EDH Optimizer
Joel, Resolute Survivor
Legendary Creature — Human Survivor · 3BG
Color identity: Black · Green · Golgari
Joel, Resolute Survivor is Golgari (black and green): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Menace
Whenever a creature token dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Joel and draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Partner—Survivors (You can have two commanders if both have this ability.)
Reference price of the card: €4.99
Average lands in decks for Joel, Resolute Survivor: 36
TokensSacrifice+1/+1 CountersAristocratsLifegainCard DrawCreaturelessEquipment
Build your Joel, Resolute Survivor deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Joel, Resolute Survivor 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Joel, Resolute Survivor 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: B (66/100)
- Consistency80
- Speed65
- Interaction26
- Resilience91
- Closing62
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (25 nonbasic, 6 Swamp, 5 Forest)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Mycoloth · Viscera Seer · Awakening Zone · Blood Artist · Chatterfang, Squirrel General · Morbid Opportunist · Cultivate · Mirkwood Bats · Ophiomancer · Zulaport Cutthroat · Assassin's Trophy · Skullclamp · Moldervine Reclamation · Rampant Growth · Tendershoot Dryad · Twitching Doll · Arasta of the Endless Web · Bastion of Remembrance · Creakwood Liege · Deadly Dispute · Nature's Lore · Village Rites · Cauldron of Essence · Arachnogenesis · Ashnod's Altar · Grismold, the Dreadsower · Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest · Scute Swarm · Smothering Abomination · Victimize · Wild Growth · Golgari Signet · Marionette Apprentice · Priest of Forgotten Gods · Revitalizing Repast // Old-Growth Grove · Talisman of Resilience · Woe Strider · Beledros Witherbloom · Dark Ritual · Dictate of Erebos · Elves of Deep Shadow · Nest Invader · Parallel Lives · Pest Rescuer · Pitiless Plunderer · Chittering Dispatcher · Doubling Season · Farseek · Pawn of Ulamog · Pest Infestation · Sakura-Tribe Elder · Swiftfoot Boots · Tarrian's Soulcleaver · Essenceknit Scholar · Birds of Paradise · Braids, Arisen Nightmare · Deathreap Ritual · Ghost Lantern // Bind Spirit · Gorma, the Gullet · Heroic Intervention · Immoral Bargain · Command Tower · Woodland Cemetery · Twilight Mire · Llanowar Wastes · Overgrown Tomb · Exotic Orchard · Vernal Fen · Grim Backwoods · High Market · Bojuka Bog · Tainted Wood · Undergrowth Stadium · Necroblossom Snarl · Turbulent Fen · Deathcap Glade · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Terramorphic Expanse · Blooming Marsh · Golgari Rot Farm · Phyrexian Tower · Wastewood Verge · Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth · Rogue's Passage · Temple of Malady · Verdant Catacombs
🃏 Recommended cards for Joel, Resolute Survivor
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Joel, Resolute Survivor, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Mycoloth | 61% | +55% |
| Awakening Zone | 56% | +49% |
| Ophiomancer | 50% | +42% |
| Viscera Seer | 58% | +42% |
| Chatterfang, Squirrel General | 56% | +42% |
| Morbid Opportunist | 56% | +42% |
| Tendershoot Dryad | 44% | +37% |
| Creakwood Liege | 42% | +36% |
| Grismold, the Dreadsower | 36% | +35% |
| Blood Artist | 56% | +34% |
| Twitching Doll | 44% | +34% |
| Smothering Abomination | 36% | +33% |
| High Market | 44% | +32% |
| Grim Backwoods | 44% | +31% |
| Mirkwood Bats | 50% | +31% |
| Nest Invader | 31% | +30% |
| Arasta of the Endless Web | 42% | +30% |
| Priest of Forgotten Gods | 33% | +29% |
| Arachnogenesis | 39% | +29% |
| Bastion of Remembrance | 42% | +28% |
| Zulaport Cutthroat | 50% | +28% |
| Wild Growth | 36% | +28% |
| Woe Strider | 33% | +28% |
| Chittering Dispatcher | 28% | +27% |
💰 The best cards for your Joel, Resolute Survivor 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.
- Mycoloth
- Awakening Zone
- Ophiomancer
- Viscera Seer
- Morbid Opportunist
- Tendershoot Dryad
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Chatterfang, Squirrel General
- Blood Artist
- Arachnogenesis
- Scute Swarm
- Turbulent Fen
- Springheart Nantuko
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Dictate of Erebos
- Ashnod's Altar
- Parallel Lives
- Bitterblossom
- Phyrexian Altar
- Wand of Orcus
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Joel, Resolute Survivor
- Chatterfang, Squirrel General + Pitiless Plunderer → Infinite artifact ETB, Infinite artifact LTB, Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers, Infinite artifact tokens, Infinite colored mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite Treasure tokens, Reduce the toughness of creatures opponents control to 0
- Warren Soultrader + Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Blood Artist → Infinite artifact ETB, Infinite artifact LTB, Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite lifeloss
- Warren Soultrader + Pitiless Plunderer + Zulaport Cutthroat + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite artifact ETB, Infinite artifact LTB, Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite lifeloss
- Blowfly Infestation + Flourishing Defenses → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite death triggers
- Warren Soultrader + Zulaport Cutthroat + Chatterfang, Squirrel General → Infinite artifact ETB, Infinite artifact LTB, Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers, Infinite artifact tokens, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite colored mana, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite Treasure tokens
- Warren Soultrader + Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Bastion of Remembrance → Infinite artifact ETB, Infinite artifact LTB, Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite lifeloss
👥 Community decks with Joel, Resolute Survivor
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Joel, Resolute Survivor's color identity?
Joel, Resolute Survivor is Golgari (black and green): 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 Joel, Resolute Survivor come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Joel, Resolute Survivor deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.1 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 9 % of the time and floods 7 %. Deck health: B (66/100).
How many lands should a Joel, Resolute Survivor deck run?
Real Joel, Resolute Survivor decks run 36 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 Joel, Resolute Survivor?
The three highest-synergy cards are Mycoloth, Awakening Zone, Ophiomancer. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Joel, Resolute Survivor decks.
What combos does Joel, Resolute Survivor have?
Joel, Resolute Survivor has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Chatterfang, Squirrel General + Pitiless Plunderer. 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 Joel, Resolute Survivor deck cost?
You can start cheap: Mycoloth, Awakening Zone, Ophiomancer 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.