress: Blows up all artifacts and enchantments. Can be a board wipe if needed.
  • Acidic Slime: A creature that destroys a permanent when it enters the battlefield. A solid option for value.

Managing Your Removal Suite

Okay, so how do you decide what removal to run? It depends on your local meta, like, what your friends are playing. If everyone’s running crazy artifacts and enchantments, you’ll want more green removal. If there’s a bunch of big creatures, pack more black removal.

• Know Your Meta: Pay attention to what your opponents are playing. Are there a lot of creatures? Enchantments? Artifacts? Adjust your removal accordingly.

• Balance Your Spells: You want a mix of creature removal, artifact/enchantment removal, and flexible options that can hit anything.
• Consider the Cost: Mana costs are important. You need to be able to cast your removal when you need it. Cheap removal is awesome.
• Spot Removal vs. Board Wipes: Some games, you just need to get rid of one annoying creature. Other times, you need to reset the board. Balance your removal suite accordingly.
• Prioritize Efficiency: Look for removal that is mana efficient, meaning it has a low mana cost for its effect.

Think of it like this: you wouldn’t go to a party without a backup plan, right? Your removal suite is your backup plan for when things get messy on the battlefield.

Food Consumption and Payoffs

Alright, so like, we’ve got all these yummy Food tokens, right? But just having them sitting around is kinda pointless. We need to actually

• use* them to get our game on. This section’s all about the cards that
• love* to munch on Food and how we can make those bites count.

Cards That Benefit From Consuming Food Tokens

Okay, so let’s get to the good stuff – the cards that are

hungry* for Food. These are the MVPs of our Food-fueled strategy. Here’s a rundown of some key players and what they bring to the table

• Trail of Crumbs: This enchantment is basically a Food-generating engine. It lets you draw cards whenever you sacrifice a Food, which is amazing for card advantage. It’s like, super important to keep your hand full.
• Academy Manufactor: This is a major Food factory upgrade. Whenever you create a Food, you also create a Clue and a Treasure. Hello, value!
• Feasting Troll King: This big boy is a Food-loving powerhouse. He’s got hexproof, so he’s hard to get rid of, and he gets bigger every time you feed him a Food. Plus, he brings his own Food to the table.
• Gluttonous Slug: A cool creature that can sacrifice a Food to grow in power and toughness. It’s a great way to make a creature a bigger threat.
• Gingerbrute: This little dude is cheap and can’t be blocked, so you can sacrifice a Food to give it a boost and sneak in some damage.
• Giant Opportunity: This is a sorcery that lets you sacrifice Food to draw cards. It is a great source of card advantage.
• Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar: This legendary creature lets you sacrifice Food for a bonus. It’s like, a Food-fueled engine.

Types of Payoffs for Food Consumption

So, there are different ways we can cash in on our Food tokens. It’s not just about eating them for the heck of it. There are different ways to get some value from them:

• Card Draw: Some cards, like Trail of Crumbs and Giant Opportunity, let you draw cards when you sacrifice Food. This keeps your hand full and gives you more options.
• Creature Buffs: Some creatures get bigger or gain abilities when you feed them Food. Feasting Troll King is a prime example.
• Life Gain: Some cards, like Witch’s Oven, help you gain life when you sacrifice Food. This can help you stay alive longer.
• Value Generation: Some cards, like Academy Manufactor, generate more tokens when you create Food. This increases the overall value and efficiency of the deck.

Maximizing the Impact of Food Consumption

To really make the most of our Food, we need to be smart aboutwhen* and

Further details about dd’s food truck is accessible to provide you additional insights.

how* we consume it. Here’s how to do it

• Timing is Everything: Think about what you need at the moment. Need more cards? Sacrifice Food to Trail of Crumbs. Need to swing for lethal? Feed your creatures.

• Synergy is Key: Look for cards that work together. For example, Witch’s Oven and Feasting Troll King.
• Don’t Be Afraid to Sacrifice: Sometimes, you gotta eat the Food to get the benefits. Don’t hoard your Food tokens forever. Use them to fuel your strategy.
• Control the Board: Make sure you are able to control the board and not be overwhelmed by your opponents.

Graveyard Interaction and Recursion: Golgari Food Commander

Alright, so in Golgari, like, the graveyard is basically our second hand, ya know? It’s where all the good stuff goes to hang out before we bring it back for a second round. This whole “reanimator” thing is super important because it lets us get more value out of our creatures and spells than anyone else. We’re talking about a whole lotta synergy, value town, and making sure our opponents are, like, totally bummed.

The Importance of Graveyard Interaction

Golgari is all about getting value from your graveyard, fam. We want to fill it up with juicy creatures and spells and then bring them back to the battlefield or back to our hand. It’s how we generate card advantage and keep our opponents on their toes. The graveyard becomes a resource, and we want to exploit it.

Best Ways to Recur Creatures and Spells

There are, like, tons of ways to get stuff back from the graveyard. Some of the best strategies involve reanimation spells, recursion creatures, and efficient draw and discard engines.

• Reanimation Spells: These are the classic way to get creatures back. They target a creature in the graveyard and bring it back to the battlefield. Think of them as bringing your homies back from the dead.
  • Reanimate: The OG reanimation spell. It’s cheap and effective, but you lose life.

  • Victimize: Sacrifice a creature to bring back two creatures from the graveyard. This is a major value play.
  • Animate Dead: Auras are great, but can be easily removed.
• Recursion Creatures: Creatures with abilities that let you bring back other creatures from your graveyard.
  • Eternal Witness: Recovers any card from your graveyard to your hand.
  • Grave Titan: Creates tokens and can be reanimated.
  • Gravebreaker Lamia: Allows casting a card from your graveyard each turn.
• Draw and Discard Engines: These help you fill your graveyard quickly.
  • Faithless Looting: Draw two cards, discard two cards.
  • Oakhame Adversary: A good draw engine.
  • Buried Alive: Find and put three creature cards from your library into your graveyard.

Using Graveyard Recursion to Fuel Food and Advantageous Board States

Okay, so here’s how we put it all together. We want to use graveyard recursion to power up our Food strategy and create a totally unfair board state. Basically, we’re gonna:

• Fill the Graveyard: Use discard spells, mill effects, and creatures dying to get creatures and spells into the graveyard.
• Reanimate Key Creatures: Bring back creatures that make Food, like Feasting Troll King, or creatures that provide card advantage or removal.
• Recur Value: Use recursion creatures like Eternal Witness to get back key spells from the graveyard, like removal spells or more reanimation spells.
• Profit: Enjoy the value, and watch your opponents cry.

For example:

You cast a spell that mills a creature and a Food token producer into your graveyard. Then, you cast a reanimation spell on the creature, bringing it back to the battlefield and making a Food token. Next, you use Eternal Witness to get back the reanimation spell and do it again. You are now ahead in value and have a Food token to help with your strategy. This is a simple example of the power of recursion.

Example Decklists

Alright, so you’ve got your Golgari Food er commander all set up, and you’re ready to, like, actuallyplay* the deck. But how do you build it? Don’t sweat it, fam. Here are two example decklists, each with a totally different vibe, so you can see the potential. One’s all about slamming your opponents with value, while the other is about going full-on combo and ending the game ASAP.

Let’s get into it!These decklists are just starting points, obviously. You can tweak them to fit your playstyle and the vibe of your friend group. The most important thing is to have fun!

Value Town Decklist

This deck is all about grinding out value over time. It aims to generate a ton of Food tokens, use them for various effects, and overwhelm your opponents with card advantage and a constant stream of threats. Think of it as a marathon, not a sprint.

Commander: [[Prosperous Innkeeper]] or [[Glissa, the Traitor]]

• Creatures: [[Gilded Goose]], [[Cauldron Familiar]], [[Witch’s Oven]], [[Trail of Crumbs]], [[Academy Manufactor]], [[Korvold, Fae-Cursed King]], [[Mayhem Devil]], [[Chatterfang, Squirrel General]], [[Reclamation Sage]], [[Assassin’s Trophy]], [[Cultivate]], [[Kodama’s Reach]], [[Sakura-Tribe Elder]], [[Phyrexian Tower]], [[Sol Ring]], [[Arcane Signet]], [[Grave Titan]], [[Eternal Witness]], [[Blood Artist]], [[Village Rites]], [[Deadly Dispute]]
• Instants/Sorceries: [[Abrupt Decay]], [[Assassin’s Trophy]], [[Demonic Tutor]], [[Nature’s Lore]], [[Three Visits]], [[Rampant Growth]], [[Farseek]], [[Putrefy]], [[Terminate]], [[Vampiric Tutor]], [[Kodama’s Reach]], [[Cultivate]], [[Reanimate]]
• Enchantments: [[Smothering Tithe]], [[Parallel Lives]], [[Mystic Remora]]
• Lands: (Basic lands and dual lands to fit your budget and preference)

Key Card Choices:

• [[Cauldron Familiar]] & [[Witch’s Oven]]: The engine that keeps on giving. Sacrifice Familiar to Oven for a Food, then reanimate it to do it again.
• [[Trail of Crumbs]]: Draws you cards whenever you sacrifice a Food, helping you keep the gas flowing.
• [[Korvold, Fae-Cursed King]]: Eats Food tokens for massive card draw and a beefy body.
• [[Academy Manufactor]]: Makes all your token production explode. Two Food tokens? Nah, four!
• [[Mayhem Devil]] & [[Blood Artist]]: Punish your opponents for your Food shenanigans.

Win Condition: Out-value your opponents, generating a huge board presence and using your Food tokens to fuel powerful effects. Eventually, you’ll either overwhelm them with creatures or chip away at their life totals with burn.

Combo City Decklist

This deck is all about assembling a combo and ending the game quickly. It focuses on generating a ton of Food tokens, using them to fuel a game-winning loop. This deck is for those who like to win fast.

Commander: [[Prosperous Innkeeper]] or [[Glissa, the Traitor]]

• Creatures: [[Cauldron Familiar]], [[Witch’s Oven]], [[Chatterfang, Squirrel General]], [[Academy Manufactor]], [[Dockside Extortionist]], [[Disciple of the Vault]], [[Blood Artist]], [[Marionette Master]], [[Reanimate]], [[Entomb]], [[Buried Alive]]
• Instants/Sorceries: [[Demonic Tutor]], [[Vampiric Tutor]], [[Diabolic Intent]], [[Dramatic Reversal]], [[Isochron Scepter]], [[Silence]], [[Arcane Signet]], [[Sol Ring]], [[Nature’s Lore]], [[Three Visits]], [[Rampant Growth]], [[Farseek]], [[Putrefy]], [[Terminate]], [[Reanimate]]
• Enchantments: [[Smothering Tithe]], [[Parallel Lives]]
• Lands: (Basic lands and dual lands to fit your budget and preference)

Key Card Choices:

• [[Cauldron Familiar]] & [[Witch’s Oven]]: The core combo pieces, enabling infinite Food generation.
• [[Dockside Extortionist]]: Ramps you into the combo, and makes more treasures with each opponent.
• [[Chatterfang, Squirrel General]]: Doubles the number of Food tokens you generate.
• [[Marionette Master]] or [[Disciple of the Vault]]: Win conditions for the combo. Sacrificing infinite Food to Marionette Master to deal lethal damage or sacrificing infinite Food to trigger Disciple of the Vault for the win.
• [[Isochron Scepter]] & [[Dramatic Reversal]]: Infinite mana engine if you have enough mana rocks.

Win Condition: Assemble the Cauldron Familiar and Witch’s Oven combo to generate infinite Food tokens, then use those tokens to fuel a win condition like [[Marionette Master]] or [[Disciple of the Vault]]. Alternatively, assemble an infinite mana combo using [[Isochron Scepter]] and [[Dramatic Reversal]], and then use a mana sink.

Concluding Remarks

In conclusion, the Golgari Food Commander strategy is a testament to the enduring power of resourcefulness and synergy in Magic: The Gathering. From choosing the right commander to mastering the art of graveyard recursion and Food consumption, this approach offers a compelling and rewarding gameplay experience. As you build and refine your Golgari Food deck, remember that the true art lies in balancing the delicate dance of sacrifice, recursion, and the strategic deployment of every delicious Food token.

So, gather your ingredients, sharpen your blades, and prepare for a feast of strategy and flavor!