UL's Card Corner: Treefolk Harbinger

I'm speaking for the trees in today's edition of Card Corner. Specifically, one tree that, in my opinion is the best of them all.

He's my Ticket Oak to victory, as well as everything else I need to get the ground rolling and the beats a-swingin'. Of course, you know him as Treefolk Harbinger, but I defy you to tell me he doesn't look like he's ready to give you two courtside seats to the Lakers.

There's family resemblance.

I know you see it, and
I know you love it.




Anyway, let's talk about why Treefolk Harbinger is the Treefolk to rule them all.

It's simple, really.
There isn't anything that Ticket Oak can't do at ANY point in the game.

He really shines in Mono-Green, thanks to help from his buddy, Dungrove Elder. Together, these two cards create a super fast start for your deck that forces your opponent to waste mass removal before you get your green horde out, or they'll suffer the consequences.

If you're strapped for land, The Harbinger can even net you a Forest or a Dryad Arbor. I know these are things that normal green decks do. Get dudes and lands.

What separates the saplings from the full-blown Ticket Oak though, is that this tree has access to some pretty special tribal Treefolk spells.

Three of my favorite targets are Lignify, Rootgrapple, and Reach of Branches, which makes him pretty astounding for a One-Drop green dude.

These guys keep Ticket Oak much more relevant in the late game, and not a completely dead draw.

The ever-hilarious Lignify stops your opponent's dudes with activated abilities or their Commander from getting annoying for the full 21.

Rootgrapple pops a pesky planeswalker, land, artifact, or enchantment and will net you an extra card, unless something happens to Ticket Oak.

And Reach of Branches gets you recurrable chump blocks at instant speed.

Obviously, there are plenty of other big games to be had with Harbinger if you fortify your deck with more Treefolk. Nemata and Verdeloth are good places to start. Tilling Treefolk and Dauntless Dourbark are also sweet options.

One of the biggest drawbacks to Ticket Oak is that if you want to maximize his playability, he wants to be in Mono Green. This is because Reach of Branches, Dungrove Elder, and Dauntless Dourbark make him super-relevant and powerful in the early game.

However, I don't see why he wouldn't be good in any two-color deck, potentially green and black where you might be playing some of the non-green trees. The Doran deck will love him too, because he can grab Overgrown Tomb and Temple Garden.

Overall, I find that Treefolk Harbinger, aka Ticket Oak, is immense value in a color that longs to have more nonland, noncreature value. But Ticket Oak can do that too.

So do yourself a favor and add a Treefolk Harbinger package to the Mono-Green deck nearest you, even if it's not your deck.

Whoever's playing it will soon be saying what everyone's thinking when this smiley little 0/3 enters the battlefield.

Have you hugged a tree today? If not, don't worry about it.

Just make sure the next time you are hugging one, it's a Treefolk Harbinger.

Or a real-life Ticket Oak.

Passin' it up.

-Uncle Landdrops