EDH Optimizer
Sergeant John Benton
Legendary Creature — Human Soldier · 1GW
Color identity: Green · White · Selesnya
Sergeant John Benton is Selesnya (green and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Trample, haste
Share Intelligence — Whenever Sergeant John Benton deals combat damage to a player, you and that player each draw that many cards.
Reference price of the card: €1.03
Average lands in decks for Sergeant John Benton: 35
VoltronAggroGroup HugCard DrawSpellslingerAuras+1/+1 CountersRamp
Build your Sergeant John Benton deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Sergeant John Benton 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Sergeant John Benton deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (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 (54/100)
- Consistency31
- Speed39
- Interaction63
- Resilience70
- Closing65
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (18 nonbasic, 5 Plains, 12 Forest)
Invigorate · Llanowar Elves · Avacyn's Pilgrim · Groundswell · Giant Growth · Blossoming Defense · Sol Ring · Duelist's Heritage · Elvish Mystic · Become Immense · Flare of Faith · Wild Growth · Might of Old Krosa · Snakeskin Veil · Summer Bloom · Swords to Plowshares · Tyvar's Stand · Ram Through · Vines of Vastwood · Wild Defiance · Embiggen · Flaming Fist · Overprotect · Thought Vessel · Utopia Sprawl · Rustler Rampage · Path to Exile · Spellbook · Kaya's Onslaught · Scent of Ivy · Fyndhorn Elves · Inner Calm, Outer Strength · Phytoburst · Royal Treatment · Tamiyo's Safekeeping · Loran's Escape · Single Combat · Titanic Growth · Empyrial Armor · Arboreal Grazer · Crumb and Get It · Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar · Birds of Paradise · Mutagenic Growth · Promise of Loyalty · Tifa's Limit Break · Arbor Elf · Swell of Growth · Take Up the Shield · Blacksmith's Skill · Scale Up · Bastion Protector · Empyrial Plate · Arcane Signet · Gift of the Viper · Hyena Umbra · Bridgeworks Battle // Tanglespan Bridgeworks · Elvish Spirit Guide · Generous Gift · Skyshroud Ranger · Azusa, Lost but Seeking · Beast Within · Bounty of the Hunt · Broken Bond · Command Tower · Reliquary Tower · Canopy Vista · Fortified Village · Sunpetal Grove · Sungrass Prairie · Rogue's Passage · Brushland · Temple Garden · Bountiful Promenade · Overgrown Farmland · Windswept Heath · Horizon Canopy · Hushwood Verge · Exotic Orchard · Branchloft Pathway // Boulderloft Pathway · Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth · Razorverge Thicket
🃏 Recommended cards for Sergeant John Benton
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Sergeant John Benton, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Invigorate | 80% | +79% |
| Groundswell | 72% | +70% |
| Giant Growth | 71% | +69% |
| Blossoming Defense | 70% | +68% |
| Become Immense | 67% | +66% |
| Flare of Faith | 67% | +65% |
| Might of Old Krosa | 66% | +65% |
| Duelist's Heritage | 68% | +64% |
| Summer Bloom | 62% | +61% |
| Tyvar's Stand | 62% | +59% |
| Vines of Vastwood | 59% | +58% |
| Snakeskin Veil | 66% | +58% |
| Wild Defiance | 59% | +57% |
| Ram Through | 59% | +57% |
| Reliquary Tower | 84% | +56% |
| Embiggen | 56% | +54% |
| Overprotect | 56% | +54% |
| Flaming Fist | 56% | +54% |
| Rustler Rampage | 50% | +49% |
| Wild Growth | 67% | +48% |
| Spellbook | 48% | +47% |
| Thought Vessel | 55% | +47% |
| Llanowar Elves | 77% | +47% |
| Elvish Mystic | 68% | +46% |
💰 The best cards for your Sergeant John Benton 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.
- Invigorate
- Groundswell
- Giant Growth
- Blossoming Defense
- Become Immense
- Flare of Faith
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Loran's Escape
- Tamiyo's Safekeeping
- Azusa, Lost but Seeking
- Decanter of Endless Water
- Obscuring Haze
- Birds of Paradise
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Exploration
- Burgeoning
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Sergeant John Benton
- Springheart Nantuko + Tireless Provisioner → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Springheart Nantuko + Tireless Provisioner → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Springheart Nantuko + Lotus Cobra → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Springheart Nantuko + Lotus Cobra → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista → Infinite damage, Infinite lifegain, Infinite lifegain triggers
- Scurry Oak + Ivy Lane Denizen → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite creature tokens, Infinite creature ETB
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Sergeant John Benton's color identity?
Sergeant John Benton 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 Sergeant John Benton come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Sergeant John Benton deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 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 18 % of the time and floods 16 %. Deck health: C (54/100).
How many lands should a Sergeant John Benton deck run?
Real Sergeant John Benton decks run 35 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 Sergeant John Benton?
The three highest-synergy cards are Invigorate, Groundswell, Giant Growth. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Sergeant John Benton decks.
What combos does Sergeant John Benton have?
Sergeant John Benton has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Springheart Nantuko + Tireless Provisioner. 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 Sergeant John Benton deck cost?
You can start cheap: Invigorate, Groundswell, Giant Growth 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.