EDH Optimizer
Bess, Soul Nourisher
Legendary Creature — Human Citizen · 1GW
Color identity: Green · White · Selesnya
Bess, Soul Nourisher is Selesnya (green and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Whenever one or more other creatures you control with base power and toughness 1/1 enter, put a +1/+1 counter on Bess.
Whenever Bess attacks, each other creature you control with base power and toughness 1/1 gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on Bess.
Reference price of the card: €0.36
Average lands in decks for Bess, Soul Nourisher: 34
Tokens+1/+1 CountersAggroWeeniesPopulateHumansLifegainCommander Matters
Build your Bess, Soul Nourisher deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Bess, Soul Nourisher 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Bess, Soul Nourisher deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C (55/100)
- Consistency47
- Speed63
- Interaction42
- Resilience73
- Closing52
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (21 nonbasic, 7 Plains, 6 Forest)
Champion of Lambholt · Avacyn's Pilgrim · Llanowar Elves · Sol Ring · Elvish Mystic · Swords to Plowshares · Arcane Signet · Aura Mutation · Scute Swarm · Toski, Bearer of Secrets · Kami of Whispered Hopes · Path to Exile · Wild Beastmaster · Hardened Scales · March of the Multitudes · Rosie Cotton of South Lane · Torens, Fist of the Angels · Wyrm's Crossing Patrol · Grand Crescendo · Sakura-Tribe Elder · Fyndhorn Elves · Luminarch Aspirant · Rabble Rousing · Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar · Mentor of the Meek · Gala Greeters · Cultivate · Mother of Runes · Skullclamp · Heroic Intervention · Oketra's Monument · Queen Allenal of Ruadach · Shamanic Revelation · Swiftfoot Boots · Adeline, Resplendent Cathar · Rhys the Redeemed · Beast Within · Cadira, Caller of the Small · Secure the Wastes · Animation Module · Esper Sentinel · Managorger Hydra · Rampant Growth · Selfless Savior · Soul Warden · Wood Elves · Doubling Season · Spirited Companion · Welcoming Vampire · Maja, Bretagard Protector · Sigil Captain · Austere Command · Call the Coppercoats · Cathars' Crusade · Generous Gift · Elspeth, Sun's Champion · Haazda Marshal · Halo Fountain · Beastmaster Ascension · Camaraderie · Cultivator of Blades · Farmer Cotton · Scepter of Celebration · Elvish Visionary · Martial Coup · Command Tower · Canopy Vista · Sunpetal Grove · Fortified Village · Overgrown Farmland · Castle Ardenvale · Temple Garden · Bountiful Promenade · Sungrass Prairie · Rogue's Passage · Brushland · Selesnya Sanctuary · Temple of Plenty · Gavony Township · Hushwood Verge · Windswept Heath · Branchloft Pathway // Boulderloft Pathway · Exotic Orchard · Dryad Arbor · Reliquary Tower · Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree
🃏 Recommended cards for Bess, Soul Nourisher
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Bess, Soul Nourisher, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Champion of Lambholt | 75% | +53% |
| Wild Beastmaster | 52% | +50% |
| Scute Swarm | 56% | +48% |
| Aura Mutation | 56% | +48% |
| Wyrm's Crossing Patrol | 48% | +47% |
| Toski, Bearer of Secrets | 56% | +44% |
| Rosie Cotton of South Lane | 50% | +42% |
| Torens, Fist of the Angels | 49% | +42% |
| Rabble Rousing | 45% | +42% |
| Llanowar Elves | 71% | +42% |
| Grand Crescendo | 46% | +42% |
| Kami of Whispered Hopes | 54% | +41% |
| March of the Multitudes | 50% | +41% |
| Luminarch Aspirant | 45% | +40% |
| Elvish Mystic | 61% | +40% |
| Gala Greeters | 42% | +38% |
| Avacyn's Pilgrim | 72% | +38% |
| Sakura-Tribe Elder | 46% | +37% |
| Mentor of the Meek | 44% | +34% |
| Oketra's Monument | 38% | +34% |
| Fyndhorn Elves | 45% | +33% |
| Animation Module | 34% | +33% |
| Castle Ardenvale | 41% | +32% |
| Hardened Scales | 51% | +32% |
💰 The best cards for your Bess, Soul Nourisher deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Wild Beastmaster
- Aura Mutation
- Wyrm's Crossing Patrol
- Rosie Cotton of South Lane
- Torens, Fist of the Angels
- Rabble Rousing
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Champion of Lambholt
- Scute Swarm
- Toski, Bearer of Secrets
- Kami of Whispered Hopes
- Oketra's Monument
- Fyndhorn Elves
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Esper Sentinel
- Ocelot Pride
- Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- Doubling Season
- The Ozolith
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Bess, Soul Nourisher
- Scurry Oak + Ivy Lane Denizen → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite creature tokens, Infinite ETB
- Ashnod's Altar + Cathars' Crusade → Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite +1/+1 counters on most creatures you control, Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Rosie Cotton of South Lane + Basking Broodscale → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite creature tokens, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers, Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature
- Springheart Nantuko + Doubling Season → Infinite ETB, Infinite creature tokens, Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Rosie Cotton of South Lane + Scurry Oak → Infinite creature tokens, Infinite ETB, Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature
- Springheart Nantuko + Parallel Lives → Infinite ETB, Infinite creature tokens, Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Bess, Soul Nourisher's color identity?
Bess, Soul Nourisher is Selesnya (green and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Bess, Soul Nourisher come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Bess, Soul Nourisher deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 34 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.9 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 99 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 30 % of the time and floods 14 %. Deck health: C (55/100).
How many lands should a Bess, Soul Nourisher deck run?
Real Bess, Soul Nourisher decks run 34 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Bess, Soul Nourisher?
The three highest-synergy cards are Champion of Lambholt, Wild Beastmaster, Scute Swarm. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Bess, Soul Nourisher decks.
What combos does Bess, Soul Nourisher have?
Bess, Soul Nourisher has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Scurry Oak + Ivy Lane Denizen. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Bess, Soul Nourisher deck cost?
You can start cheap: Wild Beastmaster, Aura Mutation, Wyrm's Crossing Patrol are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.