EDH Optimizer
The Lion-Turtle
Legendary Creature — Elder Cat Turtle · 1GU
Color identity: Green · Blue · Simic
The Lion-Turtle is Simic (green and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Reach, vigilance
When The Lion-Turtle enters, you gain 3 life.
The Lion-Turtle can't attack or block unless there are three or more Lesson cards in your graveyard.
{T}: Add one mana of any color.
Reference price of the card: €0.22
Average lands in decks for The Lion-Turtle: 37
Spellslinger+1/+1 CountersLessonsBounceControlEarthbendingGood StuffLands Matter
Build your The Lion-Turtle deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Lion-Turtle 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Lion-Turtle 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: B+ (74/100)
- Consistency78
- Speed54
- Interaction65
- Resilience84
- Closing92
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 37 lands (18 nonbasic, 9 Island, 10 Forest)
Accumulate Wisdom · Origin of Metalbending · True Ancestry · Cycle of Renewal · Boomerang Basics · It'll Quench Ya! · Seismic Sense · Shared Roots · Waterbending Lesson · Octopus Form · Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Hermitic Herbalist · Sokka's Haiku · Gran-Gran · Guru Pathik · Rockalanche · Lost Days · Serpent of the Pass · Earthbending Lesson · The Art of Tea · Aang's Journey · Cracked Earth Technique · Chakra Meditation · Zuko's Exile · Bender's Waterskin · Match the Odds · Bumi, King of Three Trials · Elemental Teachings · Turtle-Duck · Water Whip · Waterbender's Restoration · Badgermole · Secret of Bloodbending · Walltop Sentries · The Unagi of Kyoshi Island · Germination Practicum · Master Pakku · Raucous Audience · Whirlwind Technique · Basic Conjuration · Colossal Skyturtle · Environmental Sciences · Fecund Greenshell · Growth Spiral · Containment Breach · Energybending · First-Time Flyer · Saber-Tooth Moose-Lion · Leaves from the Vine · Badgermole Cub · Counterspell · Diligent Zookeeper · Echocasting Symposium · Flopsie, Bumi's Buddy · Teachings of the Archaics · Platypus-Bear · Introduction to Prophecy · Knowledge Seeker · The Earth King · The Pride of Hull Clade · Cultivate · Command Tower · Hinterland Harbor · Ba Sing Se · Dreamroot Cascade · Meditation Pools · Simic Growth Chamber · Agna Qel'a · Breeding Pool · Flooded Grove · Temple of Mystery · White Lotus Hideout · Reliquary Tower · Vineglimmer Snarl · Exotic Orchard · Yavimaya Coast · Rejuvenating Springs · Thornwood Falls · Thriving Grove
🃏 Recommended cards for The Lion-Turtle
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Lion-Turtle, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Accumulate Wisdom | 79% | +79% |
| True Ancestry | 74% | +74% |
| Origin of Metalbending | 74% | +73% |
| Cycle of Renewal | 72% | +70% |
| It'll Quench Ya! | 70% | +70% |
| Boomerang Basics | 70% | +69% |
| Waterbending Lesson | 68% | +68% |
| Seismic Sense | 68% | +67% |
| Octopus Form | 66% | +65% |
| Shared Roots | 68% | +62% |
| Hermitic Herbalist | 55% | +55% |
| Sokka's Haiku | 54% | +54% |
| Gran-Gran | 51% | +51% |
| Guru Pathik | 50% | +50% |
| Rockalanche | 49% | +49% |
| Lost Days | 47% | +47% |
| Serpent of the Pass | 47% | +47% |
| The Art of Tea | 45% | +45% |
| Earthbending Lesson | 45% | +44% |
| Aang's Journey | 44% | +44% |
| Ba Sing Se | 44% | +42% |
| Zuko's Exile | 41% | +41% |
| Cracked Earth Technique | 42% | +41% |
| Chakra Meditation | 41% | +41% |
💰 The best cards for your The Lion-Turtle 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.
- Accumulate Wisdom
- True Ancestry
- Origin of Metalbending
- Cycle of Renewal
- It'll Quench Ya!
- Boomerang Basics
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Ba Sing Se
- Waterbender's Restoration
- Germination Practicum
- Ancient Adamantoise
- Secret Tunnel
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Badgermole Cub
- Wan Shi Tong, Librarian
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Lion-Turtle
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- 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
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The Lion-Turtle's color identity?
The Lion-Turtle is Simic (green and blue): 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 The Lion-Turtle come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Lion-Turtle deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 37 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.0 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 100 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 10 % of the time and floods 12 %. Deck health: B+ (74/100).
How many lands should a The Lion-Turtle deck run?
Real The Lion-Turtle decks run 37 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 The Lion-Turtle?
The three highest-synergy cards are Accumulate Wisdom, True Ancestry, Origin of Metalbending. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Lion-Turtle decks.
What combos does The Lion-Turtle have?
The Lion-Turtle has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. 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 The Lion-Turtle deck cost?
You can start cheap: Accumulate Wisdom, True Ancestry, Origin of Metalbending 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.