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Cloakwood Hermit’s Green Ethos: Tokens, Trees, and the Gentle Power of the Graveyard

Green’s color philosophy in Magic: The Gathering often feels like a walk through a forest that doubles as a lab for future forests. It’s about growth, resilience, and the subtle art of turning tiny things into a rolling tide of impact. Cloakwood Hermit, a legendary Enchantment — Background from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, is a neat encapsulation of that philosophy. For two mana you get a flexible tool that rewards a creature-heavy strategy with a steady stream of green Squirrel tokens, every turn’s end step ticking toward a larger board for the next dawn patrol. 🧙‍♂️🔥💎

At first glance, the card’s ability is simple: “Commander creatures you own have ‘At the beginning of your end step, if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, create two tapped 1/1 green Squirrel creature tokens.’” It’s green through and through—blooming from a “background” enchantment that lives with your commander, not just on the battlefield. The trigger looks backward and forward at once: any creature card sent to the graveyard anywhere in a turn can spark two new little squirrels at your end step. That’s a design choice that rewards creature-heavy decks and the cunning of graveyard interaction, a core green motif that translates the micro-action of a single card put into a graveyard into macro-board presence. The tokens are tapped, yes, but they accumulate quickly and scale into board presence that can swing a late-game race in your favor. 🧩

The Green Color Pie in Practice

Green thrives on creature-centric growth, card advantage that comes from maximizing your board’s density, and the steady conversion of small, disposable resources into lasting advantage. Cloakwood Hermit taps into all three strands. The two-token generator at end step mirrors green’s love for incremental engine building: each turn you’re not just replacing what you lost—you’re adding more bodies that can carry you forward, especially when the “you own your commander creatures” clause synergizes with cards that take advantage of having a swarm or a strong board state. In Commander, this plays into the oft-celebrated green strategy of “scale your way up” rather than sprinting for a quick kill. The background enchantment format also nudges players toward a flexible, high-interaction deck-building approach rather than a rigid, single-outcome plan. 🧭

Consider the token type: Squirrels. While they may seem whimsical, they’re a perfect vehicle for green’s token-swarm identity. Squirrels pair nicely with tribal, support, and buff themes, and they invite a portfolio of synergies—think of pump effects, space-clearing combos, or token-doubling cards (where allowed by your playgroup’s rules). Cloakwood Hermit’s design makes the squirrels more than flavor; they become a scalable resource you can leverage while you assemble your plan to stabilize the board, then press through with a timely alpha strike or a defensive behemoth lineup. The flavor text on the card—“You've always preferred the company of animals to people.”—gives a wink to the lore of your green-aligned botanists and beastmasters who value the natural world’s companionship as your most trusted ally. 🎲

Deck-Building Notes: How to Use Cloakwood Hermit

• Token as a resource: Each end step can net you two new 1/1 green Squirrel tokens. Build around this with token doublers, anthem effects, and other green support to swell your board after every turn.
• Graveyard interactions: The trigger cares about creature cards going to the graveyard from anywhere. Pair this with removal-rich environments or self-mostly-mill strategies to reliably hit the trigger and maximize token generation.
• Commander synergy: Since the effect applies to all your commander creatures, choose commanders that enable or benefit from a token swarm or creature-heavy board state. The enchantment’s presence raises the stakes of every combat step and end step you'll have with your trusted leaders.
• Back-to-back turns: The end step timing means you’re often setting up a robust next-turn plan. If you can untap or protect your board, Cloakwood Hermit helps you mount an unstoppable rhythm—start with a few squirrels, crescendo into a fearsome horde. ⚔️
• Art and mood: Pay attention to the Kai Carpenter illustration and the green, forested vibe that dresses this card in a mood of quiet, patient growth—an artistic reminder that green’s power can be calm, persistent, and wonderfully overwhelming with the right support.

“Green’s strength isn’t always brute force; it’s the art of turning simple, natural steps into a flourishing kingdom.”

From a design perspective, Cloakwood Hermit embraces a smart synergy between a Background enchantment and the evergreen token engine. The rarity—uncommon—fits neatly with Commander Legends’ aim to give players powerful, midrange options that don’t instantly crush the table but offer long-term value when built around thoughtfully. Its ability to generate green Clade of squirrels aligns with the long-game tempo that green players adore, making it a budget-friendly yet potent addition to any green-heavy Commander deck. And while the card is not legal in most non-Commander formats, its value in EDH circles is measured not just in price but in the story of the board state you craft around it. 💎

Artwork, flavor, and function all converge here. Cloakwood Hermit gives you permission to lean into a gentler, but no less consequential, form of synergy: nurture creatures, then watch them multiply. It’s a microcosm of what makes green beloved: it asks you to invest in a living system, then rewards your patience with a swelling, responsive army. The squirrels are more than cute critters; they’re tangible, emergent value that compounds as your game grows taller and taller like a forest canopy. 🌳

Product Spotlight

If you’re looking to pair this green strategy with practical gear for daily life (on and off the table), consider a modern carry that keeps your card collection organized with style. For instance, the MagSafe Phone Case with Card Holder—Polycarbonate Matte/Gloss keeps your essentials secure while you’re drafting in the café or traveling to your next game night. It’s a casual nod to the same calm, organized energy Cloakwood Hermit embodies on the battlefield.

MagSafe Phone Case with Card Holder — Polycarbonate Matte/Gloss

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