Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Legendary Creature — Elf Scout
LegalCard DrawRank #447
Whenever another creature enters, its controller may draw a card if its power is greater than each other creature's power.
, 
: Add X mana in any combination of colors, where X is the greatest power among creatures you control.
2/3
Why is this card good?
Selvala is one of green's premier mana accelerators, and a phenomenal commander or 99-piece for big-creature strategies. That second ability is the draw: at three mana, she can immediately produce huge bursts of any color, and it scales explosively. Drop a fatty, untap her with something like Wirewood Lodge, and you're generating absurd mana on turn 4-5.
She shines in +1/+1 counter, Hydra, and big-stompy ramp decks, especially ones built around a single huge creature (Ghalta, Vaevictis, anything with trample). The card-draw clause is a nice bonus that rewards going wide-on-power, but the mana is the real prize. Pair her with cost reducers and untappers for combo-adjacent explosiveness.
Caveats: her mana is symmetrical—the draw trigger helps opponents too, so politically she can fuel an opponent's bombs. She's also fragile at 3 toughness and a removal magnet. Skip her in low-power or low-creature-count decks where you can't reliably field a big creature to tap for value.
Related cards
Marwyn, the Nurturer
Green creature that taps for large mana scaling with creatures.
Karametra's Acolyte
Devotion-based big green mana producer in same ramp role.
Selvala, Explorer Returned
Other Selvala providing mana and card draw.
Priest of Titania
Elf that taps for mana scaling with creatures on board.
Beast Whisperer
Card draw when creatures enter, similar engine.
Greater Good
Sac-based draw payoff for big creatures Selvala enables.
Soul of the Harvest
Draws cards when creatures enter, pairs with Selvala's draw.
Garruk Wildspeaker
Untaps lands/Selvala for explosive green mana ramp.
Printings (9)
Show all 9 printingsShow fewer
Played by these commanders
Disa the Restless100% of 2
Ashling, the Limitless100% of 1
Combos (8)
- Staff of Domination + Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
→ Infinite card draw, Infinite colored mana, Infinite draw triggers
- Aggravated Assault + Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
→ Infinite colored mana, Infinite combat phases, Infinite untap of creatures you control
- Umbral Mantle + Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
→ Infinite colored mana, Infinitely large creature until end of turn, Infinite untap of creatures you control
- Selvala, Heart of the Wilds + Freed from the Real
→ Infinite colored mana
- Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed + Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
→ Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite colored mana
- Jumbo Cactuar + Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
→ Near-infinite colored mana
Rulings (3)
- 2016-08-23
Selvala's last ability is a mana ability. It doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to. If the greatest power among creatures you control is 0 or less at that time, no mana is added.
- 2016-08-23
The new creature's power is compared to the power of each other creature on the battlefield as the first ability resolves. If another creature has the same or higher power than the new creature's power, no one may draw a card.
- 2016-08-23
If the new creature isn't on the battlefield as the first ability resolves, use its power when it left the battlefield to determine whether its controller may draw a card. Note that effects that reduced its power before it left the battlefield will apply.